(
Gaelic ''Cille Bhraonaidh'') is a small town of 7280 (2001 census) inhabitants situated in
North Ayrshire on the west coast of
Scotland . Historically, the town built up around the
Flax and
Weaving industries before
Iron and
Steelmaking took over in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Kilbirnie derived its name from the
Parish Church and the church obtained its name from the saint to whom it was dedicated; the
Celtic Cil , pronounced Kil, signifying a church, being prefixed to the name of the saint; St Birinie, or
Birinus , is said to have been a
Bishop and
Confessor who converted the
West Saxons and died at
Dorchester in 650 AD and was commemorated on the 3rd of December. In the vicinity of the church of Kilbirnie, a village has arisen during late times. In 1740, there were only three houses; but, by means of
Manufactures , it grew to be a village of 80 houses which were inhabited by about 300 people in 1791. In 1821, the village of Kilbirnie contained about 800 people. What with manufactures, and the recent impulse given to the locality by the
Ayr and
Glasgow railway, and the vicinity of numerous
Ironworks . Since Kilbirnie was not a large town before the 1840s, there is not much written history except for the farms in the area. However, documentation from the
Witch Trials does name William Semple (or Sempill) as being arrested for being a witch. The documentation does not state if he was burned or not.
