Ayr
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Ayr. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
or Ayrshire, a county of southwestern Scotland. It is known best as the dairy district in which the Ayrshire cow originated. It is a productive county of varied resources. A countryside rhyme, the better understood if we bear in mind that "coo" mean cow and "woo" wool, assigns honors to the various districts of the county as follows: Kyle for a man; Carrick for a coo: Cunningham for butter and cheese; And Galloway for woo. Historically the shire is the former scene of many of the daring deeds of Wallace and Robert Bruce. It was overrun by Cromwell and saw its full share of stirring events in Covenanter times. In literature Ayrshire is celebrated as the "Land of Burns." His Bonnie Doon rose in its hills. His mountain daisy, "wee, modest, crimson-tipped flow'r," and his field mouse, "timorous beastie," were seen here. Auld Ayr whom ne'er a town surpasses For honest men and bonnie lasses is the county seat. The Tam O'Shanter inn now has above the door a picture of Tam "weel mounted on his gray mare Meg," and within are the very "chair and caups" used by Burns's heroes. The water Ayr and the Auld Brig are here, but the New Bridge has been replaced by a safer structure. In the near vicinity the traveler may see "Alloway's auld haunted Kirk" and may visit the thatched cottage where Burns was born. See Burns
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a town of Scotland, a royal and parliamentary borough and capital of Ayrshire, at the mouth of the river Ayr, near the Firth of Clyde. It was the site of a Roman station. William the Lion built a castle here in 1197 and constituted it a royal borough in 1202; and the Parliament which confirmed Robert Bruce's title to the crown sat in Ayr. Two bridges connect Ayr proper with with the suburbs of Newton and Wallacetown. One of the bridges, opened in 1879, occupies the place of the "new brig" of Burns" "Brigs of Ayr," the "auld brig" (built 1252) being still serviceable for foot traffic. Carpets and lace curtains are manufactured. There is a considerable shipping trade, especially in coals. The house in which Burns was born is within 1½ miles of the town, and a monument to him stands on a height between the kirk and the bridge over the Doon. Pop. about 35,000.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The county Aiton's described in 1910 no longer exists as an administrative unit: Ayrshire was folded into Strathclyde Region in 1975 and since 1996 has been divided among three councils, North, East and South Ayrshire, with Ayr the seat of the last of these. The coal shipping and the carpet and lace works Collier's listed in 1921 have gone, and the town of about 35,000 it counted now holds roughly 46,000; nearby Prestwick Airport and the coastal golf links, Royal Troon and Turnberry, carry much of the economy the harbour once did. Both accounts are still right about the Burns industry, which has only grown: the thatched cottage at Alloway is now the centrepiece of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, opened in 2009. The Auld Brig of 1252 that Collier's called "still serviceable for foot traffic" was saved by a restoration campaign and remains open to walkers.
Written for this edition, 2026.