When Ayrshire Had a Real Lock Down

The last two years of the COVID outbreak, with all the restrictions that's have been imposed, has been tough. But at no time in the past two years has Ayrshire been subjected set a real lockdown. Even at the height of the recent lockdowns, there was no one stopping Ayrshire folk leaving their homes. This hasn't always been the case. Back in our past, lockdowns could be a lot more strict such as the one imposed on Barrmill in 1832.

Near this small Ayrshire village, which is mainly famous for being located next to the giant munitions storage facility of DSDA Beith, there is an interesting site called Deid Man's Plantin'.

A plaque at the site tells the story: 

In 1832 forty Barrmill inhabitants died from Asiatic Cholera within a few weeks of each other and were buried in a triangular plot at the base of Jameshill. No record of the names of the people buried here seems to exist and it is very likely that they were buried without any religious ceremony.

The local tradition is that the disease was passed on from a group of gypsies who had encamped on Whin Hill and that local boys one Sunday morning had gone out to meet them, contracted the infection and brought it back to their homes with disastrous consequences.

Troops were placed at road junctions to prevent entry or exit during cholera outbreaks and normal burial in Beith was impossible and impractical, given the number of deaths. As is usual for such cholera pit sites a remote spot was selected, well away from water courses. No health risk remains today.

In 1908 the local paper recorded that not even a fence surrounded the spot and a resident of Barrmill suggested that a suitable stone and a fence should be erected to mark the resting place of the unfortunate ancestors of Barrmill and district residents and also to recognise the sacredness off the burial site.

The burial site is located on the lands of Southbarr Farm and was at one time securely fenced off and bordered by trees, kept in order thanks to the Crawford Brothers, owners of the old factory. It has been neglected since the brothers died, however a stile and footbridge were built by the Barmill Conservation Group in 2012 to allow easier access to the site.

Yes, armed guards stopping you going to-and-fro. How does that compare with being told to wear a mask sometimes and self isolate if infected?

Deid Man's Plantin' is typical Cholera pit, essentially a mass grave for victims of the plague. There are reported to be several others in Ayrshire. In Kilmarnock, admittedly a much bigger town, it is reported that around 250 people fell victim to the Cholera. Today a memorial to the victims can be seen in Howard Park, near the site of where a temporary hospital was set up to deal with the sick and dying.