History of Lochwinnoch

The history of Lochwinnoch is inextricably linked to that of the Castle Semple Estate and the three families who owned it for about 450 years. The Semples rise began 800 years ago around 1220. Their status and influence was derived from the patronage of the House of Stewart. Included in this section is a timeline of the respective Kings and Queens of Scotland and England and the relationships between them.

The McDowal’s who followed the Semples made their money from the slave trade and the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. The misery that underpinned their wealth led to the village we know today. In their day they were pillars of society. Today they would be reviled.

The Harvey’s followed the McDowal’s and again it was a family whose wealth was based on the misery of others. This time it was the sugar plantations of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean just of the coast of Africa.

After them the village was shaped by entrepreneurs such as John Buchanan, Hugh and James Crawford, James Hunter and Joe Johnstone. The 200 years or so since the start of the Industrial Revolution has left a legacy far worse than the misery inflicted by the slave trade. History has taught us how wrong the slave trade was (although it still goes on), the jury is still out on wither we will learn the lesson that ecosystems are finite and need to be looked after or there might be no future for our children to grow into.