The Dyke shoots up the hillside as straight as an arrow, like a swollen grassy scar, leading directly to the summit of the hill. Along the way, parts of the Dyke have been severely damaged, providing in some instances Gaussian-like cross-sections, which expose several large stones embedded across the core. At stretches where the Dyke has been obliterated, stones and boulders are often found breaking through the surface. There is no evidence of the course of any burns or sikes running adjacent to the Dyke, nor of any significant ditch either side of the dyke. Close to the summit of Dalhanna Hill the Dyke heads due east, towards Redree Burn in the distance, but soon all trace is lost, as ably illustrated in the RAF Aerial photograph (1946).

As to the function of the stretch of Dyke on Dalhanna Hill, it is from first impressions less problematic to suggest what it wasn't designed to be. It certainly evokes no sense of an ancient defensive earthen rampart, indeed the nearby dry-stane dykes twinned with barbed-wire fences appear Hadrianic-like in comparison. Parallels can be drawn with Sir Herbert Maxwell's assessment of the defensive qualities of the Catrail, the Deil's Dyke equivalent in Roxburghshire, 'If that was the origin and purpose of the Catrail, it is to be hoped that the Britons were better Christians than they were military engineers' (in G.V. Irving's notes on the Devil's Dyke).

J. Barber and C. J. Tabraham

Turning now to the work of J.Barber, I.D.Mate and in particular the observarions of C.J. Tabraham. Central to C.J.Tabraham's suggestion that the Deil's Dyke ' may be a tangible sign of medieval forest management' was his understanding that in the early 13th century Walter Steward held three forests, i.e. at Renfrew, Ayr and Sanquhar. Renfrew was indeed a Steward stronghold as was that part of Ayrshire known as Kyle Stewart, but not so the lands of Sanquhar (or Kirkconnel) in Dumfriesshire. The Stewart's foresta de Senecastre is in fact a reference to Sanquhar in the parish of St. Quivox, Ayrshire, which is found in the aforementioned lands of Kyle Stewart. James Paterson in 'Histories of Counties of Ayr and Wigton' writes 'In a charter of Walter the Steward to the Monks of Paisley, about 1208, liberty is granted to them to take wood for burning out of his forest of Seanccathre (Sanquhar?) in Kyle at sight of his forester.'

  (N.B. this is not to say that there was not at one time a deer-park at Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire for indeed there once was in the vicinity of the Sanquhar Castle.)  

Nevertheless Tabraham's observations are still worthy of consideration, for in the words of G.W.S. Barrow 'Deer hunting has left physical traces on the landscape in the form of banks and dykes used either as park boundaries or for trapping the deer'. John M.Gilbert in 'A Historical Atlas of Scotland' provides an excellent overview of the development of hunting reserves in Scotland which were introduced into Scotland by David I (1124-1153) in the 12th century. As well as royal reserves the king initiated the concept of baronial forests, whereby through a royal grant barons were allowed to have and rule over their own forests, where the word 'forest' meant hunting reserve regardless of whether it was a wooded area or not. Hunting rights were reserved for greater game like deer and boar and warren rights for lesser game such as fox, rabbit, wild cat and hare. Hawking and fishing were also subject to control. So too were grazing rights on the forest lands, such as the right of pannage, the grazing of pigs during the acorn drop . Gilbert goes on to explain that barons could create parks without a royal grant.

Earls of Dunbar
The Earls of Dunbar were the Barons of Cumnock possibly from as early as the 12th century and certainly throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. The title passed on to a cadet branch, the Dunbars of Cumnock, who continued to hold the barony until the early 17th century. The baronial seat was Cumnock Castle situtated strategically at the confluence of the Afton Water and the River Nith, at the heart of the modern day village of New Cumnock . Although no historical records survive of a royal grant pertaining to a baronial forest at Cumnock (foresta de Comenagh ?) there is a tenous link with the Dunbars and hunting activities in this part of the Southern Uplands.

Patrick, 8th Earl of Dunbar (b.1242 - d. 1308), a contemporary of James Steward, played host to Edward II of England at Cumnock Castle for eight days in August, 1307. During his stay Edward II held court, at which time, ' To a poor woman of Crathgork near Stirling, keeping 2 greyhound whelps of the king for 1 year and bringing them to him at Cumnock, for the expenses of the woman and the dogs, by the king's gifts at Cumnock, on 27 Aug;, 40s.' These greyhound whelps are not to be mistaken for today's breed of greyhound that hare round the dog-track at nearby Auchinleck. They were bred for chasing bigger game and in particular deer, as witnessed by their alternative name of the Highland deer-hound. Edward II was extremely passionate about hunting and was a frequent visitor to the numerous royal forests, reserved for the king's hunting, throughout England. Perhaps Edward II took to Dunbar's baronial forest at Cumnock to feed his passion during his eight-day stay, although Dunbar may not have had the pleasure of his company, since 'The king often chose not his courtiers but low born people to share the excitements of the chase' . The bringing of the whelps to Cumnock Castle may also form the basis of John Barbour's account of John of Lorne hunting Robert the Bruce with dogs in the Cumnock hills. It is to be expected that Edward II was more successful in a-hunting the deer than catching the Bruce!

Crawford of Cumnock
Another tenuous yet stronger association with medieval forest management in the lands of New Cumnock is found in the records of the Crawford family. The Craufurds held the lands of Dalleagles and Beoch in the west of the original parish of Cumnock. One of their number Roger de Craufurde was a contemporary of the aforementioned Patrick Dunbar , 8th Earl of Dunbar and in turn his descendant Sir John Crawford of Cumnock was a contemporary of George Dunbar, 10th Earl of Dunbar. As discussed above, George Dunbar also held lands in Galloway including Glenken in Kirkcudbrightshire, which he resigned to David II, following the king's release from English captivity in 1357. Andrew McCulloch in Galloway, 'A Land Apart' explains these lands included Robert the Bruce's (David's father) hunting reserve which had fallen into a state of disrepair. In 1358, David II appointed  John Crawford of Cumnock its forester or keeper. It was not uncommon that such an office was hereditary and perhaps the Crawfords of Cumnock had held a similar position for the Earls of Dunbar and their baronial forest of Cumnock.

Left : Scotch greyhound . Right The date-stone of Hugh Douglas and Margaret Crawford on Knockshinnoch Farm , New Cumnock showing the Crawford stag

The Forest of Cumnock ' foresta de Comenagh'
Tabraham's suggestion that the Deils's Dyke represents a tangible sign of medieval forest management presents a possible fit with the purpose of the section of the dyke in the parish of New Cumnock. Did the dyke represent one of the boundaries of the Dunbar's baronial forest  or park? A forest managed by Crawford of Dalleagles (Cumnock), and a forest in which Edward II engaged in his favourite sport of deer-hunting during a week long stay at the Cumnock Castle in the summer of 1307. 

If so what were the other boundaries of the forest or park of Cumnock? The Deil's Dyke enters the parish of New Cumnock  at the March Burn ('boundary burn'). This burn takes its name from the boundary of the sheriffdoms of Ayr and Dumfries (later Ayrshire - Dumfriesshire), and not from a forest or park boundary. However the Park Burn runs parallel to the March Burn and this may have marked the eastern boundary of the park. In 1897 fragments of a 10th century cross of Scandinavian influence, were found by the Park Burn, at Overcairn on the estate of the Marquis of Bute (and Baron of Cumnock). Could this cross once have by the Dyke? The Deil's Dyke terminates at the Afton Water which would have provided a natural boundary, i.e. the western boundary, whereas the River Nith to the north , may too have formed a natural boundary.

In the aforementioned Steward heartlands of Renfrew, near Barrhead are the Ferenze hills , a name which G.W.S. Barrow in 'The Uses of the Place-Names' explains as 'a misunderstanding of the Old French word fermeson 'close season', a time at which the monks of Paisley abbey were 'allowed to take hinds and not stags from the Forest of Raiss ' (possibly Gaelic ros 'woods'). As such a survey of the place-names in and around the suggested boundaries of the forest of Cumnock may prove useful.

Burnton,  i.e. the burn-toune (formerly the merkland of Over Blackwood) has given its name to the burn it stands beside, i.e. Burnton Burn. On modern Ordnance Survey maps a tributary of this burn goes by the name of Elder burn. If this burn takes its name from elder bushes that adorned its banks , the Scots bourtree or Gaelic craobh fhearna would have been expected to feature in the name. Could elder  be a local corruption of Gaelic eilid 'hind', eildeag 'a young hind, roe' or eildeach 'abounding in hinds'? Probably not, since in any case the name Elder Burn is of questionable antiquity and the common place-name element in this context is elrig (Gaelic eileirig 'deer-trap').

To the west of Burnton is the triumvirate of Polquhirter farms, i.e. East , West and High  (formerly the ferme-tounes of Nether and Over Pohwhyrtyr) . These farms take their name from Polquhirter* Burn, as witnessed by the first element Old British  pol 'burn, stream'. The meaning of the second element is less clear and is probably associated with the nature of the stream e.g. Welsh carthu , Gaelic cairt 'cleanse', or Gaelic cartair 'dance'. Other suggestions include Gaelic  cairtear ' carter waggoner' (although this is pronounced carster), perhaps a carter of peats or timber, both of which suggest economic activity wtihin the Baron's park. 

To the west of Polquhirter, on the outskirts of the modern-day village of New Cumnock is the hillside known locally as The Coupla with Couplegate nearby. i.e. the road or way to the Coupla. The Scots coup 'tip, a place for emptying cartloads' comes to mind, cartloads from Polquhiter perhaps? However Coupla or Couplaw is possibly 'a bargaining hill' from the Scots coup 'to exchange, barter' and Scots law 'roundish hill'. (Cf. Couplaw near Kirkmuirhill, Lanarkshire, which coincidentally sits off Dykehead Road; Copin Knowe near Minigaff which Sir Herbert Maxwell gives as 'bargaining hillock'.)  Further evidence perhaps of economic activity within the confines of the park.  Adjacent to The Coupla is Stellhead Rig which appears to contain the Scots element stell ' enclosure for cattle or sheep'. Alternatively, stellhead could be a local corruption of the Scots stellage 'the ground on which a market is held', situated conventiently on the bargaining hill.