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Castles in Ayrshire

East Ayrshire

Aiket Castle

A 15th Century Tower House build for the Cunninghames in the parish of Dunlop, gutted by a fire in 1957 it has been fully re-stored by the present owners.

Auchencloigh Castle

Auchencloigh Castle or Auchincloigh Castle is a ruined fortification near the Burnton Burn, lying within the feudal lands of the Craufurd Clan, situated in the Parish of Ochiltree, East Ayrshire.

Barr Castle

An old Norman keep built by the Lockhart family after an invasion of Anglo-Norman people in the 12th and 13th centuries.

George Wishart 1545 and John Knox 1556 the Scottish reformers both preached here as the church doors were locked against them.

Home of Lodge St Peter 331 for over a hundred years.

Busbie Castle

Busbie Castle was situated in what is now known as Knockentiber (Scottish Gaelic: Cnoc an Tobair, hill of the well), a village in East Ayrshire, Parish of Kilmaurs. The castle overlooked the Carmel Glen and its Burn, which runs into the River Irvine, a mile or so to the south, after passing through the old Busbie Mill.
The castle was a ruin since at least the 1770s and was demolished in 1949 or 1952 as it had been unsafe for many years and the funds were not found to consolidate the structure.

Caprington Castle

Caprington Castle is located less about 2 miles from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire. The building is now a mansion with battlements – the original keep, and the original turnpike stair are incorporated into the current building. Caprington Castle has been the Cuninghame family for many generations.
The earliest parts of the castle date from the 15th or 16th centuries. The castle was remodelled in Georgian style around 1780. Further renovations were carried out around 1820 in a baronial style.

Cessnock Castle

Cessnock castle near Galston, East Ayrshire dates from around the 15th Century. The Duke of Portland had it restored by 1900 and is now a private house.

Corsehill Castle (also called Ravenscraig)

Corsehill Castle

The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton, now East Ayrshire.
Corsehill Castle was first held by the De Ross family fro Dunlop Castle, later by the Cunninghame family linked to the Earl of Glencairn. A new Corsehill House was built to the east of the old castle and this was in turn abandoned when the Montgomery-Cunninghames

Craufurdland Castle

The castle dates from 1245, one of the oldest in Ayrshire. It was the home to the Craufurds of Craufurdland since. Craufurdland Castle is split into two apartments, the Tower House, a luxury self catering apartment for up to 16 people, and the Laird’s House, next door, where the current laird lives.

Interesting features include the remains of a secret passageway in the laird’s room.

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Dean Castle

Dean Castle was the home of the Boyds, Lords of Kilmarnock. They were given their lands by King Rober I (The Bruce) in 1316, and lived there till the castle was destroyed in an accidental fire in 1735. Not long after, the estate was sold by the Boyds and had various owners till it passed to Lord Howard de Walden in 1828. The ruined castle was restored by the 8th Lord Howard de Walden between 1908 and 1936, and presented to the people of Kilmarnock by his son in 1975.

The high keep which stands on it’s own was built first – about 1350. This was for defence, with walls 2-3 metres thick, few windows, and the original main entrance high above the ground. There are no arrowlits in the walls, all the shooting was done from the top.

The other part of the castle is mall palace built by Robert Boyd, about 1460, together with the attached tower and the wall surrounding the courtyard. The gatehouse and the roofed walk round the top of the courtyard wall are modern, otherwise the buildings are authentic and give a fair idea of the original appearance of a typical Scottish Castle.

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Dunlop Castle

Dunlop or Borland Hill, site of Dunlop Castle

Dunlop is a village and parish in East Ayrshire. It has traditionally been believed that De Ross first held Boarland or Dunlop Hill as their seat and a well-fortified structure existed there, later their seat was moved to Corsehill in Stewarton. A Celtic hillfort may have existed here, as suggested by the etymology of the placename.

In 1848 it was recorded that ‘ a number of years ago the foundation of a ruin of considerable extent was removed by the late proprietor’. Since then, the ruins of a building of considerable extent have been removed and the ground cultivated.

Pont states that the ancient strong Dunlop Castle situated by the Clerkland Burn was protected by a moat or fosse of water and had ‘goodly’ orchards. Smithn records that the ‘Airn Yett’ of the old castle was still preserved and its details published. It was also called Hunt Hall because the Dunlops were huntsmen to the De Ross family (Paterson 1866). The whole estate was sometimes referred to as Hunt Hall. This castle was situated at the site of the present day Dunlop House.

Kerse Castle (Also known as Carse Castle)

Location of Kerse Castle

Kerrie Castle is a ruined fortification once held by the Craufurd Clan, situated in the Parish of Dalrymple. Nothing now remains. It is unknown what this castle would have looked like.

The Craufurds of Kerse were a cadet branch of the Craufurds of Loudoun, and ultimately became the representatives of the Dalmagregan Crawfords, carrying in their armorial bearings a stag’s head, as did also the Craufurds of Drumsoy and the Craufurds of Comlarg. The spelling ‘Craufurd’ is adopted here.

Kilmaurs Castle

Kilmaurs Castle site

Kilmaurs Castle was located on the lands of Jocksthorn Farm near Kilmaurs in East Ayrshire. This was an early 17th Century Castle that belonged to the Earls of Glencairne. Some ruins of this castle have been found on the farm of ock’s-thorn, probably the original Villam de Cuninghame – the first possession of the family.” The castle is not to be confused with the later Cunninghame family possession known as Kilmaurs Place which Dobie calls “..comparatively modern” in 1876

Kingencleugh Castle (Also known as Kingenclough)

Kingencleugh Castle

The remains of the old castle lie close to east of the town of Mauchline.

From the remains, this appears to have been built as a dwelling with defence as a secondary consideration. John Knox is said to have visited it in 1556. Kingencleugh was built as one of several castles built as border markers for the Campbell feus in the area. Kingencleugh latterly became part of the Ballochmyle estate. The present castle was built around 1620 to replace the older fortification that Knox would have known. The castle was abandoned once the new house was built. The Campbells held the property until the end of the 18th century.

Kingencleugh was the residence successively of Hugh and Robert Campbell, both ardent reformers. George Wishart and John Knox were entertained here and Knox also preached at this castle when he visited Mauchline in 1556. On his death bed it was to Robert Campbell that Knox said: “I rely on you becoming to them (his wife and children) as a husband and a father in my room.”

Dobie records that John Knox was conducted by Lochhart of Bar and Campbell of Kineancleugh to Kyle, the ancient recaptacle of the Scottish Lollards, where there were a number of adherents to the reformed doctrine. He preached in the houses of Bar, Kineancleugh, Carnell, Ochiltree, and Gadgirth, and in the town of Ayr. In several of these places he also dispensed the Sacrament of Our Lord’s Supper.

Lainshaw Castle

Lainshaw House is now built on the location of the older Castle.

One of the earliest references to Lainshaw, Langshaw or Langschaw is the grant of land to Alexander Home of Holme by King James II in 1450. Castleton, Gallowberry, Whitelee, Crennachbrare, Robertland and Magbiehill (Magby Hill in 1775) were also included in the grant. Thomas Home inherited, but he died without issue and it passed to the Eglinton family, namely Sir Neil or Nigel Montgomerie of Langshaw who was the third son of the first Earl of Eglinton. He was killed at Irvine in 1547 through the feud with the Mowats of Busbie and Lord Boyd. His son, John, married Margaret, daughter of Lord Boyd. John Montgomerie died without issue and his brother Neil became the third Laird.

Neil Montgomerie married the heiress of Lord Lyle and had a son, Neil, who died before 1621. The son, Neil, had married Elizabeth, daughter of John Cunningham and had four children, Neil of Lainshaw, William of Bridgend, James of Dunlop, and John of Cockilbie. Neil and his son John sold their estates in 1654 to John of Cockilbie.

In 1745 the Laird of Langshaw died suddenly from drinking bad wine. When the 9th Laird, James, died in 1767 his eldest sister, Elizabeth inherited. She had married Alexander Montgomerie-Cuninghame of Kirktonholme, son of Sir David Cuninghame of Corsehill. Her second husband was J. Beaumont Esq.

The 10th Laird was their son, Sir Walter Montgomerie-Cuninghame, who lost a fortune as result of the American War of Independence. William Cunninghame of Bridgehouse and (afterwards Lainshaw), the ‘Tobacco Lord’, had made a fortune in America between 1748 and 1762. In 1776 ‘Linshaw’ is shown on road map as occupied by Bowman Esq. In 1779 William Cunninghame purchased Lainshaw from Sir Walter and proceeded to improve the Estate under an agreement whereby the Montgomeries could reclaim the estate only if they could reimburse William for the cost of his improvements.

They were never able to do so. William married three times and had fourteen children. He disinherited his eldest sons Thomas and Alexander and it was his third son, William Cunninghame who inherited the estate in 1799, but did not take up residence until 1804. During his time the house was remodelled extensively. He was a religious eccentric, which led to various court actions and his publishing a wide range of eccentric books, including one against swearing. He never married, having heard his childhood sweetheart utter unacceptably bad language. On his death in 1849, the estate passed to his younger half brother, John Cuninghame of Duchrae, who in turn was succeeded in 1864 by his son John William Herbert, a Captain in the 2nd Life Guards and married in 1867 to Emily, eldest daughter of Major George Graham

Loch Doon Castle (Balloch Castle)

Loch Doon Castle

Loch Doon Castle was a castle that was located on an island within Loch Doon. It dates back to the 13th Century. The castle was dismantled and rebuilt on the side of the loch after the loch water level was raised in the 1930s for a hydro electric scheme.

In 1306 Sir Christopher Seton, brother-in-law of Robert the Bruce, sought refuge at Loch Doon after Bruce’s army was defeated at the Battle of Methven. When Seton came to Loch Doon the castle was controlled by a hereditary governor, Sir Gilbert de Carrick. The hereditary nature of the governorship suggests that the castle was built by an earlier Earl of Carrick, an ancestor of Bruce himself.

In 1333 Loch Doon was one of only 5 castles in Scotland to uphold the cause of David Bruce to the Scottish throne following defeat at the Battle of Halidon Hill. The English besieged the castle in 1335 but the defenders were able to hold out. Another unsuccessful attack came in 1510 when William Crawford of Lochmores tried to capture Loch Doon as part of an ongoing feud with the Kennedy family owners.

No one knows for certain when the castle passed out of use. One unconfirmed suggestion is that it was destroyed by fire during the reign of James V (1513-1542). One source suggests that the iron portcullis that used to defend the entrance is now at the bottom of the loch.

When the castle was moved to the shore, the 16th century keep was left behind, so the current site consists almost entirely of the 14th century wall, with remains of interior foundation walls.

In 1823 six dug-out canoes were discovered near the castle gate. One of the boats contained a Viking battle-axe, which can now be seen in the Kirkudbright Museum, while two of the boats are in the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. Historians have speculated that the canoes were used during construction of the castle.

Loudoun Castle >

Loudoun Castle

Today a theme park surrounds the ruins of Loudoun Castle.

A tower house was built at Loudoun in the 15th or 16th century, and was extended in the 17th century. Edward Moore was custodian of Loudoun Castle in 1447. Around 1807, the present Loudoun Castle was built to designs by the architect Archibald Elliot. It was built as the home of the Countess of Loudoun and Moira (1780–1840). The house was gutted by fire in 1941. Belgian SAS paratroops were stationed at Loudoun Castle in 1944 during the Second World War.

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Mauchline Castle ( also known as Abbot Hunter’s Tower)

Mauchline Castle

Mauchline Castle, is a rectangular tower house dating from the fifteenth century, in Mauchline.

Before 1177 the Cistercian Melrose Abbey held lands in Ayrshire, virtually represented by Mauchline parish. The castle was constructed by monks from Melrose Abbey in about 1450. The arms of Abbot Hunter (c1444-71) on a boss in the vaulting of the first-floor hall give the earliest dating of the Castle. Huw Campbell of Loudoun was appointed Bailie of Barony in 1521, gaining the temporal lordship in 1606. Gavin Hamilton, friend of Robert Burns, later lived in the tower as a tenant of Lord Loudoun

The tower fell into disrepair

Martnaham Castle

The ruins of an old castle built on an island, recorded as Martnam Ynch (sic), near the centre of the loch are still apparent (NS 3952 1732), the entrance having been from the south side of the loch, formed by a stone embankment or causeway from the land to the island. It is not clear when it was erected. It was inhabited till the 16th century. The remains are of a large building, 21m by 7.5m, and the foundations of an annexe, 12m by 5m, were visible to the north-east. The main block is divided into three compartments, and the walls are of mortared rubble masonry, 0.8m thick, and attain a maximum height of 2.0m. Architectural features suggest a 16th/17th century date. A possible rectangular building at the approach to the causeway may indicate the previous presence of a gatehouse. The site has been densely wooded for many years.

Newmilns Tower

Newmilns Tower is a simple 16th century tower measuring 30ft by 24ft over walls 5ft in thickness.

he Tower is believed to have been built as a keep or strong house for the Campbells of Loudoun when Loudoun Castle had been sacked in a retaliation raid by the Kennedys of Dunure. The building has served as a prison for covenanters and in its last years before restoration housed the Newmilns Town Band.

The project included detailed archaeological investigations, structural repairs, fitting out the house and landscaping to provide a modern interpretation of a 17th century garden.

Works were undertaken between 1994 and 1996 with funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund, Scottish Development Agency, Scottish Department, Historic Scotland and Enterprise Ayrshire.

On completion the house was sold as a private dwelling.

Polkelly Castle Tower

Stanecastle

Claig Castle

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South Ayrshire

Turnberry Castle

Claig Castle

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