The following is an attempt to provide information that will assist members, who may he unfamiliar with the areas, to locate the graves and burial records of their North Ayrshire ancestors.

Monumental Inscriptions

In 1983 the inscriptions on monumental stones in burial grounds of Cunninghame District were recorded, under the auspices of the Manpower Services Commission and of Cunninghame District Council, and further supported by Largs and District Historical Society and the Friends of Cumbrae Museum. This effort resulted in the production of eleven large volumes of inscriptions, covering the area now known as North Ayrshire, indexed by names and located by maps of the graveyards and cemeteries. Each stone was also photographed. The volumes are located in the Historical Section of Ardrossan Library (Tel 01294 469137). Each local library also holds a copy of the monumental inscriptions for the local cemetery.

PART 1. The Three Towns.

There are seven burial grounds in the area of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. Two are in day to day use, and one is in occasional use. 

Probably the oldest disused graveyard is that on Castlehill, Ardrossan, most conveniently reached from Hill Place. The 36 monumental stones lie in grass about 160 metres north of the castle ruins, and on the south side of the rectangle of foundation stones, all that remains of the church destroyed by a hurricane in 1691. The grave stones are so weathered that at least 24 of them no longer show an inscription. The remainder carry only fragments of words and occasional names. The oldest date that is legible is 1662. There is no register of those graves.

A second church was erected in 1697 at a more sheltered spot, about a mile from the castle, beside the Stanley Bum, but it fell into disrepair and was abandoned in 1744. The remains of this church, again merely a rectangle of stones, may be seen in a small park on the north side of Stanley Road about 100 metres west of the point where the Stanley Burn passes under the road. There is record of one burial within this building, and those of five of the Weir family of Kirkhall in an adjacent private burial ground. The latter is no longer evident. Details are given in "Historical Notes of Ardrossan" by Arthur Guthrie, (1882).

A third church was erected at Manse Street, Saltcoats, but it too was later replaced by a larger building in 1773, as Ardrossan Parish Church, on the same site. A graveyard was established on the south side of the building. Nowadays it contains 192 monumental stones. When the inscriptions were recorded in 1983, at least 20 stones were found to be illegible. A register of 575 interments between 1874 and 1915 is available for examination in the Local History Section of Ardrossan Public Library. Unfortunately, there is no name index to the volume. This church ceased to function in 1908 and is now a museum.

Ardrossan Parish Cemetery was established in 1854. It occupies a large walled area on the west side of Sorbie Road. The entrance is about 100 metres north of the crossroads with Parkhouse Road and the High Street. Up to the present time, almost twenty five thousand burials have taken place in this site. When the recording of the inscriptions was carried out in 1983, the map that was also prepared was arbitrarily divided into sections labelled A,B,C, and D and the graves in each section numbered. A Surname index is provided for each section. owing to the large number of graves in each section the searcher will probably find it helpful to copy from the book a little sketch map as an aid to locating the grave.

As with all other Council controlled cemeteries in North Ayrshire, the Burial Registers, Lair Registers, and maps showing the location of a lair are now held in the Cemeteries Office at 43 Ardrossan Road (Tel: 01294 605436), where they may be viewed by appointment. Unfortunately, however, these maps use a totally different numbering system to that in the monumental inscription volumes. Here the letter A to D signify the type and location of the lair within a section of the graveyard, rather than the section in which it is to be found. The burials are recorded chronologically, so one has to know the approximate date of the burial to find the location of the grave. 

Ardrossan Public Library has four volumes of Burial Registers for this cemetery. In general they contain more information than the lair Registers. Three of the volumes cover the period 1874,to 1957. In the first (1872 - 1903), when the deceased is a child the name of the parent or guardian is included. In the two later volumes, details of the condition, occupation and residence of the deceased are provided. The fourth Register is entitled "Burials in section E, 1900 - 1974". No monumental inscriptions will be found for those listed in this Register, since they were designated as "paupers". They are buried in this graveyard in areas known as "common ground", and although the Lairs are numbered, no names are shown on the cemetery maps. I understand that this method of dealing with such destitute persons was discontinued after Regionalisation. Nowadays a Local Authority Department such as Social Work, etc will purchase a Lair for the deceased.

The best technique to finding details of an ancestor buried in this cemetery is to first use the monumental inscription name index. This will give date of death, and from this, the cemetery map, the Burial Register and the Lair Register should provide all the information required.

New Street Cemetery, Stevenston, is relatively difficult to find. It is situated behind houses on the west side of the street (B752). and is approached through a lane whose entrance is about 230 metres from the junction with Stevenston Main Street. The Stevenston Bum and a high steel fence separate the cemetery from the adjoining back gardens. The gate is kept locked, but there is a notice indicating where a key may be obtained. The cemetery was opened in 1861 and contains 681 monumental stones. Again, further information may be obtained at the Council Cemeteries Office. 

Hawkhill Cemetery is situated on the eastern outskirts of Stevenston, on the north side of the A78, and just beyond the junction with the B752 to Ardeer. It is a non-denominational cemetery opened in 1929, designed to take over from New Street Cemetery. By 1983 it contained about 2000 monumental stones. The numbering of the location of the stones, used by those who recorded the monumental inscriptions, is again quite different from that used in the Lair maps located in the Council Cemeteries Office. All three cemeteries are kept in good condition by the Council.

Stevenston High Kirk (Church of Scotland) stands on high ground on the north side of Stevenston Main Street. A small church dating from 1670 was erected in 1744 and replaced by the present church in 1833. The graveyard situated around the church, contains over 420 monumental stones and extends on the east side down a steep slope to the Stevenston Bum. A large number of the stones am broken and illegible. Although it is thought that some stones were set in place during the 17th Century, the earliest legible stone dates from 1707. Within the church there are a number of commemorative plaques and stained glass windows upon which various persons are named. Vaults beneath the floor hold the remains of members of landed families in the area. 

Here also in 1983 the legible monumental inscriptions were recorded, black and white photographs taken, and a map showing their location drawn. A Register of burials was sent to the Scottish Record Office in 1961, where it may be found at Ref. CH2/336/2. It contains records of burials from 1820 - 1849. It appears that after that date persons were buried in the graveyard of Ardrossan Parish Church or in the new local cemeteries.

OLD PARISH REGISTERS.

No deaths appear to have been recorded for Ardrossan or Saltcoats in OPR576. However.

The Registers available are:

Ardrossan Cemetery - Burial Register and Lair Register, 1874 to date. (A name index is available).

New Street Cemeterv. Stevenston - Burial Register from 1895 to 1998, including a name index 

Hawkhill Cemetery, Stevenston - Burial Register and Lair Register, 1930 to date.

Old Parish Registers

It appears that subsequent to OPR 576, Ardrossan, there are records in a Supplementary Register of some 48 deaths occurring between 1818 and 1854, provided by persons who came forward with details after 1855. A type written list is available in the Local History Section of Ardrossan Public Library.

Part 2. BEITH.

In Beith there is a active public cemetery, and three disused graveyards associated with churches.

Beith Cemetery.  Situated on the east side of King Street in the north west corner of the town, this burial ground slopes down to the north into the Garnock valley, providing excellent views in that direction. It was opened about 1863 and is very well kept. The graves are interspersed with occasional shrubs and rose bushes. By 1883 - 84 when the Manpower Service Commission transcribed the monumental inscriptions there were more than 1400 gravestones.

Records at the Cemeteries Office, Ardrossan Road.

Burial Register, including dates of death, exist only from January 1959

The Lair Registers date from 9th November 1863 and include the dates of interment.

The Auld Kirk Graveyard.  The remains of the Auld Kirk surrounded by a small graveyard and an iron railing with a padlocked gate are located on the west side of the town Cross, between Eglington Street and Main Street. The first parish church was built on that site in 1593, extended in 1754, and a belfry added about 1800. When the new parish church was built elsewhere in the town in 1807 - 10 the oldest parts of the original church were demolished leaving only the belfry and a small windowless stone building a few feet from it. A number of the gravestones are laid on the ground and are no longer legible. Within the belfry there are among others a number of plaques commemorating the Patrick family, landowners in the area. One cannot gain entry to the other small building, which is also reported to contain a plaque, since the key was broken off in the lock about three years ago and nothing has been done to remove it. It is thought that this building formerly served as a mortuary, as it contains a horizontal stone slab and a sink supplied with water.

There are a total of 179 gravestones within the graveyard, of which 77 were found in 1883 to be illegible, or blank. The earliest legible stone is dated 1709. The book containing a record of remaining inscriptions with a map showing the location of the graves in this and other Beith burial grounds is available in both Beith Public library and Ardrossan Library.

The keys for the padlock on the gate and for the door to the belfry are available from the occupant of the cottage at the entrance to Beith cemetery,

The Boys Brigade Hall Graveyard.  This building stands in grounds on the north side of Head Street and dates from 1784. Its current use is announced in bold lettering and a crest on the frontage. A former Dissenter’s church. it served various congregations until 1928. In later years it became a cinema before passing into the hands of the Boys Brigade. The grounds in which it stands are the graveyard of the former church, and are surrounded by high walls and iron railings. There is a large double leaved entry gate that is not locked. The gravestones are in relatively good order, although some of them have collapsed. The inscriptions show dates from 1809 to 1957. In 1984 only three stones were found to have been illegible inscriptions.

Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Graveyard.  This Roman Catholic Church stands near the corner of Mitchell Street and Crummock Street. At the corner within the church grounds there is a small garden which appears in former years to have been a graveyard. Four gravestones are still evident within it. This building. formerly known as Mitchell Street Church was another of the Beith dissenting Presbyterian churches, before passing to the Roman Catholics. The inscriptions on the gravestones are in good order and appear to date from the period 1850 - 1870, before change of ownership of the building. There is no evidence that those particular inscriptions were transcribed in 1983 - 84.

Old Parish Registers.  OPR58 1 records deaths in Beith from 178.3 to 1787.

 PART 3. DALRY

In Dalry there is a church graveyard and two cemeteries. 

St Margaret’s Church stands near the centre of the town at the southwest side of " The Cross ". The present building is the third church on this site and dates from 1873. The two earlier churches built respectively in 1604 and 1771 became too small to cope with the ever-increasing congregation, as the town and it’s industries grew in size.

The gravestones stand around the church and in a large walled plot on it’s south side. The earliest decipherable memorial carries the date 1706 and the latest one appears to be 1876. There are 123 monumental stones in all, and about 29 of them appear to have been illegible when the inscriptions were transcribed in 1983-84. The walled plot became a " Garden of Remembrance " about twenty years ago. A number of large gravestones stand along the inside of the wall or lie flat in front of it. Few of them now bear any legible inscription. There is a central grass patch with some low concrete blocks that appear to be all that remains of benches bordering the path around it. At least one gravestone carries some very obvious graffiti.

Within the church there are a number of memorial plaques and stained glass windows bearing the names of once important / wealthy townspeople.

With the increasing population in the industrial areas of the country it became obvious by mid 19th Century that the church yards could no longer cope with the demand for burial space. Accordingly the Government passed a Law in 1850 that enabled Local Authorities in London to purchase land and create public cemeteries. In the next few years this was extended throughout England and to Parochial Boards in Scotland, who were quick to take advantage of this relief. Thus most public cemeteries date from this period.

Dalry Cemetery is located in the north western outskirts of the town. The entrance is on the north side of West Kilbride Road, ( B870 ), and the cemetery opens out in a roughly triangular layout on rising ground with a south facing open aspect. It is neatly kept and all monumental stones appear to have legible inscriptions. Only a few have fallen. There are a total of 983 monumental stones, the earliest bearing the date 1855.

Towards the end of the 1940’s it was becoming apparent that burials could not continue unless more ground space was found. A new cemetery was thus created in 1948 outside the east wall of the existing one and continues today in active use.

Details of the monumental inscriptions in these burial grounds, as transcribed in 1983-84, are available in Dalry Library.

Burial Records.

Such Registers as are available are to be found in three locations.

1) Ayrshire Archives at Craigie, Ayr has:  Dalry Burying Ground Register of Burials 1866- 1935,  Dalry Burying Ground Ledger 1867- 1886

2) Ardrossan Local History Library, Princes St, Ardrossan has:  Registers of Burials 1867- 1894,  Dalry Cemetery Caretaker’s Book 1914-1935

3) North Ayrshire Cemeteries Office, Ardrossan Rd, Saltcoats has:  Register of Burials 1935 to date,  Lair Books 1867 to date

Old Parish Registers - No deaths are apparent in OPR 587 for Dalry.

 Cumbrae

This small island is privately owned and may be visited only after receiving the owner's permission. At its southwest side, on a cliff top near the beach, there is a small graveyard. Measuring about four metres square, it is surrounded by a low stone wall that gives it the appearance of a sheep pen. 

It contains eight graves, three along the west wall and the rest along the east wall.
The former comprise two graves of members of the Wodrow family who lived on the island during the eighteenth century, and that of Alex Urquhart, a game keeper, who was drowned in 1946 when, on returning to the island, his boat filled with water. The remaining five graves are of members of the Parker family who prior to the current owner had purchased the island in 1913. The burials date from 1956 to 1972.

The monumental inscriptions on gravestones on both islands may be viewed in the Millport library. This opens only on Tuesday afternoon and evening and on Friday morning and afternoon. As with other North Ayrshire inscriptions they are also available in the Local History Dept. of Ardrossan Library.

Great Cumbrae.

On this larger island there are four graveyards and a modern cemetery. Two of the graveyards are associated with the Cathedral of the Isles situated inland from the Millport seafront. The Cathedral and the associated College buildings, standing on high ground within an extensive walled garden on the east side of College Street, were opened in 1851 and the Cathedral consecrated in 1876 

Close to the west side of the Cathedral building on levelled ground there is a small rectangular graveyard containing 38 engraved stones. These mark the graves of the Episcopal clergy and staff of the Cathedral. Also present is the grave of Hon. George Frederick Boyle, Sixth Earl of Glasgow, Founder and Principal Benefactor of the Cathedral and College.

About two hundred metres further up the east side of College street there is a wooden gate with a footpath beyond leading to a group of gravestones in a small field. This is the burial ground of members of the Cathedral's Episcopal congregation. In 1983 when the monumental inscriptions were recorded it contained 39 gravestones and 10 grave marker posts. Although it is still an active cemetery, it is now in a very poor state. Many of the gravestones lie tumbled and askew in long grass.

There are two burial registers held in the Cathedral for those graveyards, but they do not appear to state in which graveyard and at what point each grave is located. The earliest recorded burial is on 22 September 1851. An examination of the Registers may be arranged by contacting the Priest in Charge, Rev. Tony Burdon (Tel: 01475 530353). A donation towards the Cathedral funds would be appropriate for this service.

The other three burial grounds are communal and lie adjacent to Golf Road on the outskirts of Millport.

The entrance to the first of those (Millport 'Old Cemetery') is on the left side of the road a few hundred metres beyond the junction with Bute Terrace. It lies somewhat incongruously between the buildings of Mid Kirkton Farm and a Caravan Park. Apparently there are records of a church being erected on this site in 1612. However, with an ever-increasing population, it was demolished and replaced by a larger building in 1802. This in turn was demolished and the present Parish Church erected a short distance away in Bute Terrace in 1837. No trace of the early church is evident in the 
Old Cemetery, but a row of small gravestones near its centre with inscriptions dating from early in the Eighteenth Century (the earliest is 1703) may show its approximate position. The vehicular access to this burial ground, now grass covered, is up a short steep slope, while pedestrian access is by a small flight of steps and through the remains of a turnstile.

The cemetery has a roughly rectangular shape and contains 371 stones. It is neatly kept and there are very few fallen stones. On either side of the entrance a number of the monuments have been built into the surrounding stone wall. 

At the far end of the site beside a small mausoleum there is an opening in the wall leading to an extension known locally as the 'Middle Cemetery'. It has a triangular area and contains 207 stones. They are arranged in neat rows, and the earliest inscriptions refer to deaths in 1870. A small number of the stones have collapsed.

A short distance further up the right side of Golf Road lies the island's modern cemetery. 
The site is level and the stones are arranged in neat parallel rows. It appears very well kept. The earliest stones carry dates in 1936. Each grave has a numbered marker that should make very simple the search for a particular one.

Burial Records.

The Cemeteries office is located within the Local Authority Housing Department on the Millport seafront at 49 Stuart Street (Tele: 01475 530471). The burials are recorded in Lair books that act also as Registers. The records for the Old and Middle Cemeteries extend from September 1848 to 1949. There are four such Lair Book/Registers for the modern Cemetery, lairs being purchased as earl as 1933 while burials did not start until 1936.

Cumbraes OPR 552 does not record deaths.