People and place names are not usually included in this exercise, but the strange name of St Quivox caught my eye. It is a village half a mile from the outskirts of Ayr dating from perhaps the 8th century. The church is named, or so it is thought, after St Kennocha. There are several variants on the spelling. Legend has it that Kennocha was a rich heiress who chose a life of piety and performed several miracles. She died in 1007 and her saint’s day is 25 March. St. Kennoch’s Kirk near Glasgow also commemorates her.
An alternative view is that the village is named after an Irish saint, Kevoca, which ties in with the fact that the parish used to be known as Sanquhar or Sanchar, from the Gaelic, meaning “old fort”.
The St Quivox Welter Plate made its first appearance at the Western Meeting of 1921. Bizarrely, the jockey for Boy Bugler weighed out even though the horse was not on the course. The trainer was fined £5 for his carelessness. The jockey was fined half that amount, which seems harsh. The race itself moved round the calendar and finished up as a maiden. 1993 was its last running. The following year its name was discarded in favour of the Tickly Tap Stakes, one of the holes at Turnberry golf course.