DettingenDETTINGEN (by George Scott)
About half a mile west of Cumnock, at the intersection of the A70 and A76 roads, the road-signs inform us that we are approaching “The Dettingen Roundabout”. Many motorists must puzzle over this name and its origin, for Dettingen is a village in Germany!
Its connection with Cumnock is the battle which took place in Bavaria on 27th June, 1743, - a battle which involved some of our local aristocracy., - the Earl of Dumfries and the Earl of Stair. They were in the British army which, along with other forces from Hanover and Austria, were supporting the claim of Maria Theresa and her husband to the Imperial Crown of Austria. The entire allied force was under the command of the Earl of Stair, although when the British King George II appeared on the scene, nominal command would revert to the monarch. This was the last occasion when a British king would appear on a field of battle.
The enemy force were the French, whose invasion of Germany in 1740 led to the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48). The French under the command of Adrien-Maurice, Duc du Noilles (1678-1776) - were defeated by the allied force.
To commemorate this famous victory, two circular woods were planted on the return home of the Earl of Dumfries. One, - Dettingen Wood, is only 100 yards to the west of the roundabout. It lies in the angle between the Cumnock-Ayr road, and the Cumnock-Skares road. The other, named Stair Hill, is a mile or so uphill, near the old Dumfries House Station on the now dismantled A. & C. railway. Both woods were sited to represent the positions of the British forces at the start of the battle. It is reported that, at one time, a similar wood was planted within the grounds of Stair House.
After his return from the wars, the Earl of Stair appears to have devoted some of his time to agricultural reform. WARRICK in his “History of Cumnock” reports that the Earl of Stair was "the first Scotsman to plant turnips and cabbages in fields upon a large scale" (Thomson`s "History III., p.410).
Footnotes :- (1) The village of Dettingen lies on the River Main, 21 miles north-east of Darmstadt, near Frankfurt.
(2) As another celebration of the British victory, HANDEL composed “Dettingen Te Deum and Anthem“. (1743). First sung at Chapel Royal, St. James’s, November, 1743. Anthem’s text begins “The King shall rejoice”
|
|
