Editing Ayr (section)

===Establishment and early settlement===

The areas surrounding modern day Ayr were known to have been occupied by [[Mesolithic]] [[Hunter-gatherer|hunter-gatherers]] more than 5,000 years ago. There is also a [[Neolithic]] standing stone at the end of Stonefield Park in [[Doonfoot]], which is believed to have been upended as a place of sun worship by [[Stone Age]] people.<ref name=PictorialHistory/> In 1197, [[William the Lion|King William the Lion]] ordered that a new castle be built between the River Ayr and the [[River Doon]]. It is believed that the castle was a wooden structure built around [[Montgomerieston|Montgomerie Terrace]]. Ayr was later established as a royal burgh and market town on 21 May 1205 by King William the Lion.<ref name=LocalHistories>{{cite web|url=http://www.localhistories.org/ayr.html |title=A Brief History of Ayr, Scotland |access-date=2011-10-11 |url-status = live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315080526/http://localhistories.org/ayr.html |archive-date=15 March 2016 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref name=nlssurvey>{{Cite web|url=https://maps.nls.uk/townplans/background/ayr.html|title=Ayr - Ordnance Survey large scale Scottish town plans, 1847-1895 - National Library of Scotland|website=maps.nls.uk}}</ref> At its establishment, the burgh encompassed a single street (The Sandgate) and the Church of St John. By 1225 the town reached as far as Carrick Street and Mill Street along the south side of the River Ayr. The town grew quickly to become the main seaport, marketplace and administrative centre for [[Ayrshire]].<ref name=PictorialHistory/>

The King gifted fishing rights to the burgh for the River Ayr and the River Doon in 1236. In the following year, a timber bridge was built across the River Ayr, linking the town to the north side of the River. Since 1261, annual fairs were held in the town. At this time the town had a recorded population of 1,500 and served as a major port on the west coast. The town was unsuccessfully attacked by Norwegian forces in 1263 and invaded and occupied by [[Kingdom of England|English]] forces from 1296 until 1312 as part of the [[Scottish Wars of Independence]].<ref name=LocalHistories/> In 1298 the original castle at Ayr was destroyed by [[Robert the Bruce|Robert The Bruce's]] forces.<ref name=nlssurvey/> On 26 April 1315, a [[Parliament of Scotland]] was held in Ayr by Robert The Bruce at St. John's Tower by the sea.<ref name=PictorialHistory/><ref name=Scotswars>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotwars.com/Ayr_citadel.htm |title=The Protectorate Citadel Of Ayr |publisher=Scots Wars |access-date=14 November 2014 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128175925/http://www.scotwars.com/Ayr_citadel.htm |archive-date=28 November 2014 }}</ref> As a Royal Burgh, Ayr was afforded various privileges relating to trade, tolls and fishing rights, which allowed the town to out-compete the neighbouring free burgh of Newton-on-Ayr which was established in the 14th century and situated on the north side of the River Ayr.<ref name=PictorialHistory/><ref name=OS1909>{{cite book|title=Old Ordnance Survey Maps: Ayr 1909|last=MacLean|first=Jean|publisher=Alan Godfrey Maps|location=Edinburgh|date=1999}}</ref>