Kilmacolm () is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow. The village has a population of around 4,000 and is part of a wider civil parish which covers a large rural hinterland of containing within it the smaller settlement of Quarrier's Village, originally established as a 19th-century residential orphans' home.
The area surrounding the village was settled in prehistoric times and emerged as part of a feudal society with the parish divided between separate estates for much of its history. The village itself remained small, providing services to nearby farm communities and acting as a religious hub for the parish. The name of the village derives from the Scottish Gaelic Cill MoCholuim, indicating the dedication of its church to St Columba. The parish church was mentioned in a papal bull of 1225 showing its appropriation to Paisley Abbey, and it sits on the site of an ancient religious community dating to the 5th or 6th centuries. Again in the 13th century, Duchal Castle was constructed in the parish and is notable for being besieged by King James IV of Scotland in 1489, following the resident Lyle family's support of an insurrection against him. Feuding between the noble families of Kilmacolm was commonplace in the Middle Ages, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, the parish again came to the attention of the Crown for providing support to outlawed religious Covenanters.
The character of the village changed significantly in the Victorian era, with the arrival of the railway in Kilmacolm in 1869. Many of Kilmacolm's modern buildings were constructed between this date and the outbreak of World War I. The emergence of such transport links enabled the village to expand as an affluent dormitory village serving the nearby urban centres of Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock. The economy of the village reflected this population change, moving away from its traditional reliance on agriculture to providing tertiary sector services to residents and visitors.
History
Toponymy Kilmacolm is generally believed to take its name from the Scots Gaelic language, meaning "cell or church of Columba" as derived from the dedication of an ancient church to St. Columba of Iona. This is generally associated with the religious cell which was established in the sixth or seventh century on the site of the current parish church.Roe 2007, p.20 The current parish church, known as the Old Kirk, was largely constructed in the 19th century and incorporates parts of an older, 13th-century Norman church, which has become the Murray Chapel.
Traditionally it is believed that the village was the location of a cordial meeting in the latter half of the sixth century between Columba and St Kentigern, known locally as St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow. In his book Kilmacolm: A Parish History, 1100–1898, the then Minister of the Parish, James Murray, claims history would suggest the meeting took place at Glasgow, noting only that "as, on that occasion, [Columba] passed up the southern bank of the Clyde, he necessarily traversed a portion of Kilmacolm Parish."
For a period in the 18th century, Kilmacolm was generally spelled 'Kilmalcolm', based on a presumption that the settlement's name originated with one of the kings of Scotland named Malcolm. A vote of the parochial board in 1905 altered the accepted spelling to 'Kilmacolm', based largely on a case made by the previously mentioned Rev. James Murray that this association was mistaken.Roe 2007, pp. 20–21
Early settlement The early human settlement of Kilmacolm can be traced as far back as the Stone Age, with a number of archaeological discoveries made within the village dating from that period. The most significant of these findings is the agricultural homestead located near to the Knapps Loch, which was excavated in the early 1960s.Roe 2007, pp. 2–4 Later examples of human habitation in the parish are numerous.Roe 2007, pp. 4–14
A number of early settlements around the village are listed as ancient monuments by the government agency Historic Environment Scotland. These include a number of Bronze or Iron Age hut circles and roundhouses that are believed to have formed lightly defended homesteads. While not listed, the homestead at Knapps is also mentioned by the agency as being believed to have a similar age.
As the Romans advanced north through Ancient Britain, they entered Kilmacolm – near to the Antonine Wall and contributing to the defence of the Empire's northern frontier. A Roman road leading to a fort at Old Kilpatrick was constructed through the north of the parish. Other forts were built at nearby Whitemoss, with a more significant one on Barochan Hill outside of neighbouring Houston, Renfrewshire. The Romans' continued presence as far north as Kilmacolm was, however, short lived.Roe 2007, pp. 14–18
A motte also exists beside the Gryffe Water within the Duchal Estate, sometimes known as Denniston Motte. It is believed to have been part of an Anglo-Norman timber castle dating from the 12th or 13th century. The former building on the site is stated by Historic Environment Scotland to have "almost certainly acted as a manorial estate centre". There are potential associations with two local landowners: the Lyle family that later held Duchal Castle or the Dennistoun family who later occupied Finlaystone House. Its site listing also notes that "local tradition holds it to be the site of a Roman watertower".
Mediaeval and early modern Kilmacolm
In the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, Kilmacolm was part of a largely feudal society within the Kingdom of Scotland and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain. The parish was largely divided between two estates, which throughout most of the period were based at Duchal Castle and Finlaystone House and began with its division between two families: the Dennistouns and the Lyles, who were later replaced by other families through sale or marriage. Many of the external problems of the two families related to religious disputes, the favour of the Crown and feuds with other families.Roe 2007, pp. 30–31 From the early 13th century, Kilmacolm is mentioned in records of the church which seems to have been dedicated either to Malcolm III or, more likely, Saint Columba. These records include an early papal bull of Pope Honorius III in 1225 and generally demonstrate the subservience of the church at Kilmacolm and the surrounding villages of Strathgryfe to Paisley Abbey.Roe 2007, pp. 32–33
Duchal Castle, on the outskirts of Kilmacolm was constructed by Ralph de l'Isle (also referred to as Radulphus de Insula), whose surname was later Anglicised to Lyle, in the 13th century and remained in the family until purchased by the Porterfields in 1544. The Porterfields occupied the castle until 1710, when much of it was deconstructed and the stone used to build a new home further down the River Gryffe, which exists to this day as Duchal House. The ruins of the castle are still located in the parish. The name 'duchal' means 'between two rivers', and this indeed is reflected in the Castle's position, set between Green Water and its tributary, the Blacketty Water.Roe 2007, pp. 40–44 Most significant in the Castle's history was its siege by King James IV of Scotland in July 1489, following the Lyle's support of an insurrection against him. The King attended personally and, according to accounts, the inhabitants of the Castle surrendered immediately on the sight of the famous Mons Meg cannon being rolled into position against them. The castle, however, was fired upon, and one of the Royal cannon gained the name "Duchal".Roe 2007, pp. 49–53
The Dennistoun family originated in the parish in the mid-12th century and ended with Sir Robert Dennistoun, who died in 1399 with no male heirs. His two daughters inherited his parts of his estate and married into two new noble families, thus creating three main estates in Kilmacolm rather than two. The Cunninghams, later to become the Earls of Glencairn, had their seat at Finlaystone House, and the Maxwells later constructed a seat at Newark Castle in an area once known as Nether Finlaystone.Roe 2007, p. 30 With the death of John Cunningham, 15th Earl of Glencairn in 1796, his title became extinct. Finlaystone House was passed to multiple owners, and is now the seat of the chief of the Clan MacMillan. In 1668, Sir George Maxwell sold much of his lands at Newark to the city of Glasgow, for the development of Port Glasgow. A later Sir George Maxwell disposed of his estate in the early 18th century.Roe 2007, p. 165 Newark Castle is now owned and operated by Historic Scotland.
The Duchal estates were acquired from the Lyles by John Porterfield in 1544. The Porterfields were staunch Covenanters, and Duchal was widely seen as a refuge when the profession of such sympathies was criminalised in the 17th century. Illegal Conventicles were held in the estate, particularly on the natural amphitheatre which is positioned within the present-day 14th hole of the Kilmacolm Golf Club. As a result of these religious sympathies, the estate was sequestered by the Crown in 1684, and the men of the Porterfield family were arrested; it was however returned following the Glorious Revolution.Kilmacolm history
The last of the Duchal-based Porterfield family was James Corbett Porterfield, who died without an heir in 1855. His estate then passed to Sir Hugh Shaw-Stewart, 8th Baronet, who served as a Unionist politician and Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire. Duchal House was subsequently purchased by the first Lord Maclay, and remains in the family to this day.
Modern Kilmacolm
The arrival of the railway in Kilmacolm in 1869 marked a significant turning point in the village's history and lead to Victorian era expansion on a grand scale. Prior to this development, the village had changed little in the preceding centuries, falling behind the development of other parts of the county.Roe 2007, p. 111 Kilmacolm's rail connection came about as a result of railway companies entering into the shipping trade and the perceived need to link Glasgow directly to Greenock's waterfront. Links to the wider world, and particularly Glasgow, made the village an attractive dormitory settlement.Roe 2007, p. 113
Kilmacolm expanded at an unprecedented speed and many of the large Victorian and Edwardian villas which characterise the village today were constructed, as well as such attractions as the Hydropathic Hotel and facilities such as banks and plumbed water. Combined with the dramatic expansion of the village and gentrification of the area, the traditional importance of agriculture to the parish economy declined significantly.Roe 2007, pp. 116–118. Slightly further east on the railway line, William Quarrier's Orphans' Homes were opened in the 1870s and remained as a residential children's community until the late 1970s. Since then, what has become known as Quarrier's Village has become largely residential.