Paterson (1866) states that there is a mineral spring near Stewarton, called the
Bloak Well. Robinson gives the Scot's word 'blout' as meaning the 'eruption of fluid' or a place that is soft or wet. Both meanings would fit in this context. Blout and Bloak are very similar words, with a Bloak Moss not very far. A well recorded as Bloak Well was first discovered in 1800, around 1826 or 1810, by the fact that pigeons from Lainshaw House and the neighbouring parishes flocked here to drink. Mr. Cunningham of Lainshaw built a handsome house over the well in 1833 This is now known as 'Saltwells Cottage', lying next to the Glazert.
Quarries and limekilns Near Waukmill the 1860 OS shows whinstone, limestone and sandstone quarries and a limekiln. On the Kilwinning road is marked the Ward whinstone quarry. On the lane down to East Auchenmade are other freestone and limestone quarries and limekilns. Another whinstone quarry and limekiln was on the road up to Wardlaw. Waukmill no longer exists A weir existed on the Lugton Water nearby and this may have been connected with a
waulkmill, one that treated wool to make it suitable for producing cloth for clothing.
Views of Auchenmade claypit and brickworks – 2008 A brickworks was situated at the Auchenmade claypit, close to South Auchenmade farm. It was served by the
Caledonian Railway line that ran from Glasgow to
Ardrossan via Lissens. the brickworks is marked on the 1896
OS map with its railway siding, however by 1911 the siding is no longer shown and although marked, the brickworks may no longer be working. Image:Auchenmsde clay pit.JPG| Image:Auchenamde loading dock.JPG| Image:Auchenmade brickworks infrastructure.JPG| Image:Auchenmade brickworks office.JPG| Image:Auchenmade factory office.JPG| Image:Auchenmade managers house.JPG| Image:South Auchenmade overbridge.jpg| Image:Auchenmade station 2008.jpg|
The mosses '') growing in sphagnum moss. This low-lying area is dominated by Bloak, Lissens, Sidehead, Kennox, Auchentiber, Over Auchentiber, Auchentiber South, Auchentiber West, Dykeneuk, Dykeneuk South, South Auchenmade and Cockinhead mosses. These are more correctly called 'raised bogs' or 'mires' and are a very rare habitat in lowland Scotland; around 90% having been drained or otherwise degraded beyond any possible restoration. Auchentiber Moss is partly wooded with mainly birch trees and the remains of pheasant rearing cages are noticeable. Hummocks or 'heads' of moss are an unusual feature of the wooded part of this moss. Moorgrips or ditches are frequent on the moss and the walker had better beware. Cockinhead is unusually well preserved and is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), protected by the
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) organisation. Burns from some of these (Auchentiber, Sidehead and Brummel) run through the hamlet on their way to join the Lugton Water. Typical plants of these mosses are
cottongrasses,
ling heather,
bell heather,
cranberry,
blaeberry,
bog rosemary,
sundews,
deer grass,
crowberry, etc. Mr. Kerr, the Montgreenan Estate forester in 1915 described to the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers how afforestation was being tried on Auchentiber Moss by his employer, Sir James Bell. Dr. Duguid visited
Bonshaw, the home of the collector Alexander Reid, circa the 1840s and lists some of the items in Reid's collection, including garden seats made of
bog-oak from Auchentiber Moss. In the 1840s during peat cutting at Auchentiber a straight row of wooden stakes was discovered under the peat, which was then between 10 and 12 feet thick.
Views in Auchentiber and Bloak Moss Image:Auchentiber moss woodland.JPG| Image:Auchentiber moss.JPG| Image:Auchentiber mossheads.JPG| Image:Bloak Wood Art.JPG|
Railway Auchenmade railway station was nearby and was originally part of the
Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway. It opened on 3 September 1888. It closed between 1 January 1917 and 2 March 1919 due to
wartime economy, and closed permanently on 4 July 1932.
Lissens Goods station may also have served the village as a freight facility.
Turnpike Auchentiber was on a toll road or turnpike; the nearest milestone being at the crossroads and the nearest tolls were at Torranyard and Lugton. The name
turnpike originated from the original 'gate' used being just a simple wooden bar attached at one end to a hinge on the supporting post. The hinge allowed it to 'open' or 'turn' This bar looked like the 'pike' used as a weapon in the army at that time and therefore we get 'turnpike'. The term was also used by the military for barriers set up on roads specifically to prevent the passage of horses. In addition to providing better surfaces and more direct routes, the turnpikes settled the confusion of the different lengths given to miles, which varied from to nearly . Long miles, short miles, Scotch or Scot's miles (), Irish miles (), etc. all existed. seems to have been an average. Another important point is that when these new toll roads were constructed the
turnpike trusts went to a great deal of trouble to improve the route of the new road and these changes could be quite considerable as the old roads tended to go from farm to farm, hardly the shortest route. The tolls on roads were abolished in 1878 to be replaced by a road 'assessment', which was taken over by the County Council in 1889. Most milestones are no longer in situ and often the only remaining clue is an otherwise unexplained 'kink' in the line of a hedgerow. The milestones were buried during the
Second World War so as not to provide assistance to invading troops, German spies, etc. This seems to have happened all over Scotland, however Fife was more fortunate than Ayrshire, for the stones were taken into storage and put back in place after the war had finished.
Farms Greenlea, Wardlaw, Law, Redwells, Mid Auchenmade, South Auchenmade, Sunnyside, Sidehead, and Bentfauld farms are in the immediate area. The name 'Wardlaw' is said to derive from 'Watch Hill' as it has a prominent position and a good view therefore. The satellite views of the area around Auchentiber show up the old
rig and furrow systems of pre-mechanised agriculture.
The Ghost of Auchentiber The 'Leddy o'Clumbeith' is a ghost story told by Dr. Duguid circa 1840 in the 1820s. A servant girl from the farm of
Clonbeith was making her way to the Blair Tavern to keep a
tryst when she fell into a mine shaft, horse and all, and was killed. Others say that her 'lad' killed her and then jumped into the shaft after her. Her ghost haunts the fields around Auchentiber.
The Lady in the peat Dr. Duguid in around the 1840s records that near Clumbeith (Clonbeith) on the way to "Meg'swa's" he met Pate Glunch cutting peats. Pate was normally a still, dour man, but on this occasion he was highly animated and took the doctor to see the long dead corpse of a "bonnie lady" lying in a hole in the peat. She was around 18 to 20 years of age, had rosy cheeks, a sweet smile playing around her lips and blonde hair. Her identity was unknown, but a rumour linked her to the family of the
Montgreenan estate. ==Views of the Auchentiber area==