Dreghorn

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Dreghorn is a small village near Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland, not to be confused with the town and army barracks just south of Edinburgh. Dreghorn's closest neighbours are Bourtreehill and Broomlands. It is the birthplace of John Boyd Dunlop, inventor of the pneumatic tire. Dreghorn is incorporated in Irvine-New-Town. The name Dreghorn may derive from hunting terminology and speaks a little bit about the character of the typical Dreghorn hunter. After a good long hunting session would follow a good long drinking session, where they would fill their hunting horns with ale and drink even the dregs! Another theory is that it's an old Scots name meaning 'farm at the bog' [1] or as in early charters, the name was written Dregern; and it probably derived from the British Tre-quern, which signifies the town or habitation by the swamp, or by the alder-trees.^[1] Springside is the next village along on the old Kilmarnock toll Road.

The unusual octagonal Kirk of Dreghorn

The village boasts a rather unusual parish church, now called Dreghorn and Springside Parish Church (Formerly Dreghorn and Perceton). It is built in the shape of an octagon and is often referred to the 'Thrup'ny Bit' after pre-decimal three penny coin [2]. St. Michael's church in Teignmouth, South Devon is another example of this rare church design. One story from Cornwall suggests why the church is more rounded than is usual, for villagers in the village of Veryan built circular houses with crosses on the top of each, so that the Devil had nowhere to lie in wait and the buildings were therefore 'Devil-proof.' ^[2] Other places of worship are few, the only other existing church being the Ebenezer Hall (Brethren) situated next to the village's Primary School. The Congregational Church is now gone and the second Church of Scotland building (Perceton and Dreghorn Parish Church) was shipped brick by brick to Japan!

A memorial plaque to John Boyd Dunlop at Dreghorn village hall.

During recent housing expansion, a large prehistoric site was discovered behind the current main street, suggesting that there has been a settlement in Dreghorn for at least 5000 years [3] making it the oldest continuously inhabited village in Britain.

Dreghorn's historical main industries were farming and coal mining. All of the coal mines around Dreghorn were closed during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Dreghorn is still surrounded on two sides by farm land. The new communities of Broomlands and Bourtreehill cover the sites of mines.

Dreghorn has a strong community spirit and with its proximity to larger towns such as Irvine, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, it is a popular location for young families to travel to work from.

Maid Morvilles mound was located to the left of the bridge over the Irvine, commemorating the tragic drowning of a member of this family who were the overlords of the baillie of Cunninghame. It was destroyed by the earthworks of the expressway. A 'Maid Morville' street still exists to commemorate the event.