Ayrshire
Traditional Ayrshire County | |
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Ayrshire ( Scottish Gaelic Siorrachd Inbhir Àir ) is a traditional county (English Shire ) in south-west Scotland . Today the area of Ayrshires is divided into the administrative districts of East Ayrshire , North Ayrshire (extended by the island of Arran ) and South Ayrshire . The Ayrshire breed of cattle is named after this county .
history
Ayrshire became part of the Scottish Kingdom in the 11th century . In 1263 the Battle of Largs between Scots took place here under Alexander III. and marauding Vikings under Haakon IV . Ayrshire existed as an administrative county from 1889 to 1975 and then became part of the Strathclyde region . Strathclyde was disbanded in 1996; since then the area of Ayrshire has been divided into three unitary authorities . Ayrshire is still one of the Lieutenancy Areas of Scotland today .
geography
The main parts of Ayrshire lie in a trench, the so-called Midland Valley, south of the mountain ranges of the Highlands and north of the Southern Uplands . It encloses the entire west coast of the Midland Valley to the Firth of Clyde or the Irish Sea and extends in parts to the Southern Uplands. Ayrshire is one of the most fertile areas of Scotland and is heavily influenced by agriculture.
climate
The weather in the west of Scotland is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Gulf Stream and is characterized by moderately warm summers and mild winters.
Ayrshire celebrities
- William Wallace (around 1270–1305), Scottish freedom fighter ( Ellerslie ). However, the exact place of birth of William Wallace within Scotland is controversial.
- Quintin Craufurd (1743–1819), author and art collector
- William Fullarton (1754–1808), military, politician, writer and High Commissioner of Trinidad
- John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836), developer of the Ayr paved road
- Sir Thomas Brisbane (1773-1860), Scottish soldier and colonial administrator, after whom the city of Brisbane in Australia is named ( Largs )
- Robert Burns (1759–1796), Scottish poet ( Alloway )
- John Galt (1779–1839), novelist ( Irvine )
- Thomas Burns (1796–1871), pastor, colonialist in ( Otago ) and co-founder of ( Dunedin )
- James McCosh (1811-1894), British-American clergyman and philosopher
- James Wilson (1835–1920), United States Secretary of Agriculture
- William Gibson Sloan (1838–1914), evangelist and revivalist (Dalry)
- John Dunlop (1840–1921), inventor of the air-filled tire ( Dreghorn )
- Andrew Fisher (1862–1928), Prime Minister of Australia ( Crosshouse )
- Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), discoverer of penicillin ( Darvel )
- Bill Shankly (1913–1981), successful British football manager ( Glenbuck )
- Jai McDowall (born 1986), Scottish singer
- Biffy Clyro (Scottish rock band)
- Robert Thornton (* 1967), darts player