Failford
Failford (Scots: Failfuird)[1] is a hamlet in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Mauchline, where the Water of Fail flows into the River Ayr. The nearby Ayr Gorge Woodlands nature reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, notable for its ancient woodland of oak, ash and beech.[2] The betrothal of the poet Robert Burns and "Highland Mary" (Mary Campbell) is said to have taken place here in 1786[3] or at nearby Coilsfield.[4] In 1921, local Freemasons erected a memorial stone to commemorate this event.[5]
The name Failford also officially applied as late as 1842 to the nearby hamlet at Fail where the Trinitarian Fail Monastery once stood. It's ford was located about 80 yards downstream from Fail Bridge.[6]
References
- Notes
- ↑ The Online Scots Dictionary
- ↑ "Ayr Gorge Woodlands". Scottish Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ "Framed painting of the betrothal of Burns and Highland Mary by W.H. Midwood". National Burns Collection. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ Hecht, Page 86
- ↑ "Burns Highland Mary newsreel". British Pathe. 1921. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ Dillom, p.118
- Sources
- Dillon, William J. The Trinitarians of Failford. AA&NHS 'Collections 1955 - 1957'. Volume 4.
- Hecht, Hans (1936). Robert Burns. The Man and His Work. London : William Hodge.
External links
- Video and commentary - 'Icebergs' on the River Ayr at Failford
- Commentray and video on the Robert Burns and Highland Mary Memorial at Failford
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Coordinates: 55°30′18″N 4°26′25″W / 55.50500°N 4.44028°W