08 December 2025

John Galt's home in Irvine

This is the house in Irvine where John Galt was born on 2 May 1779.  The house was situated on the High Street near the Seagate.  Galt's father, also John, was the captain of a ship trading with the West Indies.  His mother was Jean Thomson.  The couple married in Ayrshire in 1776.  

The site of the building is now home to a branch of the Bank of Scotland.  There is a plaque on the outside wall showing its connection to John Galt.

The plaque was made by Robert Bryden and is dated 1903.

Robert Bryden (1865-1939) was an artist and sculptor who was born in Coylton in Ayrshire.  Many of his works showed scenes of places in Ayrshire.  See more of his work here.