Special Constable Alexander ROSS (-)

12 Jul 1831
Girvan Burgh

SC Ross was shot whilst policing a sectarian march which degenerated into a riot.

 

In 1831 the Ayrshire town of Girvan had grown to a population of around 5000, two thirds were reported to be Irish, or of Irish origin, ‘chiefly employed in cotton weaving, and of these, again, the greater proportion are Orangemen’.

In April of that year relations deteriorated to such an extent that there was open hostility between ‘the local Scots and Irish’ with violent clashes at the town fair. The trouble continued with sporadic incidents throughout the first half of the year. The locals were becoming more and more concerned as the date of the Orangemen’s annual march approached on 12^th July.

The townspeople asked the Sheriff at Ayr to ban the march but, in consultation with the Solicitor General, he decided there was nothing in law to stop it. He did opine that the military should perhaps be deployed to Girvan, as a precaution.

As it happened, the Sheriff arrived at Girvan on 11^th July, with a quantity of Constables Batons but no military. He gathered a number of local men to be sworn in as Special Constables but, although quite willing to serve, they refused to act unless given clear authority to stop the march entering the town.

The Sheriff, obviously determined to avoid any trouble, consulted with the Master of the Girvan Orange Lodge who was just as keen for the march to pass off peacefully.  They agreed that the Orangemen would march around the outskirts of the town, to their destination at the Doune-park where they would gather for a meeting and ‘some refreshments’ before dispersing.

Happy with the arrangements, a contingent of Special Constables made their way to the point where the Orangemen would divert around the town, to await their arrival. There was much interest in the proceedings and they were followed by a large group of, mainly women and children who took up positions in adjacent fields for a good view.

The column of Orangemen from Maybole, Crosshill and surrounding villages duly arrived, ‘in marching order with fifes and drums’. They were said to be up to 300 in number, many armed with guns, pikes, swords and pistols. Coming to rest 100 yards from the Constables, their leaders approached to discuss the route. Once again, they were quite happy to avoid conflict and agreed to go around the town. However, this didn’t sit well with some of their number who shouted that they wouldn’t be stopped.  Their leaders told them to be quiet and obey orders, setting them off to march, taking the turn away from the town. Very quickly the column broke into two with a sizeable force heading directly towards the waiting Constables.

At this point, some of the large gathering of local women and children began to throw stones at the Orangemen from behind hedges adjacent to the river. This was answered in kind with the Constables stuck in the middle.

As they tried to restore some order, a man stepped out of the ranks of Orangemen and fired directly at the Constables, striking Special Constable Alexander Ross in his abdomen, hitting his spine & killing him outright.

This proved to be the catalyst for even greater violence as the Orangemen (who apparently thought they were being fired upon) charged the Police and towns people. They began firing indiscriminately and hacking them down with little regard to age or gender.

Constable Alexander Stevens tried to disarm the man who shot Ross but was beaten senseless, whilst another Constable, by the name of Orr, was beaten to the ground, ‘his face was smashed and disfigured in a shocking manner, his body cut and bruised’. Whilst being kicked and beaten on the ground, someone fired a pistol directly at his face but the ball grazed his head. Both survived their ordeal but with significant injuries.

The mob of rampaging Orangemen stormed through the town, beating anyone they could catch, breaking windows and firing indiscriminately as they went until they reached the Doune-park with the cry ‘The town is ours!’

There, they took some ‘refreshment’ with their local brethren.

The people of Girvan were so alarmed by the riot that they began to arm themselves, fearing the Orangemen would return through the town in a similar rampage. They even took a cannon from garden of Bailie Anderson, loaded it with grapeshot and planted it at the Cross! The Orangemen seemed to have calmed down though, perhaps worried about the repercussions from their earlier rioting or perhaps just the worse for drink, they dispersed without further incident.

The sheriff was not a popular man in Girvan that day; he was blamed for not stopping the march and barely got out of town in one piece. He returned to Ayr where he instituted a manhunt for the killer of SC Ross and those responsible for the riot. Many were rounded up over the coming days with police and detachments of Yeomanry scouring the countryside. It was soon established that an ex-soldier was alleged to be responsible for the murder; he was traced to Newton Stewart and quickly arrested.

A number of people were tried in relation to various crimes. Many were subsequently jailed for their part in the riot. The man who shot Special Constable Ross was convicted of his murder after claiming self-defence.

Appeals for clemency due to the closeness of the verdict (a narrow majority for Murder against Culpable Homicide) were rejected and he was hanged at Ayr on 19^th January 1832 in front of a crowd of 5000. His body was then given up for dissection.

Special Constable Alexander Ross was a fisherman who, like Special Constables to this day, gave his time to serve his community. He is the first recorded Special Constable to have lost his life on duty in Scotland.

His name is inscribed on the Scottish Police Memorial and will never be forgotten.

Footnote: As a small boy my family took our summer holidays on the Ayrshire coast. Visits to Girvan, then a bustling seaside town, regularly ended with carry-out fish and chips. My father (at the time a Special Constable in Ayrshire Constabulary) would park in a lay-by just outside Girvan to eat from the paper. On the verge, next to the river was a Memorial stone to Alexander Ross. It piqued my interest and many years later, when we began the Scottish Police Memorial project, one of my first priorities was to ensure his name was included on the Roll of Honour.

 S.T.McAllister FSA Scot

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