In 1686 Irvine Town Council took the decision to begin their own coal mining enterprise. Coal engineer John Wallace was engaged to make a survey of Irvine parish and sink a coal shaft. The first site was near Doura on the outskirts of Irvine parish on the upland area beyond Armsheugh. On 07 June 1686 workers from Irvine began to set down the first mine shaft. They were supplied regularly with ale, bread and cheese. They dug their first coal on 07 September 1686, digging out four coal seams before the mine was abandoned.
By 1692 further geological exploration of Irvine parish had identified coal at Knadgerhill and Newmure. By 1702 one shank at Newmure had to be abandoned. Irvine Burgh spent £400 to set down a new shank, but regrettably no workable coal was found, and the Burgh sold off all its assets to John Hamilton who was sinking a coal shank at Shewalton.
In 1761 there was a sudden rise in the cost of coal from four pence to five pence per load. For the benefit of the townspeople of Irvine, the Town Council decided to again investigate having its own mines. Investors were promised 10% of any profits. Early in 1762 voluntary contributions were used to sink a shaft on the Town Green near Seagatefoot. Further shanks were sunk in the Green, the Muir and Marressfoot. The Town Council abandoned its municipal enterprise in coal mining in 1768.
In 1770 the Town Council granted the tack of the coal in Marressfoot to Alexander Fairlie, factor to the 11th Earl of Eglinton. In 1771 they granted another tack on the Moor to Mr Beaumont from Newcastle, who later relinquished his lease, which was taken up in 1785 by a company composed of Bailie James Shaw, two merchants, a shipmaster and William Templeton, the local bookseller. Others invested money in the company including the Incorporated Trades and the Town Council could claim every twelfth load as its rental. The company set down a shank on the east part of the moor and another on the north west side of the enclosed common. The company ceased coal production in 1789.
According to www.scottishmining.co.uk the parrot coal workings were part of the Burgh mine in Irvine. You can see from the plan the date that each coal seam was dug out.