aug-09 - Lochwinnoch Online

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THE BATTLE RAGES ON by DEREK PARKER SINCE time immemorial, battlefields have been the terrifying scenes of ghostly encounters. Several sites of conflict are said to be haunted by phantom figures of long-dead warriors seeking revenge on spectral foes against whom they fought in bloodthirsty feuds during bygone days. Muirdykes Mount in the hills above Lochwinnoch is one of these haunted battlefields. You can see it from the visitor centre at Castle Semple Loch. It's easily recognisable by the single windswept tree cresting a conspicuous mound west of Skiff Wood on the far side of the loch. The Battle of Muirdykes took place on June 18, 1685. It was fought between Royalist dragoons in the service of King James VII and II, and the Covenanters who opposed the monarch's claim to be head of the Reformed Church in Scotland. The Covenanters were led by Sir John Cochran, whose family lived at Cochrane Castle, near Johnstone. The dragoons were commanded by Lord Ross of Hawkhead, near Paisley. The battle site is marked on Ordnance Survey maps by two crossed swords. Today, more than 300 years later and even on sunny, summer afternoons, it still exudes an eerie atmosphere. That spooky sensation is particularly palpable around the anniversary of the feud when the ghosts of the warriors who fought and died at Muirdykes are said to return to their former haunts to settle old scores. The small group of Covenanters who took part in the conflict were part of a larger army which had been recruited in Holland. Under the leadership of the Earl of Argyll, they planned to make their way up the Kintyre peninsula then along the Clyde estuary, past Dumbarton, and on towards Glasgow where they hoped to rally more support. By the time they reached Old Kilpatrick, however, many of the Covenanters had lost heart and drifted away. Those that remained were separated and the Earl was captured at Renfrew. He was later executed in Edinburgh on a macabre guillotine-like machine known bizarrely as The Maiden. Today, close to the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew, there is a large rock known as Argyll's Stone. Red marks on the boulder are said to be the Earl's bloodstains from the wounds he sustained during his apprehension. Following the arrest of Argyll, the remainder of the Covenanting army crossed the Clyde at Renfrew. The river was easy to ford in these days because it was very shallow, especially at low tide. The Covenanters headed southwards towards Ayrshire, which was one of their strongholds and the territory of the Earls of Dundonald, who were related to Sir John Cochran, their commanding officer. While journeying across the moors, they were engaged by a detachment of Royalist dragoons at Muirdykes Mount and a fierce fight followed. An eye-witness account of the battle by one of the soldiers described how muskets and pistols were fired as the Covenanters resolutely defended the small hillock known as Muirdykes Mount. That's the landmark which we can see from Castle Semple visitor centre. The soldiers' narrative tells how drystone walls and heather-mantled hollows were used for cover and how at least four dragoons were killed. The casualties included a Captain Clelland who was carried from the field after being struck by a musket ball. The officer later died from his injuries. The Battle of Muirdykes was an inconclusive encounter with neither victors nor vanquished. Both factions retreated from the battlefield under cover of darkness with the dragoons heading for Glasgow and the Covenanters continuing towards Ayrshire. There was a grisly sequel to the event. Nearly 300 years after the battle, an old sword was discovered among reed beds near Castle Semple Loch which were being drained as part of an agricultural improvement and land reclamation project. The location was less than one mile away from Muirdykes Mount where the battle was fought. The sword was handed over to the former Renfrew District Council and put on show for a while at the sadly-defunct Lochwinnoch Community Museum in the village centre. The weapon, which dated from the Covenanting era, was thought to have been used by one of the soldiers during that fateful summer day at Muirdykes Mount when the green grass of the upland pastures was reddened with the blood of dead and
wounded soldiers. It is believed that the fugitive soldier had fled on horseback from Muirdykes Mount, galloped past the ruins of Ellistoun Castle - ancestral home of the Semples of Castle Semple - then blundered into his marshy mausoleum at the loch where he was sucked to a horribly slow lingering death in choking mud and weedstrewn water. Some historians believe that the bleached bones and shrivelled bodies of the doomed rider and his horse may still lie somewhere among the marshes fringing the loch, where they perished in the aftermath of the battle. During my time as a countryside ranger at Clyde Muirshiel Park, I heard many stories from local residents about a ghostly horseman frequently seen at dead of night, galloping furiously on his phantom steed along the muddy track which leads from Muirdykes Mount before dropping down into Ellistoun Glen then continuing towards Castle Semple Loch. Was his the ghost of the drowned victim of the Castle Semple marshes Today, Muirdykes Mount has changed little during the three centuries that have elapsed since the conflict. Close by, you will see a large grassy mound which is said to entomb the bodies of the men who perished during the battle. It is also said that, if you visit the site on June 18 and on certain other days, you will hear the crack of gunfire, the rattling of swords, the frenzied neighing of horses and the agonised screams of wounded and dying men as the Covenanters and dragoons try to settle old scores still outstanding since the Battle of Muirdykes in 1685. It's as if the conflict still rages on through the centuries. Derek Parker worked as a countryside ranger at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park from 1985 until 1999. ST VINCENT’S HOSPICE NEWS Three West of Scotland Hospices are delighted to be the recipients of a Big Lottery award, which will greatly improve the quality of life of children and young people within Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board region. St. Vincent’s Hospice Howwood, Ardgowan Hospice Greenock and The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice Glasgow received a five year award for their Butterfly Children’s Bereavement programme. The three local independent Hospices joined together in a bid to deliver bereavement services to children and young people in a groundbreaking way. The Children’s Bereavement programme will directly improve the quality of life of over 500 children and young people across the three geographical areas in the form of a Drop-in service, individual counselling sessions and support and education for young people, families and professionals. This generous grant offers an excellent opportunity for the three Hospices to work together as a first in Scotland to deliver Bereavement Care for Children in a uniform and equitable way. This project will contribute to communities working better together whilst complementing and promoting the public Health and Palliative Care agenda. It is hoped that the project will make a significant impact on the lives of children, young people and their families Our Director of Hospice Services, Mrs Trudy Lafferty, said: "St. Vincent's Hospice is absolutely delighted to have received funding in collaboration with Ardgowan and Prince & Princess of Wales Hospices, for the Butterfly Project. St Vincent's Hospice has for many years been supporting children & young people in Renfrew district. However this award will enable many more young people affected by bereavement to be supported at a time when they are most vulnerable." Q J Quinn & son Memorials Personal Service & Quality Guaranteed New Memorials Additional Inscriptions Cleaning & Renovations NEW SHOWROOM 42 MAIN STREET, KILBIRNIE Please Call 01505 68 5455 Monday & Friday 10am-5pm, Tuesday-Thursday 10am–2pm Saturday 10am - 1pm Mr. Ford and Mrs Murdoch would like to invite all primary school aged children (including those about to start P1) to our joint* Holiday Club in the Parish Church Hall from Monday 10 th – Friday 14 th August from 10 – 12 each morning. Through the story of Joseph and music, we will be exploring some of the big questions, such as, “Why are we here” and “what difference can I make to the world” At 11 o’clock on Sunday morning, children are invited to bring their parents to a family service and stay for fun and food. There will be the usual mix of crafts, games, drama and jokes as well as the famous water game! *The Holiday Club is part of the joint youth work undertaken by Calder United Free Church and Lochwinnoch Parish Church.
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aug-09 - Lochwinnoch Online

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