Kintyre Agricultural Society secretary John Armour looks back on some of the highlights of Kintyre Show since its inception in 1854.

As we have had to cancel this year’s Kintyre Show, I thought it might be interesting to look back on the history of the formation and development of the society and show over the years.

Kintyre Show as we know it today was first held in 1855 at Lochend in the town.

There had been previous agricultural societies. The one formed in 1842 by the Duke of Argyll was confined to tenants on the Duke’s estate in Kintyre.

A few years later, a rival society was formed for farmers outwith the Duke’s tenants.

In 1854, it was agreed they would all come together and form Kintyre Agricultural Society as we know it today.

The early shows were held at Lochend, The Quarry and on various farms until establishing itself on the showfield where the houses of Castle Park, Smith Drive and Castleacres are now.

When a large house building scheme was started in the 1920s and the showfield was required for houses, the town council offered sites on upper and lower Kintyre park. This continued until 1966 when work on the new grammar school started and the show moved to the current field at

Anderston Park, which had been bought by the society in 1961, in 1967.

It is interesting to note from Courier reports from the Jubilee Show in 1904 that the Ayrshire championship was won by William Young, Glencraigs; the Clydesdale championship by John Smith, Largiebeg, and the sheep championship by J M Hall, Killean & Tangy.

There were 240 horse entries that year but perhaps with a thought of what was to come, John Huie and company had on view a petrol engine and the opinion expressed was that it would carry out all it claimed to do.

Over the years, the society has been served by 17 secretaries: Peter Watson, John McIsaac, Thomas Brown, J L Pearson, James Lothian, J Hamilton, Duncan Hamilton, G Erskine Inglis, William Hunter, Robert Stevenson, Peter John Campbell, James Wallace, Robert R Mungall, John McLatchie, Jean Hobbs, Sandy McPherson and John Armour. There have been three acting secretaries who served while the appointment of a new secretary was finalised. They were Duncan Sinclair, John Scott and Trefor Davies.

June 1, 1962 and Duncan Smith, Barrmains, receives the Tom Douglas Cup for Champion Ayrshire from Mrs Mathieson, wife of Argyll County council convenor J G Mathieson. Looking on are President James G Millar, Kilkivan, and Junior Vice President John McCorkindale, Macharioch.

Right: August 1, 1974, the first ‘August Show’. This is the only known year that the show took place on a Thursday. Photographed are: President John Smith; Vice Presidents Duncan Johnston and Richard Semple; Secretary John R McLatchie and Director Bobby Galbraith with the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.