James Nisbet’s Escapes near Muirkirk #History #Scotland
Two more locations where James Nisbet claims to have narrowly escaped capture or death during the Killing Times of 1685 lie in Muirkirk parish, Ayrshire, which is some way to the south of his home near Newmilns.
Greenock Mains
What makes where Nisbet escaped interesting is that it reveals possible contacts between Nisbet and other well-known Covenanters, even though Nisbet does not name them in this spiritual autobiography.
Nisbet probably escaped at these locations after he became a fugitive in February, 1685.
‘At Greenockmains’, i.e., Greenock Mains in Muirkirk parish.
Greenock Mains was the home of Thomas Richard, who was summarily executed by Colonel James Douglas in April, 1685. One of the things Richard was executed for was the reset of fugitives. Greenock Mains was also the former home of James Edward, who was banished in 1684.
Aerial View of Greenock Mains
‘At Caims-camb’, which is possibly Kaimes in Muirkirk parish.
The place name appears to be compound name that expresses the same feature twice – “Kaimes Comb”. It describes low ridges, from the Scots ‘kame’ meaning ‘comb or comb-like ridge of land’.
There are several place names involving ‘Kaimes’/‘Kames’, but very few of them lie anywhere near where Nisbet is known to have hidden. A ‘Caimshill’, aka. Kaimes Hill, Kaimeshill and Kames, lies in Muirkirk parish next to Upper Wellwood, a known resort of fugitive Covenanters.
Map of Kames/Kames Hill Aerial View of Kames
For more on the Covenanters in Muirkirk parish, see here.
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