The Murray family were said to have been in High Carston, Ochiltree for 400 years certainly there is a lease being renewed in 1757. An eldest son James Murray took on the farm of The Muir, Cumnock around 1870 leaving his father John ( 1804-1903) and unmarried brother John Murray at Carston.
Later James sent his 4th daughter Annie, and his youngest son Jacob to live with their uncle at Carston. The Murrays won the Championship at Ayr Show as far back as the 1850s and again in 1881. After the death of their Uncle John, Jacob found his landlord unwilling to make building improvements to the Carston steading so took a lease of Dalgig, New Cumnock in 1919, which was the largest farm on the Dumfries House estate.
Thus the dairy herd moved up country - the best low ground of Dalgig being 200 feet higher up than Carston, and the herd prefix changed from Carston to Dalgig.
A run of major successes at Ayr Show took place in the 1920s such that the Ayrshire Cattle Society's Championship Trophy was won outright by Jacob Murray.
The whole herd was dispersed in 1928 from Dalgig and made record prices.
The cow in the top picture was Bright Smile of Carston, born in 1878 and registered with the Herd Book number 1307. The first herd book for the Ayrshire breed was published in 1877. Bright Smile's descendants are everywhere in even today's Ayrshires, through her progeny in the Manswrae herd which was at Bridge of Weir.
Dalgig dispersal sale at the farm.
Amazingly all these six cows ( the Cinderella and Merrytrix families) trace to Beauty of Carston who was born in the 1850s. Also Bright Smile at the start of this article is from the same line!
The bull that sired some in the above pictures , Muir General French came from Jacob's father's herd at the Muir , Cumnock. A niece of Jacob Murray's Mrs Janet Fleming ( nee Montgomerie) recalled staying at Dalgig as a child with her cousins at Aunt Annie and Uncle Jacob's. They were sent to walk a cow ( in season ie heat ) across the moors from Dalgig to the Muir to get her mated to Muir General French!
Jacob Smith Murray 1884-1971
Cows' heads at Jacob's house in Ayr , Rowellen where he retired to. Carston Cinderella 2nd on the left and Carston Lady Mary Stuart on the right.
Rowellen , with Jacob Murray in the front doorway.
John Murray Jnr ( because his father John Murray lived until almost 99 years) with Carston Lady Mary Stuart - another Ayr Show champion for the Murray family. Jacob and Annie went to live with their unmarried uncle at Carston.
Informal picture of Annie Murray with C Lady Mary Stuart - the beast must have had a good temperament!
Annie Smith Murray - she was an acknowledged expert on " the wedge shaped beasties " ie Ayrshires , and judged shows in her own right in the 1920s and 30s - unheard of then.
Lanark 1924
