Loans, South Ayrshire

Loans is a village in South Ayrshire near Troon, Scotland. It is located in Dundonald Parish on the A759 at the junction with the B746 and a minor road to Dundonald. The A78 formerly ran though the settlement when it followed the course of the Irvine to Ayr turnpike. After the death of Colonel William Fullarton in 1808, the Fourth Duke of Portland purchased the Lands of Fullarton that included Loans, the Lady Isle and Crosbie.EtymologyRecorded as Loans, Lones, or Lons, the name of the village may have no connection with lending and be derived from the green loans or loaning around the Bushie and Craiksland Burns, which joined each other at the foot the old orchard at Crossburn. A 'loan' can simply refer to a 'lane' and as such is a common placename element, which would be particularly appropriate to Loans, which is at a crossroads. Before the encloser of fields, a loan or strip of grass was left that ran through the arable part of a farm or farms, linking it with the common grazing ground of a clachan, serving both as a pasture and a driving road. A lon can mean a loan of land granted by the king, from which an income is derived to benefit an establishment or simply the Land of King Robert.HistoryDuring feudal times, Robertloan House and Hillhouse were the seats of the local lairds. Fairs were held here in June and October of each year. In 1806 five small steadings comprised the settlement of Loans.A school had been established at the Darley prior to 1840, however it had closed by 1866. In 1877 a school was built in the village itself. Teachers included Miss Jessie A. Meikle, Miss Shaw, Miss Baird, and Miss Martha Meikle.