Old View House, Ayr

[JoolsAnn123]

My 4x great Grandmother, Margaret Wilson, was born in Ayr in 1780.

Her father was David Wilson, who was described in his will as 'sometime in Wrightfield'

According to a family tree drawn up in 1968, Margaret was born at ' Old View House, Old Race Course, (now Seafield Golf Course'. This info came from an old family bible.

Does anyone know whereabouts this house might have been?  I can see there is a Wrightfield Close now, so guess this was the location of the farm.

Thanks in advance

[Maiden Stone]

According to a family tree drawn up in 1968, Margaret was born at ' Old View House, Old Race Course, (now Seafield Golf Course'. This info came from an old family bible.

Does anyone know whereabouts this house might have been?  I can see there is a Wrightfield Close now, so guess this was the location of the farm.

Wrightfield Place is off Greenfield Avenue and near Burns' Cottage in Alloway. Where did you find Wrightfield Close?
A road next to the old racecourse is Racecourse View.

[JoolsAnn123]

I meant Wrightfield Place

[ColC]

This is how the document is listed on SP.

David Wilson
30/11/1837
resided at Wrightfield, thereafter at Thornyflat in parish of Saint Quivox.

Colin

[JoolsAnn123]

Yes. One of his daughters lived at Thornyflat. David Wilson was living there when he died.

[ecksdochter]

     Couple of lines in "The Scotsman" dated Tuesday, 11th August, 1868. Under the heading, AYR - TOWN COUNCIL. "The usual monthly meeting of the Town Council was held in the Court-House yesterday - Provost MacNellie presiding. It was agreed that the old view-house at the racecourse should be disposed of by public roup on an early day."
               Regards,     Dod.

[JoolsAnn123]

Oh... that's interesting!

[JoolsAnn123]

Ok... I've got Wrightfield as being near Burns Cottage. David Wilson was living there in 1830 according to the Post Office Directory for Ayr. By 1836 he was living with his daughter and son in law at High Thornyflat. He died in 1836.

His eldest daughter was (allegedly) born at Old View House, Ayr Racecourse.
His youngest son was born at Windyhall in 1790. This appears to have been know later as Blackburn, an area near the race course. See attachment.

Is the old view house for viewing the races? Does anyone know the history of the racecourse? How old is it? I've been googling with no luck.

I'm at a dead end with David Wilson. I can't pin down his parents/birth. He was born about 1746. His children all seem to have done quite well. One son was a writer. They were a literate family.
There is a baptism for David Wilson in 1746. Father David Wilson, a salter in Craigie pans. Does that sound like a parent who would have a literate son?

Also, would Craigie pans be in the Ayr district of Craigie or the village?

[Maiden Stone]

The racetrack is visible in front of View House on  the map. The house looks to have been on the opposite side of Doonfoot Road from Seafield House (later Seafield children's hospital) and near the junction of Doonfoot Rd., Racecourse Rd., Racecourse View and Seafield Rd.
The racecourse was used at the time of Margaret Wilson's birth in 1780. The first properly organised meeting was 1771 and the first Ayr Gold Cup was 1804 according to this source:
The History of Ayr Racecourse
https://www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk/races-tickets/racecourse-history
Racing moved to the present course in 1907, on land which had previously belonged to Craigie and Auchincruive estates.

A brief history of Ayr:
https://www.ayrshirescotland.com/ayr-history.html

If the 1746 baptism of David Wilson was at Ayr then he was more likely to have been living in Craigie, Ayr than in the village of Craigie near Kilmarnock.  I think saltpans were more likely to be on the coast than near an inland village. Saltpans Road is north of Ayr Harbour. Craigie Estate is on the north bank of River Ayr.