Polkelly Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polkelly Castle |
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| Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland UK |
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Pokelly Hall and Balgray Mill
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 Polkelly Castle
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| Coordinates | 55°40′34″N 4°27′21″W / 55.676102°N 4.455712°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private |
| Controlled by | Mure family |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Condition | Removed |
| Site history | |
| Built | 14th century |
| Built by | Mures |
| In use | Until 16th century |
| Materials | stone |
Polkelly Castle was an old castle located near Fenwick, in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It was also known by names like Pokelly and Powkelly. The castle was part of a large area of land called the Barony of Polkelly.
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Polkelly Castle: A Look Back
Polkelly Castle was an important building in its time. It was built in the 14th century. Over the years, it was owned by several powerful families. The castle no longer stands today. Its stones were used to build a road in the 1850s. Only a small mound of earth, called a motte, remains where it once stood.
The Lands of Polkelly
Before the 1390s, the land around Polkelly was likely owned by the Comyn family. This area was very important. It gave landowners access to a large grazing area called Macharnock Moor, which is now known as Glenouther Moor.
In 1512, the Barony of Polkelly included several smaller areas of land. These included Darclavoch, Clonherb, Clunch (with its mill), Le Gre, Drumboy, and Balgray. Balgray also had its own tower, a strong house, a manor, and a mill. The common grazing land of Mauchirnoch was also part of it.
In the early 1500s, during the time of King James V, the Cochrane family owned Polkelly. Later, the Mure family held the land. Their estate, called Pow-Kaillie, was very large, covering about 2400 acres. About two-thirds of this land could be farmed.
What Was Polkelly Castle?
Polkelly Castle was a secondary power center for the Barony of Rowallan. This means it was an important place, but not the main one. In 1512, Balgray became the main center for the Barony of Polkelly.
The castle was located near the Balgray Mill Burn. As mentioned, the castle was taken down in the 1850s. Its stones were used to build a road. Today, only a mound of earth, measuring about 23 by 16 meters, shows where it once stood. In 1590, a group of pirates caused trouble near Ailsa Craig. To respond, 30 soldiers with early guns, called hagbutters, were sent to guard the castle.
Who Owned Polkelly Castle?
Around 1280, a man named William de Lambristoune witnessed a document about the land of Pokellie. This document showed the land being given from Sir Gilchrist More to Ronald Mure. During the reign of King Alexander III (1241–1286), Sir Gilchrist Mure owned Pokelly. He had to hide there until the King could deal with Sir Walter Cuming. To make peace, Sir Gilchrist married Sir Walter's daughter, Isabella.
In 1399, Sir Adam Mure owned the castle. When he died, it went to his second son. His eldest son received Rowallan Castle. The lands of Limflare and Lowdoune Hill were also part of this inheritance.
The medieval Mure family mainly held Polkelly Castle and its lands. However, Robert Mure of Polkelly died by 1511. His daughter, Margaret, became the only heir. Margaret married Robert Cunningham of Cunninghamhead in March 1512. The stars from the Mure family's coat of arms were added to the Cunningham family's.
After about 50 to 60 years, the Cunningham family sold Polkelly. It was bought by Thomas Cochran of Kilmaronock. In 1699, it passed to his brother, William. Later, David, the first Earl of Glasgow, bought the property. James, Earl of Glasgow, owned it in the 1870s. In the 1860s, the castle was described as "the strong house of Polkelly." Its remains were on a hill north of Muiryet.
In the late 1400s, a Mure from Polkelly worked for the king. He collected royal rents in central Scotland.
Religious Reformers
Helen Chalmers was the wife of Robert Mure of Pokellie. She was tried as a supporter of the Lollards. The Lollards were a group of people who wanted to change the church and its practices in Ayrshire.
The Moor of Machirnock (Glenouther)
There were disagreements between the Cunningham and Mure families. They argued about their rights to graze animals on a very large area of common land. This land was north of Polkelly and was known as Machirnock or Maucharnock, now called Glenouther.
In 1534, a royal letter stated that the Cunninghams did not have full rights to the moor. It was decided that the "souming" would be split between Polkelly and Rowallan. "Souming" meant the number or share of cattle each tenant could keep on the common grazing land.
In 1594, William Mure of Rowallan complained. He said that Polkelly's cattle and geese were grazing too much on the moor. This was despite a legal order, called "lawburrows," from May 20, 1593. This order meant that a person had to promise not to harm another.
It is thought that these arguments did not happen earlier. This is because Polkelly was usually given to younger sons of the Mure family when they married. This came with a specific share of grazing rights on the moor.
The Macharnock River gave its name to the Kilmarnock Water.
Old Maps and Names
Old maps show how Polkelly changed over time. Blaeu's map from the early 1600s shows a tower without many trees around it. Armstrong's map from 1775 shows two buildings called Pockelly, but not as a castle. Pokelly Hall first appears on Thomson's Map in 1832. The 1890 OS map shows Pokelly Castle within a fenced area near the Balgray Mill Burn. It was connected to a network of roads leading to other local places. The name Pathelly Hall was sometimes used for Pokelly Hall in old records.
Cleuche was part of the Barony of Powkellie and is now called Clunch on maps. Dareloch, once Darclavoch, might mean "land of stones." Drumboy was once Drumbuy. It used to belong to the Barony of Strathannan in Lanarkshire.
King James V and the King's Kitchen
There is an old story about King James V. It says that he was traveling to administer justice. He stopped at a small cottage in Stewarton, called "King's Kitchenhead" or Braehead. The woman of the house found out who he was. She begged the King to spare her husband, who was going to be tried by the King. The King let the husband go, telling him to "be a better bairn" (a better child).
One version of the story adds more details. It says that 18 men were held in the dungeon at Polkelly Castle. The King supposedly said that if the husband ever did wrong again, no one could save him.
The "Gallow's Hill of Polkelly" was a known spot. It was marked by a single tree, called a dule tree. Old records say it was a hawthorn tree on the lands of Damhead Farm. This tree was cut down around 1810.
King's Well and Stables
Another story about King James V says he lost his horse in a muddy area near Kingswell. This happened after the horse drank from the King's Well. This story says he was not going to Sorn Castle for a wedding. Instead, he was on his way to Polkelly Castle to administer justice. The place where the King's Stable was is now covered by a building near an old coaching inn.
People Connected to Polkelly
In March 1793, James Dunlop of Polkelly owned Gardrum.
Robert Craufurd of Craufurdland married Elizabeth Muir, the daughter of the Laird of Pokelly, in the 1400s. They had three sons.
After Hugh Muir of Pokelly died, Archibald Craufurd of Craufurdland married his widow. She was the eldest daughter of Archibald Boyd of Narston and Bonshaw. They had two sons and a daughter.
Diana Cunninghame was the only daughter of Sir David Cunninghame of Robertland. Diana married Thomas Cochrane of Polkelly in the mid-1600s. Much of the estate was sold around this time.
A man named David Poe is recorded as being from "Polkelly, a farm bordering Fenwick and Stewarton." This David Poe was an outlaw and a Covenanter from Ayrshire in 1666. He escaped to Ireland and had children there. He is thought to be an ancestor of the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe.
There is another place called Polkelly in South Lanarkshire, near Carstairs.
Images for kids
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Pokelly Hall and Balgray Mill
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Balgray Mill, Farm and the location of Pokelly Hall in the distance
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Hill of Pokelly Farm.
