the numerous date stones and marriage stone incorporated into various parts of the buildings. The 17th-century road from Glasgow to Irvine ran past The Hill farm on the opposite side to the existing road, which is itself on the line of the 18th-century turnpike. The house used to face the other direction as can be seen by a slight asymmetry in the existing frontage and the old front door is now a just a window, but with tell-tale ornamentation on the lintel. The presence of the road as it was then, running past the farm, would have made the transport of her cheeses that much easier in those days of transport by pack animal or sledge. Timothy Pont's map of Cunninghame (1604–1608) marks an "O Hill", emphasising the age of this settlement. Gravestone and descendants Barbara and John's table style horizontal gravestone is now positioned as an upright against a wall of Dunlop kirk. It is very well preserved and as stated, gives the date 1732 for her demise. The gravestone inscription mentions children plural, however only a daughter, Mary, survived her parents, marrying Allan, son of Allan Brown of Gabroch-Hill. Their son, Andrew Brown, succeeded to Hill, and through his wife Jean Anderson, they afterwards succeeded to Craighead farm. Mary Dunlop, daughter of John Dunlop of Boarland and Jean Gilmour of Tailend, had the half of Boarland, died at The Hill, the property of her mother's brother-in-law, in 1839. The Rev. Brisbane noted in 1793 that Barbara's grandson was still living and was the proprietor at 'The Hill.' Dunlop cheese Barbara successfully manufactured a species of cheese until then unknown in Scotland, being made from unskimmed milk from the famous Ayrshire cows. Her process was copied by her neighbours and Dunlop cheese came into such demand, that whether made by Barbara or her neighbours, or by the housewives of adjoining parishes, it found a ready market. It is suggested that the spread of the cheese to other districts was largely through farmers who had settled there from Dunlop parish. She was something of an evangelist in the matter of making "sweet milk" (unskimmed milk) cheese, and being a forthright and energetic character she traveled widely to teach the making of her Dunlop cheese, and so stimulated a nationwide demand. This demand stimulated merchants to visit Cunninghame, buy Dunlop cheese and sell it throughout the central lowlands of Scotland. Local