111007 River Garnock upstream from castle

The Barony of Glengarnock is a Scottish

feudal barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

in the county of

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The Crown Charter proscribes the Barony of Glengarnock baronial lands as follows: ''“The lands and barony of Glengarnock, the dominical lands of Glengarnock, the lands of Blackburn, Blackhill, Birkhill and Barhill, and marshes and waters called Paddockholm, the lands of Bridgeend, Henyholm, Pewlands and Burnside, Bashaw, Baillieston and Damathland, Kirklands of Kilbirnie, the Mill of Glengarnock and Multures of the same, the loch called Loch Tankard, the lands of Burns, Auchinhove, Denholm, Loch Rigg and Lochend, the six shilling and eight penny lands of Corse and forty shilling lands of Cherrylands, all lying in the Parishes of Kilburnie and County of Ayr”''

Historical Barons

de Morvilles and Riddells

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the lands here were held for the King by the De Morville family, hereditary Great Constables of Scotland. The barony was anciently in the possession of a family of the name of Riddell, supposed to have been descended from the Riddells of Teviotdale.

Cunninghams

''Reginald Cunningham''. The earliest proprietor of the Glengarnock barony is believed to be Reginald Cunningham, of a cadet branch of the Cunninghams of Glencairn. Reginald was the second son of Edward Cunningham of Kilmaurs and Mary, daughter of the High Steward of Scotland. Reginald married Jonet Riddell, the daughter and heiress of Riddell of Glengarnock sometime around the middle of the thirteenth century. ''William Cunningham'' of Glengarnock. In 1547, William Cunningham of Glengarnock is recorded as having been killed at the

Battle of Pinkie The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

. ''Sir James Cunningham''. William Dobie records that Sir James Cunningham in 1609 assigned the 'Lands of Glengarnock' to his creditors and went to Ireland where he managed the 12,000 acres of land that

King James VI James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

had granted him. The estate was sold by the creditors to William Cunningham of Quarrelston. ''William Cunningham'' of Quarrelston. In 1654, William Cunningham of Quarrelston alienated the property to Richard Cunningham, eldest son of William Cunningham, a Writer to the Signet, member of a cadet branch of the Cunningham of Ashinyards family. ''Richard Cunningham''. Richard Cunningham was a staunch supporter of the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...

and as such rallied to the Royal Standard during the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...

, 1638-1651. In 1648, Richard took part in the Royalist invasion of England only to be defeated at the

Battle of Preston (1648) The Battle of Preston (17–19 August 1648), fought largely at Walton-le-Dale near Preston in Lancashire, resulted in a victory for the New Model Army under the command of Oliver Cromwell over the Royalists and Scots commanded by the Duke o ...

, and again in 1651 he rode south to be beaten by the Cromwellian army at the

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...

. Richard avoided capture and returned home to Glengarnock where he died and was buried in the Glengarnock Aisle of Kilbirnie Kirk. ''Richard Cunningham''. Upon the death of Richard the elder, his eldest son Richard Cunningham succeeded him.

Lindsays

''Patrick Lindsay''. The Honourable Patrick Lindsay of Kilbirnie Place purchased the castle and estate of Glengarnock in 1677 from Richard Cuninghame, the last of the Cuninghames of Garnock. Patrick Lindsay was second son of John Lindsay, 17th

Earl of Crawford Earl of Crawford is one of the most ancient extant titles in Great Britain, having been created in the Peerage of Scotland for Sir David Lindsay in 1398. It is the premier earldom recorded on the Union Roll. Early history Sir David Lindsay, who ...

and 1st Earl of Lindsay. The Lindsays had already gained the adjacent barony of Kilbirnie through the marriage of Patrick Lindsay and Margaret, second daughter of Sir John Crawford of Kilbirnie. ''John Lindsay Crawford''. In 1681, Patrick was succeeded by his son John Lindsay Crawford. In 1703, John was created Viscount Garnock, Lord Kilbirnie, Kingsburn, and Drumry by Queen Anne. In 1701, he adorned the laird’s loft of the fifteenth century parish church of Kilbirnie with eighteen shields of the Lindsay lineage. ''Patrick Lindsay Crawford''. In 1708 John Lindsay Crawford’s son Patrick became the 2nd Viscount Garnock. He died in 1735 and was buried among his ancestors in

Kilbirnie Auld Kirk Kilbirnie Auld Kirk is a Church of Scotland congregation on Dalry Road (at Kirkland Road), Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. Although the building dates back to the 15th century, the present congregation was formed in 1978 by the amalgamation ...

. ''John Lindsay Crawford''. Patrick’s eldest son John became the 3rd Viscount upon Patrick’s death, but John died aged 16 only to be succeeded by his brother George as the 4th Viscount. ''George Lindsay Crawford''. In 1749, George fell heir to the titles and estates of John, 20th Earl of Crawford and 4th Lord Lindsay and settled with his wife Jean Hamilton at Kilbirnie Castle. Kilbirnie Castle was largely destroyed by fire in 1757, forcing George him to move to his property at Crawford Priory in Fife. George died in 1781. ''George Lindsay Crawford''. Upon the death of his father in 1781, his eldest son George, a major-general in the British Army inherited the lands and titles. George died in 1808 and as having no children or surviving brothers. ''Lady Mary Lindsay Crawfor''d. Upon the death of George in 1808, the Crawford-Lindsay estates, along with the feudal titles which were then tied to the land, including the Barony of Glengarnock, went to Lady Mary Lindsay Crawford, and subsequently to the Earls of Glasgow. 111007 Glengarnock Castle above glen and river

111007 Glengarnock Castle above glen and river

Earls of Glasgow

In 1801, the Barony of Glengarnock title was affirmed and assigned of to ''George,

Earl of Glasgow Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle. The first earl was subsequently one of the commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Union uniting the Kingdom of England and the Kingd ...

and Crawfurd Lindsay''. A Signature of Resignation under the

Great Seal of Scotland The Great Seal of Scotland ( gd, Seala Mòr na h-Alba) is a principal national symbol of Scotland that allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix ...

dated 3 February 1801, written to the seal and registered and sealed at Edinburgh on 12 May 1801 affirms the barony and confirms the assignation, containing the words “” (“All and whole the lands and barony of Glengarnock”). The Barony of Glengarnock thereafter remained in the line of the Earls of Glasgow until eventual disposition to the MacGregors of Rannoch. This is demonstrated by a series of registrations: in 1834, an Instrument of Sasine in favour of the Earl of Glasgow; in 1845 an Instrument of Sasine in favour of ''James Lindsay Crawford, Earl of Glasgow''; In 1869 a Decree of Special Service in favour of ''George Frederick Lindsay Crawford, Earl of Glasgow'' (formerly the Honourable George Frederick Boyle), establishing the Earl of Glasgow as the heir to his predecessor ''James Lindsay Crawford, Earl of Glasgow'' who died on 11 March 1869; in 1870, a Writ of Confirmation by the

Great Steward of Scotland Prince and Great Steward of Scotland are two of the titles of the heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom. The current holder of these titles is Prince William, who bears the other Scottish titles of Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, ...

(i.e. the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

) in favour of the Right Honourable ''George Frederick Lindsay Crawfurd, Earl of Glasgow''.

MacGregors

After 1889, the Barony was vested ''Thomas Horatio Arthur Ernest Cochrane, Baron Cochrane of Cults'' from the Right Honourable ''Ralph Henry Vere Cochrane, Fourth Baron Cochrane of Cults'', and finally to the line of the MacGregors, ancestral lairds of Learagan in Rannoch. The current

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

of Glengarnock is the Much Honoured Robert S. MacGregor.

References

{{reflist *

The Heraldry Society The Heraldry Society is a British organization that is devoted to studying and promoting heraldry and related subjects. In 1947, a twenty-year-old John Brooke-Little founded the Society of Heraldic Antiquaries. This name was changed to The Her ...

of Scotlan

* Court of the Lord Lyon, The Court of the Lord Lyonbr>
* Chapeau, feudo-baronial mantle, helmet, badg

* College of Arm

* The Scottish Baronage Registr

* Burke's Peerag
Burkes Peerage Website

National Archives of Scotland

External links

Burkes Peerage Website

National Archives of Scotland