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Page 4
 It
was in the early 1800s when William
Fullarton, an enterprising young man,
began mining for coal and limestone on
the banks of the Doon a few miles south
of Skeldon. He built houses nearby to
accommodate his workers and he decided
to call the hamlet Patna after the city
in India where his father and uncle had
such close associations. William
Fullarton later sold the estates at
Skeldon and moved to Ayr where he had a
successful career in local politics,
twice becoming Provost, around 1823 –
1825 and again from 1830 -1834. He died
in 1835 at the relatively young age of
60 and is buried in the cemetery of Ayr
Auld Kirk.
It is also worthy of mention that
Fullarton proved himself to be a kindly
benefactor to Patna. He built the first
house actually in the village to house
the manager of his coal mines. This,
with offices attached, was to become
known to later generations as Patna
House. He then had the
 16 houses of the
former High Row built, each with a small
byre attached to house two cows and he
allowed them free grazing on Keir Hill.
This helped the workers augment their
wages as they were often laid off from
mining in the summer. These were quickly
followed by a further 16 houses known as
the Low Row. Both rows were demolished
in the 1920s. The houses were thatched
and each householder had a small garden
where it is said they often grew corn
which was thrashed and ground locally.
One
particularly useful service provided by
Fullarton to the village was the
provision of a pipeline which was built
from Craignessie Well at the foot of
Patna Hill and brought water into the
village. This was the only water supply
in the village until 1871 when the
decorative fountain at the top of Main
Street was gifted to the village by J
Archibald Walker of Camlarg,
Dalmellington. Despite some very severe
droughts over the years this source of
water was always available and
 dependable. Fullarton was also
responsible for erecting the
schoolhouse. This building, originally
thatched with heather, later became the
Workmen’s Institute. In 1805 it is
reported that Fullarton was largely
responsible for the construction of
Patna Auld Bridge. The architect was Mr
Gilbert McAdam, a relative of the
inventive engineer who gave his name to
the world-famous tar surfacing for
roads. The strength and longevity of
this narrow structure is a lasting
memorial to the craftsmen of those early
days. Never designed to carry the high
numbers of heavy vehicles of the mid
20th century, the fact that it has stood
the test of time is testament to the
margins of safety built into these early
bridges. Indeed this bridge was to serve
Patna well for the next 155 years until
the New Bridge was built and officially
opened on March 25, 1960.
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