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Connel Burn

Connel Burn appears as Konnyr Burn in Johan Blaeu's
Map 'Coila Provincia', Atlus Novus 1654. Many place-
names which begin with the letter 'C', have this letter
replaced by a 'K' in the Dutch engraver's map, for example
Kumnock Caft. The map is based on the now lost
manuscript of Kyle by Timothy Pont (ca. 1590).

Konnyr, or Connar, may be a corruption of the personal
name Connel (see St. Connel below). However, there is
another plausible explanation in the context of river-names.
Gaelic conghair 'fury, uproar' {pronounced connyar} may
be indicative of the once lively nature of Connel Burn. As it
makes its way from the Southern Uplands to meet with with
the River Nith it passes the farms of Laglaf. This name
appears to comprise the Gaelic elements lag 'hollow' labhar
'loud', where the second element is commonly found in
water-course names e.g. Levern Water.

A water-fall by the name Connar Lynn is found on
Auchtitench burn in the neighbouring parish of Auchinleck.
This is the Gaelic equivalent, conghair linne, of our own
Roarin' Linn on the Afton Water.

James B. Johnston Place-Names of Scotland (3rd Edition, 1934)

W.J.Watson 'The Celtic Placenames of Scotland' (Birlinn Edition, 1993)

Hugh Lorimer 'A Corner of Old Strathclyde (1951)

Malcolm MacLennan 'Gaelic Dictionary (1995)

St. Connel

Hugh Lorimer associates many of the place-names in the parish of
New Cumnock with Dark Age dynasty of the House of Rheged. In
Benty Cowan hill (hill of the house of Owen), Enoch Hill and
Monquhill he finds the name of St. Mungo, his mother St. Enoch and
his father Owen of Rheged. St. Connel (St. Conal) was said to be a
disciple of St.Mungo and since Connel Burn rises in the lower eastern
slopes of Enoch hill and flows by the farm of Monquhill, Lorimer
suggests that the burn is named in honour of this saint.

Connel Park

The Lanemark Coal Company formed in 1865 required to attract
miners from other coalfields to work their coal reserves in the
vicinity of the farms of Straid, Lanemark and South Boig. New
houses were erected in the late 1860's on the park-land to the
west of Connel Burn, the beginning of a mining community that
soon would be known as Connelpark, or Connel Park.

The names of the long-gone miners rows are as much an integral
part of the history of the parish as the ancient names of the hills
and rivers -Long Row, Boig Row Old Boig Row High Boig
Row Old Football Row New Football Row Honeymoon Row
Bankbrae Row Store Row Washer Row (Railway Terrace).