also Dernlaw
Written as Dernlaw in Roy's lowlands map of 1752-55
Written as Dernlaw in Roy's lowlands map of 1752-55
Obelisk in auchinleck churchyard
That of William McGavin whom the Dictionary of National Biography describes as a 'controversialist'. He was born at Darnlaw in Auchinleck parish, the son of a farmer on 25 August 1773, and died 23 August 1832. He is best known for a series of letters to the 'Glasgow Chronicle' between 1818 and 1822 on the main areas of difference between Catholicism and the Reformed Churches, these were published under the general title of 'The Protestant'. Two volumes of his works were published postumously in 1834. During his lifetime he was a member of the antiburgher communion, a collaborator with the Rev James Ramsay between 1800 and 1807, and after that an itinerant preacher.
From Auchinleck Churchyard
Besides the Murdochs there is one name that stands forth illustrious with regard to the parish and that is the McGavins. How long they might be in the parish we have no means of knowing, but they were for a considerable time farmers in Darnlaw. From their monument we learn the following:-
"This monument was erected by James McGavin, late farmer in Darnlaw, in memory of John McGavin and Elizabeth Cochran, his parents - John McGavin died Oct. 17, 1777, aged 82 years; and Elizabeth Cochran, June 16 1765 aged 58 years."
James McGavin left Darnlaw with his family in May 1783, and died at Paisley 24th Jan., 1789 in his 59th year. John McGavin and Elizabeth Cochran were grandfather and grandmother to William McGavin, the author of "The Protestant", and James McGavin his father left Darnlaw when our author was only ten years old. They were brought up in the principles of the anti-burghers; they are now termed the Original Seceders. Before they had the meeting house at the Rigg, they used to preach at Darnlaw in a small field contiguous to the dwelling house. The house was built in 1746 when they were farmers there and office houses were removed and attached to the dwelling house about the year 1764. The dwelling house still remains, but the offices have been rebuilt a few years back. Some time after our author went to Paisley. He connected himself with the independents or congregational body. He afterwards removed to Glasgow, where he was first merchant and afterwards banker. During this time he wrote and issued "The Protestant", a work and a controversy that was carried on with great pith and merit, and has emblazoned around his a name that will go down to posterity as one that has benefitted his country and has been a great champion for truths of the Bible which he so nobly advocated. A number of his relatives still live in the parish and we have now the pleasure of seeing his name handed down to posterity in this district by a plain but neat monument erected to his memory by a "young mortality". It stands conspicuous near the gate at the entrance into the churchyard within a few yards of their burying place and on the old monument the inscription is as follows:-
"Sacred to the Memory of Wm. McGavin, Merchant in Glasgow, Author of the Protestant. He was born at Darnlaw, in this parish in 1773. Died at Glasgow 25th August 1832, Aged 59 years. Buried in Glasgow Necropolis.
Princes and Lords are but the breath of Kings,
An honest man's the noblest work of God"
Rented Lands - Barony of Auchinleck* p216
Dernlaw or Darnlaw was let to John McGavin (1691-1777) and then to his son James McGavin who in 1783 moved to Paisley. It was part occupied in 1780 by John Heuchan, a carpenter, who was in Liverpool by 1792, and let for grazing to James Ronald in 1783. A new house and offices were built in 1787. In 1787 and 1793 it was let to William Paton, Margaret Orr and Adam Wood, the last of whom continued in Dernlaw till 1798. In 1788 it was part let to Patrick Murdoch.Dykes of Darnlaw was let to George Arthur in 1781 and 1797.
• The Correspondence of James Boswell with James Bruce and Andrew Gibb,
Horse Tax 1797-98 Adam Wood, Dernlaw, 4 horses.
Overseers of the Auchinleck Estate
Edited by Nellie Pottle Hankins and John Strawhorn
Edinburgh University Press and Yale University Press 1998
Horse Tax 1797-98 Adam Wood, Dernlaw, 4 horses.
The History of Auchinleck Village & Parish - Dane Love
P313
Darnlaw - Dernlaw in 1691-1875
-1777 Auchinleck Estate - John McGavin (1695-1777)
1777-1783 Auchinleck Estate - James McGavin
1875 Auchinleck Estate - John Samson & David Samson
1899 Auchinleck Estate - Janet & Margaret Samson
1934 John Brown trustees
1941 Mary Downie
-1963 John Downie
1963-1978 Robert Sloan
1978-2015 Bryce Sloan (1955- )
The 1851 census shows John Samson 70 farming 100 acres with is wife Janet 58 (Samson), dtr Jean Lenox Samson 29, son George 26, dtr Janet 24, son David 22, dtr Margaret 17 (all employed on farm) and 1 herd boy.
The 1861 census shows John Samson 76 farmer of 100 acres employing 2 men with his wife Janet 70, dtr Jane 45, son George 36, dtr Janet 34, son David 32, dtr Margaret 29 and 1 female domestic servant.
The 1871 census shows John Samson 84 now a widower farming 115 acres 100 acres arable employing 2 men, 2 boys and 1 girl. Also living there is his invalid daughter Jean 48, dtr Janet 42, son David 40, dtr Margaret 38, niece Jessie Stirrat 14, 1 male farm servant, 1 female general servant and 1 visiting shepherd.
The 1881 census shows son David Samson 48, unmarried, farming 130 acres arable employing 1 man, 1 boy, and 1 girl. He is living here with his three sisters Jane 60, Janet 50 kitchenmaid and Margaret 46 dairymaid ( all are single), 1 male farm servant, 1 female domestic servant and 1 male domestic servant.
The 1891 census shows David Samson 60 farming with the help of his sister Jane 66, sister Janet 61, sister Margaret 58, 3 male farm servants and 1 female domestic servant.
The 1901 census shows Janet Simson 73 and her sister Margaret 64 now farming. Also on the census is 1 ploughman, 1 male agricultural labourer and 1 female general servant.
Shown as Dernlaw in the Valuation Rolls. Owned by Sir James and then Lady Boswell until 1875 and tenanted by John Samson in 1855 and 1865. No tenant or owner shown until 1915 when John Brown shown as tenant and then, in 1920 and 1925, as owner. Dernlaw not shown at all from 1930 Roll. Associated with the farm was a powder magazine. (IM)
1968
Harvest at Darnlaw combined with 8ft Massey Harris bagging combine bags of grain being loaded on to lorry to go to Mclellands grain merchant Bogend toll Symington
Dexta with lister wuffler and baled with a Massey 135 and New Holland baler with a Taylor bale sledge which one would stand on and build bales into stooks of 17.
Current owner Bryce's son Robert Sloan. It is amalgamated with Little Heateth (Sorn parish) and is a 500 acres dairy farm. The Sloan family has been farming in the area for 300 years. Bryce bought the farm from Jack Downie and the Lymburner Family.
Shown as Dernlaw in the Valuation Rolls. Owned by Sir James and then Lady Boswell until 1875 and tenanted by John Samson in 1855 and 1865. No tenant or owner shown until 1915 when John Brown shown as tenant and then, in 1920 and 1925, as owner. Dernlaw not shown at all from 1930 Roll. Associated with the farm was a powder magazine. (IM)
1968
Harvest at Darnlaw combined with 8ft Massey Harris bagging combine bags of grain being loaded on to lorry to go to Mclellands grain merchant Bogend toll Symington
Dexta with lister wuffler and baled with a Massey 135 and New Holland baler with a Taylor bale sledge which one would stand on and build bales into stooks of 17.
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| Bryce Sloan 1968 |
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| Bryce Sloan |
Current owner Bryce's son Robert Sloan. It is amalgamated with Little Heateth (Sorn parish) and is a 500 acres dairy farm. The Sloan family has been farming in the area for 300 years. Bryce bought the farm from Jack Downie and the Lymburner Family.
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| 2017 Bryce Sloan |
Winners the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers Gold Cup in 2019 for the best dairy farm in the UK.
Robert Sloan of Darnlaw writes in 2019 after winning the Gold Cup:
My papa Robert Templeton Sloan’s ambition was to give his sons the same opportunity he had: to farm their own business. Today the two generations before me farm seven separate farming businesses, from beef, sheep and dairy farms in the West of Scotland to arable farms in the East, all successful in their own right.
My dad Bryce Sloan farmed alongside my uncles though the 1970s, 80s and early 90s running two dairy farms in the West of Scotland. They were complemented by an arable farm on the East. This supplied, wheat, straw and fodder beet to the dairies. My papa split the business when my dad was the same age as me today, and I was farming from the seat of my pedal tractor. All the opportunities in my working life trace back to this day. The avenues each separate business has embraced since, would look completely different if this decision was not taken at the time.
My papa’s 90 years were well lived at Townhead with his Ayrshire cows. Townhead Ayrshires were one of the oldest herds in the world being established in 1779, pedigree since 1910 and milk recorded since 1919. The monies which were made from 8 Ayrshire bulls in the sales of 1972 were greater than the purchase price of my home farm Darnlaw.
Darnlaw was bought in 1967 as an undrained, derelict breaker’s yard. My dad left the byres of Townhead to come to Darnlaw in 1975. He brought with him 50 Ayrshire and 4 Holsteins cows and they were fed on barn dried hay. Dad married my mum, Anne in 1978 and together they built up the farm as well as raising my sister and I. We have very fond memories of my childhood amidst the graft and hard work that was going on all around us.
Dad never crossed the Ayrshires, they were gradually replaced by his love of black and white cows. The Townlaw Holstein herd was established by purchasing groups of heifers from quality herds; herds like Greengill, Hallbrooke and Bleasby. Buying bunches of heifers rather than individuals was seen to give more of a consistent type through the herd.
Little Heateth, our youngstock farm was purchased to compliment Darnlaw in 1983.
During this time the system changed to Hunday feeders and self feed silage with 75 Holstein cows averaging 8,000 litres. This evolved to complete diet feeding with the arrival of one of the first Keenan feeders which saw yields rise to 9,500 litres.
In the early 1990s we were seriously affected by the construction of a town by- pass through the middle of the farm. Once completed, papa split the business and mum and dad began farming on their own.
Select cows were purchased at herd sales such as Fintalex, Crichel, Bilsrow and Wiseburrow adding to the depth of the bloodlines we work with today.
After leaving school, college and working in different farming systems with different people, I realised my dad was not as hard to work with as I thought he was!I returned home to do the job I always wanted to do, and have loved every minute of building the business with dad over the last 20 years.
We installed a new Westfalia parlour when the New York twin towers came down. The cubicle shed was extended and we were milking 140 cows averaging 10,500Kg on twice a day at this time. We purchased embryos from some of the top world class families as well as the odd individual to keep diversity in our cow families.
Emma and I married in 2010. Our desire to milk cows when they want to be milked and a changing climate led us to build the robot shed in 2011. At this stage I joined mum and dad as a partner in the business. I will always be grateful to dad for allowing me to build my vision for the farm, with plenty of guidance along the way.
To coincide with the launch of new products to meet a changing market place by our milk buyer Graham’s we reduced our herd size from 225 to 180 in 2015. The Holstein herd is now milked solely on 3 robots. The system became more efficient by milking fewer cows. Today we average 12,300Kg
Our own take on diversification came at this point with the arrival of 50 Jerseys. They are milked in the existing parlour system and grazed during the summer. Their lighter frame is better for our heavy land. They average 7200Kg with over 10% solids. They are on a specialist jersey contract with the milk being used to produce Gold Top milk, Skyr and Protein 22.
The last few years has seen us embrace the use of sexed and beef semen. We now rent 200 acres from neighbouring farms to allow for the increase in numbers which this has brought. Selling surplus heifers, young cows and beef animals provide different income streams, spreading risk through the business.
I have always been extremely proud of my family’s history. It makes me feel inspired to look to the future and seize change. Our system has evolved almost unrecognisably over the years. The one constant which has remained is our love of good cows. They are undoubtably the most important asset I will inherit from my dad and are what have allowed us to keep moving through the past, present and hopefully the future.
