Book  (2012)  Page(s) 68.  
 
Rosiers toujours vert. Rosa sempervirens, Linné. 2e Serie...
( [syn.] R. Capreolata, Mill.
( [syn.] R. du Comte d'Ayr
( [syn.] R. Ayrshire rose, Sabine.

Book  (1984)  Page(s) 143.  
 
Rosa arvensis ‘Ayrshirea’/Rosa arvensis var ayrshirea – syn: R. capreolaga Neill, R arvensis var scandens Sweet, R arvensis var capreolata Bean. Hybrides de Rosa arvensis. Sans doute s’agit-il d’un hybride de Rosa arvensis par Rosa setigera. Ce rosier fut remarqué pour sa vigueur, en 1767, en Amérique du Nord orientale, par un collecteur de plantes, travaillant pour le Jardin Botanique d’Edimbourg. Mais les graines en furent envoyées au comte de Londown, à London Castle, Ayrshire, comme provenant d’un Rosa arvensis… ce qui explique l’appellation de variété. Pourtant, du fait que ces graines ont donné des rosiers différents de Rosa arvensis type, il doit s’agir de graines d’un hybride. Ce Rosa arvensis var ayshirea, outre sa vigueur supérieure à celle de Rosa arvensis, a des feuilles plus longues sur les tiges principales et bien vertes sur les deux faces. Les fleurs sont simples comme chez le type de l’espèce.

Book  (1981)  Page(s) 98.  
 
1767 The Edinburgh Botanic Garden sent a man to North America to collect new and unknown plants. He brought back a strong, vigorous rose which soon attracted the attention of gardeners in Ayrshire. At first it was called the 'Orangefield Rose' but this was later changed to the 'Ayrshire Rose'. This rose was unrelated to the true Ayrshires, which came later, for, in spite of conflicting reports, it seems clear that this was a hybrid of Rosa setigera.
circa 1830 Scottish gardeners like Brown of Perth, Martin of Dundee, and Robert Austin of Glasgow began hybridizing with these roses which were given the collective name of 'Ayrshire Roses'. There were about 60 varieties in all, and all were crosses between R. arvensis and other contemporary roses, although some were just chance seedlings; not much is known about them today since very few of them still exist. They were mostly white to pink, double, with little or no scent, but the growth was strong and hardy and they were used as the climbers of their day.

Book  (1947)  Page(s) 99.  
 
Arvensis capreolata (Species) is also known as the Roebuck Rambler, and will sprawl wide and sometimes rise to aheight of twenty feet. The white flowers are freely produced in corymbs. Bean...Climber. Without scent...White...June.Very hardy.

Book  (1936)  Page(s) 75.  
 
Rosa arvensis...Capreolata Alba: White, lightly filled, 5-6 cm, very similar to Venusta Pendula, hardy.

Book  (1936)  Page(s) 45.  
 
Ayrshire (Arvensis) in England before 1836; white with light flesh-colour, semi-double, floriferous, in clusters of 7-12, long branches, many reddish prickles, growth 9/10, climbing, 3 m. = R. ayrshireana Neil. Sangerhausen

Book  (1936)  Page(s) 126.  
 
Capreolata (arvensis) ? ? ; carmine-purple, medium size, 3/4-full, climbing habit
Capreolata alba (arvensis) ? ? ; white

Book  (1927)  Page(s) 92.  
 
Capreolata Alba, white often with a shade of pink, loosely filled, vigorous; practically not different than Venusta Pendula.

Book  (1924)  Page(s) 35.  
 
For our gardens is the Evergreen Rose unfortunately not hardy enough, but the Breeder has also been able to use it with success. It and the arvensis are said to be involved in the origination of the Ayrshire-Roses (R. arvensis var. capreolata). A beautiful climbing rose with sempervirens blood is for example the old Félicié et Perpétue.

Book  (15 Sep 1910)  Page(s) Vol. 1, Part I, pp. 15-17.  
 
4— THE AYRSHIRE ROSES
Although the Ayrshire Roses have occupied a prominent place in our gardens for more than a hundred years, they still enjoy so much favour that some account of their history may be of interest. This history has not been easy to trace, for unfortunately the present representatives of the two Scotch firms, Brown of Perth and Austin of Glasgow, which played an important part in Rose raising and growing in Scotland early in the last century, are not able to throw any light upon the subject, and there seem to be no documents relating to the work of these enthusiastic and enlightened florists. Loudon in his Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum gives “ Rosa arvensis Ayrshirea” as having been introduced from America in 1818, but he adds a mark of doubt, and in volume viii. of the Floricultural Cabinet  two double forms of Rosa arvensis Huds. are said to be cultivated in Germany. These are hybrids, according to the Annals of the Horticultural Society of 1845.
An interesting account of the Ayrshire Rose by Mr. Patrick Neill, Secretary of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, appeared in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal in 1820.¹ He says that, for a number of years past, a very rampant climbing Rose-bush has been cultivated in Scotland under the name of the Ayrshire Rose. From this it would appear that the Rose was already established in Scotland before 1818. In 1817 John Goldie, son-in-law of Mr. Smith who founded a nursery-garden at Monkwood Grove in Ayrshire about 1821, went to America and remained there for three years in search of plants wherewith to stock the new nursery. The Gardeners Magazine for 1831 contains a list of some of the plants cultivated in this nursery; among these occur Rosa arvensis v. foliis variegatis and v. fl. pleno. In 1828 Daniel Stewart exhibited at Dundee a seedling Rose named Craighall Climbing Rose. The description of this Rose says that “to the rambling habit of the Ayrshire it adds the beauty of some of the double white varieties.”
In view of all this evidence of the tolerably widespread existence of the Ayrshire Rose in Scotland at this period, it is strange to read in the Botanical Magazine in 1819² that Sir Joseph Banks had made the strictest inquiries and had been unable to discover that the Rose had ever been heard of either there or in any part of Scotland. The figure is stated to have been made from a plant growing in Sir Joseph’s garden at Spring Grove, but nothing is said as to the origin of this plant. Now the Rose figured is Rosa arvensis with leaflets dark green above, paler and slightly glaucous below, stipules narrow, flat, edged with glands and having a red band down the middle. It is difficult to realise how this oversight could have arisen, for the true Ayrshire Rose was certainly growing at Spring Grove at that time, the plants having come from Ronald’s Nursery at Brentford in 1811.
And now, having gathered together all the early references to the Ayrshire Rose which it has been possible to find, we will quote Mr. Neill’s own account of its introduction into Scotland, as given in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal referred to above: [see original text]
Shortly after the publication of this account, Mr. Sabine read before the Horticultural Society a paper in which he discussed at length the history of the Ayrshire Rose. In this paper he examines in detail the description of the Rose, pointing out how it differs from Rosa arvensis and Rosa sempervirens L., the two Roses to which it bears the greatest resemblance. He reviews all the information available and quotes a letter from Smith of Monkwood Grove in which the writer states that he perfectly well remembers the Rose growing in 1776 at Orangefield, where it had been planted by one John Penn, a Yorkshireman living in Ayr, and much interested in gardening. Penn had found it growing in a garden in Yorkshire and was told that it had come originally from Germany. The best authenticated version is, however, that given by Neill, and as it is corroborated by persons living at the time who would be likely to know, it may safely be assumed that the Ayrshire Rose originated at Loudoun Castle. Mr. Sabine was inclined to this opinion. Supposing the seed to have come from Canada or Nova Scotia, it might still be of garden origin, and so the fact that neither Rosa arvensis nor Rosa sempervirens is indigenous to North America would not influence the case.

¹ Vol. ii. art. xvii. p. 102.
² Vol. xlvi. t. 2054.