Kilbirnie, Ayrshire - NS 322578 - Ross 484

Only the boss of the obelisk remains but is remounted on a more recent pedestal.

The corners of the boss are cutaways and there are hollows on the lower surfaces.

The pedestal bears the initials of William Cochrane of Ladylands House and his wife Catherine Hamilton and on the opposite side the date 1821

There is also a rather wonderful lectern at Ladyland.

Visited 04 October 1978 - A. R. Somerville

 

A wonderfully clear illustration and a debased obelisk on a pedestal (which though Ross thought it elegant is hardly understanding to the boss it holds) combined to take away my desire to visit this dial. I'm sure I will at some point but until then - what a lovely illustration.

The Barony of Ladyland belonged for centuries to a cadet of the Barclays of Kilbirnie but was sold in 1669 to Captain William Hamilton from whose family it passed prior to 1710. Soon after it was purchased by Alexander 9th Earl of Eglinton who in 1718 feued it to William Cochran of Edge.

The old house in 1608 characterised by Pont as a “Stronge Touer” was almost completely demolished in 1815. There was a cavity in one of the walls just above the foundations that was found to contain a few small urns, a painted drinking glass and a large saw bone. Three of the urns contained “unctuous earth” the fourth also containing the breast and side bones of a chicken. They were all tightly closed and are still preserved at Ladyland along with a small metal coin. William Cochran rebuilt Ladyland in 18th July 1918 on the site of the Strong Tower. It passed through generations of the Cochran family and was finally sold, but is still a family home today.

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