Tarbolton, parish

Grid reference

NS 430 271 (accurate position)

Six-figure easting & northing

243000 627100

Latitude

55.512371865149085

Longitude

-4.486632998153979

Altitude (metres)

96

Nearby places

Fail, monastery, Tarbolton (1.12 miles)

Stair, modern parish (2.24 miles)

Barnweill, former parish, Craigie/Tarbolton (2.32 miles)

Ladyyard, Tarbolton (2.69 miles)

Ladykirk, settlement, Monkton & Prestwick (2.74 miles)

Object Classification

Parish (extant in 1975)

Is linear feature?

No

Notes

NGR is for modern parish church, built in 1821 on site of medieval church. It is possible that the parish of Balinclog, which appears in charters of circa 1226, is actually the same parish as Tarbolton. Certainly lands which lay in Balinclog in the thirteenth century now lie in Tarbolton parish. See Márkus, 'Balinclog: a lost parish in Ayrshire', Journal of Scottish Name Studies 3 (2009) 47-64.

Relationships with other parishes

Contains Barnweill, former parish, Craigie/Tarbolton

partially

Relationships with other places

Contains Annbank, Tarbolton

Contains Fail, monastery, Tarbolton

Contains Ladyyard, Tarbolton

Parish details

Tarbolton

Parish TLA

TRB

County

Ayrshire

Medieval diocese

Glasgow

Parish notes

In 1335 John de Graham lord of Torboltona granted the patronage of this church to Robert de Graham of Walstona (Walston), but subsequently in 1338 transferred the patronage to Fail, only to revoke this latter grant, on account of fraud [!], in 1344, it then being reconfirmed to Robert de Graham, who in 1342 had already bestowed the patronage upon Melros (Melr. Lib. nos. 447, 452-3, 457-8). For complex continuation of this story, see Cowan 1967, 195. Note that the land on which the church of Torboltona was situated was called Wnþank ('terra super quam ecclesia eadem est fundata') ( 1335 Melr. Lib. no.447) - suggesting a fairly recent foundation? Second element probably from Old English boþel-tún (as in Bolton etc.), combined with Gaelic tòrr, using Gaelic word order. The place-name must be considered Gaelic, but incorporating an already existing place-name (Bolton) coined during a period of Northumbrian settlement.