 Mr.
Donald Reid in his letter to
PatnaDaily.Com dated Dec. 27, 2006
wrote:
"A few months ago I was browsing the
world wide web looking for sites
relating to Patna, Ayrshire, as part of
my research into the social history of
Ayrshire's Doon Valley where I was born
and raised. I was delighted to come upon
the web site:
www.patnadaily.com which deals with
Patna in the Bihar State, India. I know
that the small village of Patna,
Ayrshire has links with its somewhat
larger neighbour on the banks of the
Ganges. They are connected because
Scotland's Patna was named after its
Indian neighbour by William Fullarton,
whose family had a close association
with the Bihar State. Fullarton's uncle,
William Fullarton in 1745 was in the
service of the East India Company as
Surgeon at Fort William, now Calcutta.
He returned to Scotland in 1770. His
brother, Major General John Fullarton of
Skeldon on the banks of the River Doon
near Dalrymple, Ayrshire, was also in
the service of the East India Company
and died in India in 1804. He was
succeeded by his second son, William
Fullarton (1775-1835) who was twice
Provost of the Burgh of Ayr. Patna, he
developed mining interests along the
banks of the River Doon, made famous by
Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns.
Patna, Ayrshire was established about
1800 as a small coal and ironstone
mining village and named after Patna,
India. Coal mining was central to the
development of many of the villages in
the upper reaches on Ayrshire's Doon
Valley. |
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I have had the privilege of being able
to research at least some aspects of the
social and industrial history of
Ayrshire's Doon Valley and publish
several small local history books, in
the process preserving part of the
history for those who follow in our
footsteps.
As the world becomes even smaller, it is
vital that there is great understanding
between people of different cultures. As
we journey through life, change is
occurring so fast that there is a danger
of forgetting the social and industrial
influences which impact on communities,
large and small.
Ayrshire's Doon Valley,
once thriving with coal as its driving
force, is now firmly in a
post-industrial phase. Where there were
six large deep coal mines and literally
dozens of small ironstone pits over the
past century, none remain, albeit there
is a large open cast coal operation,
employing small numbers of local people.
Similar changes will be affecting Patna
in the Bihar State, albeit because of
its sheer size they will be far more
complex in nature.
It is gratifying that the links between
Patna, Ayrshire and its large neighbour
on the banks of the River Ganges have
been re-established by individuals
making contact via the world-wide web.
Perhaps this small spark may help to
re-awaken and cement relationships,
broaden understanding and enable people
from different cultural backgrounds to
celebrate the common bond of sharing the
proud name, PATNA."
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