King Arthur at Beith?

King Arthur at Beith?

by Roger Griffith
Thursday, 11 December 2014
King Arthur remains a poular hero to this day however much debate goes on about his true identity and place of birth, not to mention the site of his battles and of his capital named Camelot - Cornwall, Scotland, Wales?

He is said to have fought 'twelve famous battles' and at the last, the Battle of Badon Hill (Mons Badonicus) he put the invading 'English' to flight and earned Britain a period of peace that lasted for several decades.

In 542 AD he is thought to have led his men to victory at a battle in the Glen Water near Loudoun Hill in the Irvine Valley and his son Mordred is said by some to have been born in the Orkneys.

The Wood of Beit, now the 'Moor of Beith', has been identified by one author as an Arthurian site where according to a famous Welsh Bard, Arthur - fought a battle at the close of day at the Wood of Beith.

Archbishop Robert Montgomerie of Hessilhead

by Roger Griffith
16 November, 2014
Hessilhead Animal Rescue Centre
A little known fact is that a local man, Robert Montgomerie, whose home was Hessilhead Castle, was made Archbishop of Glasgow in the 16th century.

In the 1580s the Duke of Lennox held the patronage (right to appoint) of the Archbishopric of Glasgow and settled this 'tulchan' post on Robert Montgomerie of Hessilhead in 1581, however after much religious protestation Robert was forced to resign as Archbishop of Glasgow in 1585.

A 'tulchan' post was one where the patron enjoyed the emoluments of the post whilst the holder was not expected to undertake many of the duties. The name 'tulchan' is Gaelic in origin and comes from a leather bag stuffed with hay that was placed under a dry cow to 'induce' her to prioduce milk.

The famous presbyterian reformer Andrew Melville prosecuted Robert Montgomery and for this he was summoned before the Privy Council in 1581 and had to escape to England to avoid being charged with treason.

Robert had little enjoyment of his elevated position and on one occasion in Edinburgh he was set on by a large crowd who threw all manner of unpleasant things at him.

The 'Beith Beauty' - Part 2

by Roger Griffith
11 August, 2014
Further information has come to light about Mary Spier Gunn and one interesting fact it is that in 1883 she was Beith's first telephone operator, additionally it seems that she was a grand-daughter of Margaret Gibson Spier of Spier's School.

The census also shows that she was 51 and not 39. Her burial place it seems was the Southern Necropolis in Glasgow where she was buried in her best tartan plaid.

Newspaper reports of the murder show that the heavy revolver used in the murder and woundings was never found as it was either thrown into the sea or one theory was even that the murderer had committed suicide and a watch was kept for a drowned body - without success.

It seems that Mary lived for many years with her sister and brother-in-law which seems unusual but not exceptionally so for those days. Mary did it seems have a boy friend in Canada and the Police confirmed that he was not the perpetrator.

Alexander McLaren told the Police that he knew of no one who had a grudge against the family and therefore the reason for the murder remains as puzzling as ever.