Editing William Murdoch (section)

==Early life==
William Murdoch was born in [[Bello Mill]] near Old [[Cumnock]] in [[Ayrshire]], [[Scotland]], the third of seven children and the first son to survive beyond infancy. A son of John Murdoch, a former [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian]] [[artillery]] gunner and a [[Millwright]] and tenant of [[Bello Mill]] on the estate of [[James Boswell]] in [[Auchinleck]], he was educated until the age of ten at the Old Cumnock [[Kirk]] School before attending Auchinleck school under William Halbert, author of a highly regarded [[arithmetic]] textbook. Murdoch excelled in mathematics.
Murdoch also learned the principles of [[mechanics]], practical experimentation and working in metal and wood by assisting in his father's work. Together with his father, he built a "wooden horse" about 1763. His "Wooden Horse on Wheels" was a tricycle propelled by hand cranks. There are reports that in his youth Murdoch was responsible for the construction of one of the bridges over the [[River Nith]]; this possibly derives from his father's work in building the Craikston Bridge over [[Lugar Water]] in 1774, which William would have been involved in. He is also said to have carried out experiments in [[coal gas]], using coal heated in a copper kettle in a small cave near his father's mill. However, there is no contemporary documentation.