Kilmaurs

Kilmaurs was known as the hamlet of Cunninghame until the 13th century. The population in 1874 was 1,145. Alex Young suggested that the name Kilmaurs comes from the Gaelic meaning Hill of the Great Cairn. Young’s suggestion for the Gaelic origins of the placename Kilmaurs is extremely unlikely. Earliest medieval records refer to an early medieval church dedicated to a saint (probably a Saint Maura) closely associated with the origins of the ancient settlement. The authoritative Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba website endorses the ecclesiastical origins of the name though exact identity of the saint remains unclear.

Kilmaurs Tolbooth accommodated the council chambers and jail of the former Burgh of Barony and latterly of the Parish Council. It is known locally as the 'jougs', 'Jugs' or 'Juggs' after the metal collar and chain that still hangs from the wall. The village also once had stocks for holding and humiliating miscreants. A tower of some description existed before the present steeple was built in 1800. The Burgh of Barony with its forty "tenementers" was established in 1527 so an earlier Council House is likely to have existed. The Kilmaurs jougs themselves were used in last used in 1820 when a housebreaker was held in them. He was so small that he had to be stood on a stone block. William Aiton…