Loudoun Castle is a ruined 19th-century country house near Galston, in the

Loudoun Loudoun ( gd, Lughdan) is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston Parish (which encompasses the ...

area 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 ruins are protected as a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Loudoun Castle is the former home of the Mure-Campbell family. Upon the marriage by Flora Mure-Campbell, 6th Countess of Loudoun, to

Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira Francis Edward Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, (9 December 175428 November 1826), styled The Honourable Francis Rawdon from birth until 1762, Lord Rawdon between 1762 and 1783, The Lord Rawdon from 1783 to 1793 and The Earl of Moira b ...

(later Marquess of Hastings), on 12 July 1804, it became the home of the Rawdon-Hastings family. While Loudoun was in the ownership of Edith Rawdon-Hastings, the ownership named encountered a change once more by the death of

Sir Charles Abney-Hastings Sir Charles Abney Hastings, 2nd Baronet (1 October 1792 – 30 July 1858) of Willesley Hall, Derbyshire was both High Sheriff of Derbyshire and an MP for Leicester from 1826 to 1831. Biography Abney-Hastings was the elder son of General Sir Cha ...

, 2nd Bt. In Edith's inheritance there was a condition from Sir Charles, a natural grandson of the 10th Earl of Huntingdon – brother of Lady Edith's grandmother – that by Royal Licence and Act of Parliament, whoever inherited the estate of the Abney family shall take on the surname of Abney-Hastings. The present castle was built for Flora, adjoining the 17th-century extension, and the 15th-century keep. The plans of Loudoun Castle were drawn up in 1805 by the architect Archibald Elliot.Loudoun Castle floorpans, preserved at

Dean Castle Dean Castle is situated in the Dean Castle Country Park in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the stronghold for the Boyd Family, who were lords of Kilmarnock for over 400 years. The Castle takes its name from ‘The Dean’ or wooded ...

. One estimate suggests that the "improvements" to Loudoun Castle between 1804 and 1811 cost over £100,000 – over £3,500,000 in today's money. The massive structure, known as ''The Windsor of Scotland'', had over 90 apartments, and was dominated by the main tower in the rear of the building. The regal library on the south front, measured 100 feet in length and contained upwards of 11,000 volumes. Archibald Elliot's plans included a large banqueting hall on the north front, but this was not built through lack of money. The plantations around the castle comprise a great variety of trees, many of them of very stately appearance and brought from America by

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, fourth earl of Loudoun, who was

governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

in 1756 and who during his military services in various parts of the world sent home every kind of valuable tree he met with. He also formed an extensive collection of willows selected from England, Ireland and Holland. A 300-pound stone from Loudoun Castle in Scotland was presented to

Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

by the Countess of Loudoun and the Queen's representative, the Rouge Dragon, in a special ceremony. In 2015, during the 15th Earl's inaugural trip, he visited Loudoun County and posed for photos with Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York.

Wallace's Sword

Published text from ''The Antiquarian'' – "The Countess of Loudoun recently arrived at Loudoun Castle with the sword of

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

. This sword has been reserved in Loudoun Castle from death of Wallace until five years back when it was removed by the late Marquis of Hastings to his seat in Leicestershire. On the death of the marquis in 1868 it passed into possession of the present countess who has just brought back to its old home. It will be remembered that the mother of Wallace was a daughter of Loudoun, and that on death of his uncle Sir Reginald Crawford of Loudoun – hanged by the English at Ayr Wallace – Wallace had the custody of his only daughter Susanna Crawford of Loudoun married a son of Sir Niel Campbell of Argyll and ancestress of the present Countess of Loudoun the hereditary custodian of the sword of William Wallace. "One of Wallace's swords was a treasured family possession, and was hung in Loudoun Castle's entrance hall. To give a visual perspective, the hall was around 70 feet by 30 feet, and the Wallace Sword was placed in a position of honour on the east wall."

Traditions

ley tunnel Mysterious tunnels or "secret passages" are a common element of the local folklore tradition in Europe. Such tunnels are said to physically link prominent places such as country houses, castles, churches, ancient monuments and other, often med ...

is said to run from Loudoun Castle, under the

River Irvine The River Irvine ( gd, Irbhinn) is a river that flows through southwest Scotland. Its watershed is on the Lanarkshire border of Ayrshire at an altitude of above sea-level, near Loudoun Hill, Drumclog Moss, Drumclog, and SW by W of Strathaven. I ...

, to

Cessnock Castle Cessnock Castle is a 15th-century keep greatly enlarged into a baronial mansion, about south east of Galston, East Ayrshire, Scotland, and south of the River Irvine.Coventry, Martin (1997) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Goblinshead. p.117 History ...

over to the south.

References

External links

Video, annotation and commentary on the first Loudoun Castle.Video and commentary on the Loudoun Barony Judge's Hill.Video and commentary on the East Newton Limeworks.Video and commentary on the ruins at Muttonhole Strip.
{{Castles in East Ayrshire Castles in East Ayrshire Category A listed buildings in East Ayrshire Ruins in East Ayrshire Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Scottish country houses destroyed in the 20th century Clan Campbell Clan Crawford

History

Wallace's Sword

Traditions

See also

References

External links