Alan & Janet's children were christened at St Quivox Parish from 1776 to 1787 and the last known at Dundonald in 1789 at which point I think they may have been living at Old Rome in that Parish.

I have no record of the birth of either Alan or Janet or of their marriage or their deaths.

Of their children I have found family trees of Janet (c 1776) who married Andrew McMurtrie; John (c 1780) who was my ancestor; and Alan (also c 1780 but not a twin).

I have no real positive leads on the other children: Jean (c 1777); Francis (c 1783); Charles (c 1787); Thomas (c 1789)

Apart from Jean (who may have died young) the others are the younger children. Another Thomas (c 1786) must have died young as the name was later re-used.

If Janet was about 40 years of age when the last child Thomas was born then Janet could have been born as early as 1749. In this case there may have been other, earlier children of the marriage before the family moved to St Quivox. On the other hand after 1789 either Allan or Janet may have died, moved on somewhere else not found, or simply had no more children.

If Janet were 18 at the time her first recorded child was born at St Quivox then she would have been only 31 when her last recorded child was christened at Dundonald.

John, my ancestor, was an obvious stickler for the use of the traditional family names and I presume that this was traditional in the family. He didn't get to use Charles and Thomas, more than likely because with two wives and the incorporation of their family names amongst his 13 children he still did not have enough sons to follow the entire cycle.

I have searched amongst the various Janet Guthrie's that are recorded as having been born in the region at about the right time and the most likely candidate is Janet Guthrie b 22 January 1758 c 29 January 1758 at Irvine - parents John Guthrie and Janet Guthrie (nee Brown).

There is another Janet Gottrey b Monkton at about the right time and her father's name was also John but her mother's is unrecorded.

"Alan" is a christian name associated with the Beith-Lochwinnoch Caldwell family. If the William Caldwell who lived in Galston at the same time as "our" John Caldwell was indeed a relative then it is known that he was born at Kilbirnie and this may be a clue as to where Alan might have come from. There was an ancestor in this family surnamed "Allan" and I have seen other instances where that surname has been bestowed upon a son in the resultant family.

In some later generations there seems a tenuous connection to the Barclay family from Kilbirnie to Kilmarnock and family associations with Walker's and Wilson's. Hardly anything more than speculation though.

On the other hand there is strong evidence of the names: John, Francis, Charles and Thomas as being Caldwell family names in the Ayr, Coylton and Dalmellington areas. John is in fact so common as to make it very difficult to unravel any sensible family lines. As Charles and Francis are not so common in Caldwell families the existence of earlier Caldwell's by this surname in the Ayr region is a good clue.

Alan seems to have been the first of our family to take up coal mining. If he came from the Beith-Kilbirnie region then there is every chance that he might have been a displaced weaver.

If he came from the Ayr-Coylton area he may well have been a tenant farmer or a tenant farmer's son.

At the time he appears in St Quivox parish as the father of a number of children I imagine he was working at the coal mine of the Taylor family at Wallacetown. He may well have been attracted by the good wages and conditions being offered in the mining industry at the start of the coal boom.

"Up till then (1772-3) Scottish agriculture had benefited from good harvests from 1757 and rising prices form the 1760's. The good times abruptly came to an end in 1772, when harvests were poor and market demand stagnant because of industrial crisis. Landlords who had jacked up rents in previous years were now confronted with spiraling arrears. On vast areas of the Dukes of Hamilton in Lanarkshire 'shakeing winds' were accompanied by 'Rotting Rains' in 1771 and 1772, followed by 'parching Drought' in 1773. This run of climatic calamities caused a 'General Devastation' throughout the estates, a halt to schemes of improvement, a huge increase in arrears and, ominously, a significant escalation in the eviction of indebted tenants."

[TM Devine: Scotland's Empire 1600-1815 p116]

"One such crisis broke in 1771-3, triggered by poor harvests and financial panic amongst Scottish (mercantile) houses in London and the spectacular collapse in August 1773 of Douglas, Heron and Company, the Ayr Bank. This was described by some as the worst Scottish economic catastrophe since the Darien disaster of the 1690s. One result was the sharp rise in unemployment among thousands of weavers and other artisans, especially in Paisley and Glasgow. ...

The old image of master weavers buying their own yarn and working it up in their own cottages was being replaced by a new system. Merchant manufacturers ... supplied yarn to weavers working at home or in small factories. They provided credit and advance payments and it was easy to become enmeshed in a circle of debt which brought with it growing dependency."

[ibid p114-5]

"... actual displacement from the land as the enlarged single tenancies, thought to be essential to the improved agronomy, were carved out of the old 'ferm-touns'. Only now can historians appreciate the full significance of these changes. People were on the move everywhere. Some were relocated in new villages, others lost land. In the hill country of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Angus and elsewhere the drastic falls in local population suggest levels of eviction reminiscent of the better-known Highland Clearances in order to accommodate the big cattle and sheep ranches. Elsewhere tenants and cottars were squeezed out more gradually. But the net result was the same: a growth in landlessness and the evolution of a smaller farming class than ever before."

[ibid p115]

Devine is talking about some of the economic factors influencing the rapid rise in Scots emigration as well as the internal movement of displaced weavers and farmers.

It would seem that my ancestor's were caught up in this movement and that the new opportunities in the mines were an alternative to emigration. It doesn't help me in my quest to determine whether Alan had come from a weaving or a farming background.

On the balance of probabilities my best guess at the moment is that his background was farming in the Ayr region. I must not preclude the possibility that the family had not previously been in the coal mining industry.

I am presently discounting this latter possibility as there is good evidence of farming and even merchant burgess Caldwell's in the Ayr region at an earlier time. Furthermore at this time the mines were being opened up to non-hereditary labour and wages and conditions were relatively good due to a very large increase in demand for coal and a great shortage of labour.

Guessing possible ancestral connections is fraught with difficulty but I note the following:

John Caldwell connected to the "James of Ayr" venture to Stuart's Town in the Americas was an Ayr merchant. This expedition was in 1684. His son-in-law was Robert Rodger of Kilmarnock later Provost of Glasgow and MP (1708). Perhaps John lived 1630-40 to 1700. As Robert Rodger was also involved in the James of Ayr venture I presume that John must have been at least in his 40's or older at the time.

John Caldwell, farmer of Dalmillan (outskirts of Newton upon Ayr in St Quivox parish) 1667-1745 (wife Agnes Grey).

John Caldwell - founded Moravian Church in Ayr 1765 - had connections to the Moravians of Gracehill, Ballymena in Ulster. (Guess say b 1730-35).

Alan Caldwell (the ancestor) (Guess say b 1751-56)

This is a picture of the Thomas Tristram's Aerated Water Factory at West End, Brisbane.

The Tristram's family founded their business in 1875 and I know it was still going in the mid 1960's when the name was being franchised.

The name suddenly disappeared and I presume that it was taken over by one of the "majors".

In any case the factory building is now a supermarket with speciality shops.

It has no connection with our family but there are parallels: The Caldwell family must have started their business about the same time in Kilmarnock and although there were family complications the Adam Caldwell Family ran a business in Kilmarnock until it closed it doors in the 1960's - its building is also now a supermarket.

There are probably many other family aerated water businesses that ran the cycle from boom til bust over about 100 years from 1875 or thereabouts.

Starting with the temperance movement and improved machinery and ending with one-way bottles and the lack of capital to keep up with listed companies.

Valerie's father Ralph and his parents Bertram and Lily Stead about late 1917 at a guess.

Have you ever noticed how some people drive to "waltz time"?

Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow

Terrible hard to overtake. Go like the very "clappers" on all the good bits and slow right down on the bends.

The more skilled ones even throw in suddenly slowing for oncoming traffic, or at night, as soon as they see some headlights approaching. They often have dents in the backs of their cars (wonder why). The worst combination is "Waltz Time" followed by "Tail Gater" - a sure recipe for disaster.

They often dawdle along until the overtaking lane turns up then suddenly find the accelerator pedal (perhaps they feel safer on the wider road) then fly along at the speed limit until the overtaking lane runs out, then .. you guessed it.

A varient of "Waltz Time" that is sure to frustrate is the one where a queue of cars a mile long is following a slow vehicle. Up comes an overtaking lane and Mr "I am First and I am sure that I am not Gunna Break the Limit" is often the first car and slowly cruises past the slow vehicle just so that he and perhaps one or two others manage to pass by the end of the overtaking lane and leaves ten or more others still stuck behind the slow vehicle fuming and having to wait another 20 kilometres for the next chance to overtake. Not so many around these days - I imagine they have been throttled at the next McDonalds.

Its is nice to find that those on the road co-operate.

I try and be courteous and find when it is reciprocated it makes any vehicle trip that much easier. I know I am not perfect and have been guilty of not doing the right thing on the road and have given myself a mental smack on the hand. Hopefully I will not do it again.

Coming back from Brisbane today I was catching up a car when the freeway section ran out and it was back to plodding on the two way. I had no intention of overtaking the car in front and was expecting to coast down from the 110kmh speed limit to the new posted limit of 80kmh and fall in behind him. When the driver saw the 80kmh speed limit sign he immediately braked. I saw this happen and would have had to brake as well. Ho hum ... maybe he was letting me through so I went around him as the road was running out. We both made a mistake - he wasn't watching his mirror (was he?) and I didn't realise that he was just a "law abiding" cautious driver who obeyed the speed signs immediately. So he started coming across early and was a bit surprised when I passed him. No real danger as there was plenty of road. Ultimately I was in the wrong but I did have extenuating circumstances. I apologise to this unknown driver and hope that I will be less boorish in future and that he will also have learned the lesson that it is not necessary to immediately brake when a sign pops up in front. Decellerate, yes - when you see the sign, there is usually plenty of room without braking. Additionally he might check his mirror occasionally for vehicles coming up behind.

Trips are always a good subject for stories.

Further on we re-joined the highway after taking a little secret short-cut. Two trucks came past moving uphill followed by a car that was desperate to pass the last truck before the overtaking lane finished. He squeezed past just a short space short of rudeness.

What he cannot have realised was that these two trucks were in a hurry. I soon worked out that if I passed them it could only be uphill and I had to be prepared to drive just a little faster than them everywhere else. So I sussed out how fast they were moving (without hills). Not so our desperate passer. He didn't really want to go as fast as the trucks. Very soon he was holding up the second truck and was re-passed himself at first opportunity.

What is the moral here? The trucks were going just a little bit faster than the general run of traffic and were making it a bit hard for themselves. So they were a bit out of order, but they seemed to know what they were doing and did not seem to be taking unneccessary risks. Perhaps if our desperate driver had thought a bit and bided his time he would have realised that prudence dictated that this truck should not be passed.

A bit further on one truck was trying to pass a very slow camper-van. I mean "real slow". On this hill with an overtaking lane the truck just could not make it past. By this time "Mr Desperate Driver" was again sitting behind the truck heading up the hill and I think the trucky thought "@#$%" if he passes me again I will only have to re-pass him a bit further down the road. So he was a bit boorish and kept on trying to pass the camper-van until the overtaking lane ran out. (I think Mr Deperate did get the message because he then stopped trying to get past). Mr Camper-van was no better, he laboured over the top of the hill just in front of the truck and proceeded to crawl down the other side with the truck close behind. I ask you: "Why didn't he just slow down his tortoise-like gait a little more and let the truck past on the oertaking lane?". The truck did overtake the camper van at first safe opportunity further on and I overtook the truck and stayed out of his way.

Further on I caught up the other truck at the foot of a longer climb when he was being held up by yet another "slow" car. You know what? He held off overtaking courteously until I went past and got out of his way. Took him most of the climb to pass that car and I was well gone by the time he got to the crest.

Professional truck drivers get a bit of flack from car drivers but I find that the vast majority of them are just doing their difficult job quite competently when surrounded by more than one unthinking moron smugly and serenely sitting in his car and expecting the trucks to work around them. If I could fault the truck drivers it was because they were going a little harder than usual and just making it that much harder for themselves. They showed commendable retraint in the face of some frustration and gave me back courtesy when they could see that I was trying to assist them by keeping out of their way.

I suppose there are a few drivers out there tonight who will be telling all those who would listen to them about these b truck drivers and being terrorised on the road. It was not what I saw - I saw two laden trucks keeping up a reasonably brisk pace and several other drivers so full of their self-importance that they had to be in front of the trucks. If I had wanted to drive slower than the trucks I would have let them past at the first opportunity.

I am going to complain on my blog about Canon Bubblejet Printers.

The background - I have bought four of their printers over the last couple of years.

When they are working they are really good and excepting for the extortionate and unforgivable price of ink they do produce a fine result. But ...

The first printer was an S900 it ran fine until the ink colours stopped matching and I was getting trace lines accross the page. I eventually fixed it by cleaning the ink seals and much deep cleaning but not before I had replaced it with an S820. This new printer merrily printed away on fine art paper up to 310 gsm until I decided I really needed to be able to print on CD's just like the Espon printers do. I was not going to double up on all my ink cartridges just to switch to Epson so I bought a Canon Pixma ip 8500 - the top of the range! u-beauty! rah rah and all that. Imagine my disgust when I found that this printer absolutely refuses to feed the 310 gsm paper that I had been using.

I consult the manual and find that it is only rated to 105gsm (unless you use "genuine" Canon paper). Hang on Canon this is "tissue paper" weight and I thought that this was your top of the line fine art graphics printer and it is not rated to print on even medium weight paper. It has no by-pass feed for heavier paper either. This brand new, heavily promoted, printer series is nothing other than a turkey! Surely it is not just a multi-coloured letter printer. Some other of your customers must want to print images with it on the heavier stock papers!

But I cheated - it WILL feed 170gsm gloss. But anyone who has held a 170gsm gloss print in their hand will soon let you know that even 170gsm is not heavy enough for that photogaphic "feel".

So I talked to the dealer - he promised me that he would, in turn, talk to the Canon "rep" when he called the following week to see if the printer could be made to feed the heavier paper.... still waiting two months later.

Anyway Mr Canon you are not selling anything like the amount of ink you were before - my consumption has gone right down as I can't get the confounded thing to print.

Please bear in mind that I have over AUD$1,000 worth of this 310gsm A4 size paper in stock and I can't use it.

In desperation to get a print I pressed the S820 back into service. Ha ha! (not really amusing). Been sitting for a while (two months) ... jets are blocked or something and the colours gave gone wonky. No amount of deep cleaning or re-seating of the seals or test printing is going to fix this baby. At least your ink sales are up again Mr Canon with all the ink that is being wasted. You are lucky that I can't charge by the hour for my time wasted.

Tried your Australian site but the "manuals", FAQ and Troubleshooting sections refused to load up. Got smart and tried the US site, same thing. Didn't anyone every have any trouble with this printer or ask any questions?

And you can't send Mr Canon Australia an email requesting help - you have to type it out and find a fax machine ...

My last greyscale image printed indigo blue if that is a clue and the test pattern prints wobbly lines for Magenta and very pale yellow. Photographs look b-terrible. My finger tips have become multicoloured from cleaning off excess ink. The Magenta channel did improve a bit when I replaced the cartridge even though its predecessor still had ink in it. But it still isn't right.

Oh - and the fourth printer? Its an S9000. Prints A3 no problems. Don't use it as much but it has been trouble free.

In summary - I have two printers here: the Pixma 8500 will not feed 310gsm paper and has become a white elephant. I would have thrown it at the dealer and asked for an Epson if he hadn't promised to talk to the Canon rep; the S820 was working well but after its "rest" is now not printing colours correctly but will feed the paper. Neither is a viable solution at the moment.

One small step forwards has become a giant leap backwrds.

I don't ride the bike nearly as much as I should. It is a great feeling to just meander along, obeying the road rules and smelling the fresh air. I don't get an adrenaline rush from tearing around corners at death-defying speeds (perhaps I do and that is why I don't do it).

I joined the local "Ulysses Club" which is an Australia-wide group of older bikers that gets together regularly for a bit of a ride around the countryside.

Some people go every weekend and make a big thing of it - I just go every now and then. It would be easy to spend every weekend and more gadding about the countryside but unfortunately I have a few other things to do as well. They are a welcoming bunch of people and there are only a few commonsense rules. Above all you are a free agent and they stop regularly for cups of coffee and the occasional soft drink :) So you get to meet the others in the group and you get the chance to wrestle with your bike all on your own knowing that there is a support group on the same trip.

What I intended to write about is the unwritten system of acknowledgement of other bikers on the road. I think that this must be from an instinct that is deeply bottled up in everyone's psyche. Once you are enclosed in a tin box with four or more wheels (truckie's excluded) the camaraderie of the road generally gets shut out.

If you find yourself riding along and someone else on a bike comes up behind then you might ride for quite a distance together. Some sort of bond develops between the riders who are unknown to each other and there is respect of each other's road space. If you come to a set of traffic lights they might even pull up alongside and the visors go up and a brief "gidday" exchanged before the lights change and you return to your solitary rides. If the other rider get tired of your slow chuffing along and decides to roar past there is usually a flick of the finger "see you later mate" as they pass, a gesture that is acknowledged.

Bike traffic going the other way however can be divided into "types": Trail Bikes, Small Capacity Bikes, Ducati's, Sensibly Ridden Other Sports Bikes, Other Sports Bikes Showing That They Can be Faster Than Ducati's, Tourers, Retro - large capacity, Genuine Harley's, Genuine Shiny Harley's, Other Large Imitation Harley's and Real Vintage. (I have probably forgotten someone - please don't be offended)

Trail Bikes, Small Capacity Bikes, Ducati's, Other Sports Bikes Showing That They Can be Faster Than Ducati's, Genuine Harley's, Genuine Shiny Harley's never wave or acknowledge anyone else, they are far too busy. Well the Ducati's and the GSH's might acknowledge each other but no one else.

The others: Sensibly Ridden Other Sports Bikes, Tourers, Retro - Large Capacity, Other Large Imitation Harley's, Real Vintage wave at everyone. Perhaps it is just because we are country hicks, or we are not quite so busy, or we don't know what macho means :)

Anyway I have given up nodding and waving at the former lot - it saves my neck muscles and a good ignore is always better than a stoney returned stare.

I am indebted to David Caldwell of Manitoba and formerly of Inchgotrick near Riccarton for this list that he posted to the http://www.caldwellgenealogy.com/forum/cgi-bin/config.cgi?read=1266 site

Posted By: David Caldwell dcaldwel@mts.net
Date: 01:49 1/6/04

I've tried to send this as a file but unsuccessfully so here goes the long way, I'll be gone for 2 month back to the old sod, "I'll be back" as the man said (hopefully with some more useless but hopefully interesting stuff.

David Caldwell, Manitoba, Canada
Farms under Caldwell ownership/tenancy in Ayshire/Renfrewshire, Scotland, with dates if I have them.

ANNANHILL (near Annandale House) Kilmarnock William Caldwell wife Beatrix Broune 1641.
Auchengowne, Lochwinnoch, Cunningham, Allan & Marg. Caldwell
Auchengowne, " " John Caldwell 1623
Balliemannoch, Straiton, Carrick, Bessie Caldwell relict (widow)of John McIlwraith 1643
Biggart, Beith, Cunningham, Adam Caldwell 1624
Blackbyres, Maybole, Carrick David Caldwell 1863
Brandokishill, Paisley, Cunningham John Caldwell 1629
Brandokishill, " " " " 1633
Barbae, Colmonnel, Carrick, John Caldwell 1635
Barclath, Coylton, King's Kyle, John Caldwell 1666
Barthorn, Beith, Cunningham, Thomas CALDWELL 1628
Batside, Stevenston, Cunningham, Caldwell ?
Beltries, Lochwinnoch, " Thomas Caldwell 1628
Berbrek ? ? Jonet Caldwell 1618
Bigholme of Beith, Cunningham William Caldwell 1748
Boglemart, Stevenston, " Caldwell ?
Brounhills, Darvel ? wife Malie Wilson & Robert Caldwell
Burnfoot, Ardsossan, Cunningham, Jeannie Caldwell 1901
Buttirwall, Largs, " Willaim Caldwell 1631
Carscadden, Kilpatrick, Renfrew Thomas Caldwell 1610
Chamberhouses, Irvine, Cunningham or Kyle Stewart Caldwell ?
Cockhill, Dundonald, Kyle Stewart, Caldwell 1800s
Costablewood,Largs, Cunningham,Barbara McKay & Allan Caldwell 1895
Corsehill,Stewarton, Cunningham, Jonet Caldwell 1618
Cornhoile, Dundonald,Kyle Stewart,Katherine Caldwell 1607
" " " William Caldwell 1609
Craighead, Dailly, Carrick James Caldwell 1877
Crosbiemains, West Kilbride, Cunningham, John Caldwell 1842
Easter Highgate, Beith, Eliz. Carswell & Allan Caldwell 1861
East Middleton, Beith, Cunningham, Allan Caldwell 1882
Fenceside, Kilmaurs, " Caldwell ?? ??
Gallane, Lochwinnoch, " James Caldwell 1631
Galrigside, Dreghorn, " John Caldwell 1622
Gaylis/Gailes/Scottischaw,," Peter Caldwell 1391
Greenhills, Beith, " Agnes Caldwell 1744
Greenend, Paisley,Renfrew, Jonet Carswell & Thomas Caldwell 1677
Greenan, Ayr, King's Kyle Caldwell 1700 ?
Hawkhill, Stevenston, Cunningham,, Caldwell ???
High Smithston,Kilwinning,Cunningham,John Caldwell 1842
Holmfauld, Beith " Marion Cochrane & John Caldwell
Kempisland/Breedsorrow,Largs,", Thomas Caldwell 1496-1610
Kertside, William Caldwell 1607
Kers ?? ?? William Cauldwell 1585-1592
Kidston, Kilwinning, Cunningham, David Caldwell 1600s
Linhead of Knockmead, Beith,", Margaret Caldwell 1706
Lochirmoss, John Caldwell 1595
Lochirmoss George Caldwell 1607
" son of above John Caldwell 1607
Low Boydston, Cunningham, ? Caldwell ???
Macawston, Kirkoswald, Carrick, John Caldwell 1846
Meikleholm, Cunningham, David Caldwell & Christian Thomson
Mekilgavin, Lochwinnoch, William Caldwell & Marg. Smith 1630
Mcdonualie, " , John Caldwell 1616
Moorfield, Dreghorn, Cunningham, John Caldwell 1800s till present
Nether Aldonnes, Andrwe Caldwell & Jonet McIlwraith
Nether Hessilhead, Cunningham, Robert Caldwell 1619
Nether Mains, Kilwiining, " , John Caldwell 1897
Thomas Caldwell of "That Ilk" Neilston, 1613 (would suggest residency in Hall of Caldwell)
Overbarfurd, Lochwinnoch, Cunningham, John Caldwell 1669
Parkfoot, Kilbirnie, " George Caldwell 1869
Quhytecraig(Whitecraig) " James Caldwell 1600s
Risk, Lochwinnoch " John Caldwell 1630
South Boig, New Cumnock, George Caldwell 1900
South Kilruskin,W. Kilbride, " , John Caldwell 1853
The Close, Stevenston, " , Caldwell ?
Thirdpart Limeworks,Kilmaurs, " , John Caldwell & Eliz Manson (my tree) 1831-1839
Todrigs, Earlston, Kyle Stewart, William Caldwell circa 1500

John Caldwell, the miller in Glenesland, poss. Carrick, 1616
Charles Caldwell married Christian Murdoch in Ochiltree, Ayrshire early 1800s
Alexander Caldwell, Deacon of the Guild of Skinners in Glasgow 1606
Andrew Caldwell was a hagbutter(rifleman) for the Earl of Cassilis, Maybole, Carrick 1600
George Caldwell christened in Dundonald Church 3 March 1745 son of John Caldwell
John Caldwell born 1698 at Old Tower of Elliotstown (borders?)and Margaret Caldwell born 1702 at Muirdykes
above were married 21 Feb. 1723 at Lochwinnoch, 4 children
Margaret, born 1724, Jean b. 1726, William b. 1728 and Robert b. 1730
John Caldwell, Merchant of Straiton (Carrick) was cautioned at Dalmellington 28 April 1619 ( don't know what with)
John Caldwell Christened at Dundonald Ch. Sept 1694 son of William Caldwell
John Caldwell of Kirkmichael nr Straiton, testate 26 May 1883
John Caldwell, carpenter, Largs 28 August 1846
William Caldwell, Town Clerk of Irvine 1610, 1611
William Caldwell of Acharne, Inn dweller in Balliary of Carrick 1600s
Wiliam Caldwell, a writer, of Knockentibber, Cunningham 1600s
William Caldwell married Marion Mure of Rowallan (same Mure as Caldwell House) at Kilmarnock. born 1648 & 1652.
From Dundonald Kirk Session (available through "scran")
Margaret Caldwell confession of fornication 29 March 1606
George Caldwell accused of profaning the Sabbath 11 May 1606
Simon Caldwell accused of working on a fasting Sabbath 1607
Presbitary of Ayr 1642-51:-
George Caldwell violated the Sabbath
Margaret Caldwell ordered to make public repentance of Fornication
Kristein Caldwell accused of abscence from Kirk on Sabbath Day
Some names of note:_
David Caldwell, author of "Kipper Fair and cadger races" a tale of worthies
William Caldwell, a weaver of Kilbarchan had a web in his loom destroyed by protesters 1812
Thomas Caldwell was architect for the new Kelburn Castle built 1692-
Robert Caldwell was the builder of West Church, Inverness 1837
Hamilton Caldwell, Currier was the founder of a vast leather works in Boden St. Glasgow 1873, by 1881 it became "Hamilton Caldwell & sons, tanners, curriers, leather merchants and manufacturers.
George Caldwell established Townholm Works, Kilmarnock in mid 19th c. to supply the expanding coal and iron industry, the works eventually became Grant, Ritchie & company.
Caldwell & sons of Paisley were a very well known printers 1n 18th & 19th century.
Muir & Caldwell's Scotia Engine Works, Elliot st. Glasgow founded 1865
Caldwell Paper Mills, Inverkeithing, Fife 19th century
Interestingly Caldwell of Inglis (ingleston nr Edinburgh?)
had his own coat of arms on a 1618 brass pistol, could he be the minor gentry of the "Mary" scandal???

John Strawhorn in his book "Ayrshire - the story of a county" makes mention at page 23 (in relation to early Royal Charters of the 12th and 13th century granted in Ayrshire):

"For King's Kyle. grants were made by the king himself to lesser barons who owed direct allegiance to the crown. We have reference only to Philip de Colville (Ochiltree) and Thomas Colville le Scot (Dalmellington)."

I wish to argue that the writers of the Charters were Norman influenced and Norman French was still not far away at the time. Caldwell might easily become Colville in this instance. They would know the undoubtably Norman name "Colville" but perhaps the local Scots "Caldwell" was just too hard. Notably the Ragman's Roll of Edward I lists two Thomas Colvyle's and an Adam Colvyle in Ayrshire but no Caldwell's.

I would like to argue that the writer of the charter's (they may have been different writer's of course) understood that the Colville family was of Norman extraction and therefore went to pain to differentiate the other "Colville" as being of Scots extraction and not Norman. Colville is not an ancient Ayrshire name and I believe that this "Colville" was really "Caldwell" and the appellation "le Scot" acknowledges the difference even though the writer could not pronounce it in Scots they have used the closest equivalent French pronunciation.

"Dalmellington Motte was probably constructed when Dalmellington was under the control of Sir Thomas Colville le Scot in the reign of David I or William I (William the Lion)." (Dalmelligton site) http://dalmellington.com/motteheritage.htm

This particular Caldwell might have been the owner of Lessnessock. However this seems highly unlikely as the current farm "Lessnessock" is not far to the south west of Ochiltree and quite some distance from Dalmellington. It also does not seem to be in a position of any particular strategic purpose. In that case the original feudal occupier of Lessnessock was no doubt a Colville as commonly believed.

He may well have been a Caldwell from the "Caldwell" area in Renfrew transported to the borders of what is now Carrick but which was then the frontier of the turbulent area of Galloway.

This family populated southern Ayrshire from Straiton to Maybole, Coylton, Ayr and Prestwick. They were obviously the family from whom John Caldwell the progenitor of the Castle Caldwell family sprang.

Family names seem to have been George, William, Thomas, Charles, Francis and, above all, John. The latter four are in my family tree at my first known ancestor and I think I might be able to claim to be in this loop somewhere.

The following will is one of several in my possession and part of it is reproduced to illustrate the difficulty of extracting information from wills. Getting a copy of the will is only the first 1% - extracting anything intelligible from it is 99% sweat and frustration.

Part of the will of George Caldwell, Merchant Burgess of Ayr (Tobacco, cotton, etc) Testament 1663
Copyright Scottish Record Office - used here for academic illustrative purposes only

I am illustrating the difficulty in reading these wills in their archaic script and vernacular Scots language. The late Mrs Lesley Anne Gordon sought out a good number of these wills pre the 1980's and, during her lifetime, asked me to publish her "translations". It is a burden that has worn heavily on me and I think the solution is publication of the internet. I think, in time, and with a lot of practice, I could school myself to extract the information from the wills. Luckily The Late Mrs Gordon has done a magnificent job already and I can use her completed work as a guide. To make things worse each "writer" used a different "hand" and all have their own flourishes. I might suggest that they were very interested in keeping the secret of being actually able to read what they had written very close to themselves :)

This is a summary prepared by Mrs Gordon - she also has handwritten "translations".

It appears that the Caldwell's of Dalmellington must have become very involved in trade out of the port of Ayr and may even has initially sought to rival the port of Glasgow in trade with the Americas.

I have seen a fanciful family tree claiming to link the Caldwell's of Worcester through Caldwell's in Ayr to Castle Caldwell and then to Caldwell's in the United States. The English, Scots, Irish and US families are there but the links are rather tenuous and speculative.

If they can be proved I will be the first one to acknowledge this but:

Fo my part I think the Caldwell family is a very ancient Ayrshire family and for the moment I am putting my efforts into finding out just what they were up to in the Doon Valley form the 12th century on (right about the time of first adoption of surnames).

Example of the use of "Le Scot": John le Scot, Earl of Huntingdon and a member of the Scottish Royal house.

A popular pastime to test the teenage nerve in the warmer months