Gourock Coat of Arms

This is a representation of Gourock's coat of arms on a lamp post outside the Gamble Halls, Shore Street, Gourock.  It combines the arms of the Stewarts of Castlemilk and the Darrochs whom I've written about in a previous post.

Gourock was created a burgh in 1694 and this is shown by the castellated top of the device.  As you look at the picture, the left side is an adaptation of the arms of the Stewarts of Castlemilk with a hand grasping a dagger.

The Darroch side (right as you look at the picture) shows a three-masted ship with three oak trees.  The name Darroch is supposed to be a form of the Gaelic word for oak 'darach'.  This also includes a figure holding a club - a reference to an old legend of the warrior Macgille riabhaich (son of the brindled man) who brandished an oak club and was a fearsome fighter.  Duncan Darroch was extremely proud of his roots and his links to the Macdonalds of Jura.  You can read the legend of Macgille riabhaich here.  The "wild man" was a popular symbol in heraldry.

Gourock's motto a combination of those of the two families - 'Avant' (Stewarts of Castlemilk) and 'Be Watchful" (Darroch).

This photograph is some of the detail of a beautiful fireplace what is practically all that remains of the main residence of the Stewarts of Castlemilk - it can be found at Castlemilk Stables in Glasgow.  You can seem more photographs of this wonderful place and read some of the story of the Stewarts here on my other blog Shortbread & Ginger.

There was a time when decorated lamps showing town coat of arms like this were to be seen outside the residence of the local provost (mayor).  Port Glasgow still has its town lamp which you can see in this previous post.

Darroch Mausoleum, Gourock

Hidden away in Gourock Park is a memorial to the family who gifted the land to the local people - the Darrochs.

  

This is the Darroch Mausoleum or Vault.

It is the final resting place of many of the family members who once lived in this beautiful setting.  Duncan Darroch, who was said to have made his money in the West Indies, bought the land from the Stewarts of Castlemilk in 1784.  The original Gourock Castle, seat of the Finnart Stewarts was within these grounds, but was destroyed before Duncan Darroch bought the land.  A look at old maps shows where it was once thought to be, near the burn (stream) that runs through the park.

Duncan Darroch settled there with his family and eventually his descendants donated the land to the people of Gourock.  It used to be called Darroch Park, but for some reason the name was changed to Gourock Park.  Gourock House was bought by the town council, but was demolished in the 1940s.

The mausoleum has been allowed to remain.  In 'Memorials of Clutha; Pencillings of the Clyde' (1842), the author, Elvira Anna Phipps writes of a visit there -

"Above the glen, is a wild, romantic spot, thickly wooded, and in this recess is the family mausoleum.  It is pleasant, indeed, to visit the quiet resting place of the dead, when you can do so "in sure and certain hope" that the departed ones are waiting for a glorious resurrection … Hence I admire the simple tablets which this family have reared."

Let's hope that the Mausoleum lasts for some time to come as a reminder of the family who gave this lovely place to the people of Gourock.