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Prestwick
PRESTWICK, an ancient village and
burgh-of-barony on
the coast of Kyle, Ayrshire. It stands on the road
between Ayr and Irvine, 2½ miles north of Ayr, 1
south of Monkton, 8½ south of Irvine, and 9
south-west of Kilmarnock. Its age, and especially its
constitution as a burgh, are remarkable, and strongly
resemble those of the curious neighbouring burgh of
Newton-upon-Ayr. A charter, continuing and renewing
its privileges, was granted by James VI. as
administrator in law for his eldest son, then a
minor; Henry, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Kyle,
Carrick, and Cunningham, Lord of the Isles, and
Prince Stewart of Scotland. The charter is dated 19th
June, 1600, and expressly says that it was known to
have been a free burgh-of-barony beyond the memory of
man, for the space of 617 years before the date of
renewal. The burgh has power to elect annually a
provost, 2 bailies, and councillors, to grant
franchises for several trades and to hold a market
weekly, and a fair on the 6th of November. The
freemen, or barons as they are called, are 36 in
number. The burgh-lands belonging to them as an
incorporation extend in a broad stripe along the
Pow-burn to a line l½ mile nearer Ayr, and comprehend
about 1,000 acres. The lands are distributed into
lots among the freemen, and do not remain in
perpetuity, but are drawn for in a new distribution
every 19 years. Part of them long existed as a
common, on which each of the freemen had a right of
pasturing a certain number of sheep and cattle; but
this was, several years ago, divided and appropriated
in the manner of the rest of the barony. Freemen
cannot sell their lots or shares, or the baronial
rights which belong to them, without the consent of
the corporation; and females succeed equally with
males to the inheritance of the freeholds. A freeman
may, for an offence, be sent to prison, but not
locked up; and, if he come out without being
liberated by the judicial sentence of the
magistrates, he forfeits all his corporation
privileges and property. Some of these strange
peculiarities, however, have fallen wholly into
disuse. The town has a market-cross, apparently of
great antiquity; and it has also a jail and
council-house. Population, in 1793, 260; in 1838,
760. Prestwick, as an ancient parish, is now united
to MONKTON: which see.
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