Lemlair House is a mansion house in the parish of

Kiltearn Kiltearn ( Gaelic: ''Cill Tighearna'') is a parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It is in the Presbytery of Ross. The principal settlement is the village of Evanton, and the parish extends almost to Dingwall and about halfway to Alness. The ...

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of ...

, in the

Highland council area Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It share ...

of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

History

A 17th century manuscript of the

Clan Mackenzie Clan Mackenzie ( gd, Clann Choinnich ) is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. However ...

claims that the Mackenzies burnt the

Clan Munro Clan Munro (; gd, Clann an Rothaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and ...

lands of Lemlair in the aftermath of the

Battle of Logiebride The Battle of Logiebride or Logie-Riach, also known as a Tumult in Ross was more of a small skirmish rather than an actual battle. The disturbance is said to have taken place on 4 February 1597 at the Logie Candlemas market near Conan House (a m ...

in 1597. The lands of Lemlair were made into a barony direct from the Crown in 1643 for Colonel John Munro of Lemlair who was a leading supporter of the

National Covenant The National Covenant () was an agreement signed by many people of Scotland during 1638, opposing the proposed reforms of the Church of Scotland (also known as ''The Kirk'') by King Charles I. The king's efforts to impose changes on the church i ...

and who opposed

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of ...

's church innovations. In 1738 the lands of Lemlair reverted to the chief of the Clan Munro and later went through a period of Mackenzie ownership when it was connected with the neighboring Mountgerald. It was later bought back by another member of the Munro family. The name "Lemlair" is thought to come from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

for "a bare place suitable for grazing horses".

Rebuilding

In 1859, it was bought from Sir Charles Munro of Foulis by "Red John" Munro and it was Red John's grandson, another John, who rebuilt it into the present mansion with its internal fittings featuring the Munro eagle in 1876. He moved into the house in 1879 and it has had only three owners since then.

Lemlair today

The mansion is set in of grounds. The building features a Rennie Mackintosh tiled fireplace and mantelpiece, a snooker room, a tiled-floor veranda overlooking the firth, a tennis court, eight bedrooms, stained-glass windows and Munro clan features such as a fireplace depicting the famous eagle emblem. The house has recently been extensively refurbished including exterior woodwork to bring the house back to original standard. The area boasts excellent fishing, shooting and stalking and countryside walks.

References

External links

* * * {{coord, 57, 37, 39, N, 4, 23, 3, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Lemlair House Lemlair House Houses completed in 1643 Category B listed buildings in Highland (council area) Listed houses in Scotland 1643 establishments in Scotland