Mair Matheson has been providing legal services based in Newmilns, Ayrshire in various guises for decades, moving to our current purpose built premises in 2004. We feel we are very much part of this town and its history, so we thought we would share some of it here.
The burgh of Newmilns is situated at the narrowest part of the Irvine Valley and occupies the site of a suitable fording place across the River Irvine on the major route from Ayrshire to Avondale, Clydesdale and Central Scotland. In 1490, the town of ‘Newmyllis’ was made into a free Burgh of Barony by King James IV and during the 17th Century Newmilns area was a stronghold for the Convenanting cause.
Linen was introduced in the 17th Century, however, it wasn’t until the 18th Century when Hood and Morton introduced the first Powerloom Lace Machine that the world-famous Irvine Valley lace industry boomed.
At its height, Newmilns had 13 lace factories and a large amount of building took place during this period due to the prosperity created by the lace and madras industry. Today the industry has dwindled massively with only MYB Textiles remaining. They are the only producer in the world manufacturing patterned lace with original Nottingham lace looms, some of which are over 90 years old!
Many famous names are associated with the town including Robert Burns, who visited the Rev. Dr. Lawrie, a minister at Loudoun Old Parish Church in the 1780’s. Here he wrote a ‘prayer’ about his time staying the Lawrie family. President Lincoln gifted a flag to the Newmilns Anti-Slavery Society, Lady Flora Hastings who was lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, visited Newmilns and unfortunately was the subject of a court scandal reflecting badly on Queen Victoria.
The Burgh’s motto, ‘Weave Truth with Trust’ has stood the community in good stead for the past 500 years.