The Scottish feudal barony of Grougar facts for kids

The Barony of Grougar is a special historical area in northern Ayrshire, Scotland. It's like an old estate that used to be owned by powerful families. This area is part of a district once called Cunninghame.

The first known family to own Grougar were the De Morvilles. They lived there in the 1100s and 1200s, even before Robert the Bruce became king. The De Morvilles came from a place called Morville in France. They moved to England after the Norman Conquest and then to Scotland in the early 1100s. They were given land in Ayrshire. One important De Morville was Hugo de Morville, who was a high-ranking official in Scotland called the Constable.

By the late 1200s, the Logan family became the owners of Grougar. A person named Thorbrand de Logan was the baron of Grougar in 1272. Another Logan, John de Logan, might have been someone who fought against the King of England in 1307 during the Wars of Independence.

The Story of Grougar's Owners

The history of Grougar and its owners can be found in old Scottish records called the Great Seal of Scotland.

Early Owners and Royal Grants

Between 1315 and 1321, Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots, gave the lands of Grougar to Sir Robert Cunningham. Grougar stayed with the Cunningham family for a long time.

Then, in 1479, King King James III gave Grougar to Sir Robert Logan. This meant Grougar went back to the Logan family, who were an old and important family in Ayrshire.

The Logan Family Returns

The Logans owned Grougar until the late 1500s. The main part of their family lived near Edinburgh. A very famous Logan was Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig. He married Katherine Stewart, who was the daughter of King Robert II of Scotland. In 1400, Sir Robert Logan became the Admiral of Scotland, which was a very important naval role.

Later, in 1490, King James IV gave the lands of Grougar to Sir John Logan. Then, in 1540, King James V gave the lands and barony of Grougar to Robert Logan, the son of Sir Robert Logan. This shows how the ownership passed down through the family.

The Graham Family Takes Over

By the late 1500s, a different family, the Grahams, owned Grougar. The Grahams also came from an Anglo-Norman background and settled in Scotland in the early 1100s during the time of King David I of Scotland.

In 1581, King James VI confirmed that Robert Graham owned some land within Grougar. Ten years later, in 1591, King James VI gave the entire barony of Grougar to John Graham of Knockdolian and his wife.

When John Graham died, Grougar went to his brother, Robert Graham. Records show that Robert Graham became the owner of Grougar in 1606.

The Campbells and Boyds

The Grahams did not own Grougar for very long. In 1613, the barony was given to a branch of the Clan Campbell. This was led by Sir Hugh Campbell, who was the first Lord Loudoun. He was also the Sheriff of Ayr and an important advisor to the king.

However, Lord Loudoun's ownership of Grougar was also very short. Within three years, it was given to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. In 1616, King James VI gave Grougar to Robert, Lord Boyd.

Robert Boyd, 7th Lord Boyd, was born in 1595. He died in 1628. His son, Robert Boyd, 8th Lord Boyd, was born in 1618. He was a local judge and signed the Scottish Covenant in 1638. He died in 1640 without children, so his lands went to his uncle, James Boyd.

James Boyd, 9th Lord Boyd, was born around 1600. He supported the King during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1638–1651). He died in 1654, leaving a son named William.

The Earls of Kilmarnock

In 1655, William, the 10th Lord Boyd, became the owner of Grougar. King Charles II made him the Earl of Kilmarnock in 1661. William was an important person, serving as a tax commissioner and a judge. He had five sons and three daughters. His son, also named William, took over when he died in 1692.

The next owner was William, the 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock. He supported the union of Scotland with England in 1707. He also raised 500 men to fight against the Jacobites in 1715. He died in 1717, and his son William became the next Earl.

William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, was a leader of the Freemasons in Scotland. Unlike his father, he supported Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause. He fought as a General in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He was captured and later executed in London.

After the Jacobite Rebellion

Because the 4th Earl of Kilmarnock fought against the King, his titles and lands, including Grougar, were taken by the Crown in 1748. This was a punishment for treason.

His son, James, Lord Boyd, had fought for King George at the Battle of Culloden. He managed to get some of the family's lands back, but he sold them in 1758.

The lands of many Jacobite supporters were sold off. One person who bought land was Sir George Colebrooke.

New Owners and Modern Times

Sir George Colebrooke, born in 1729, was a very rich banker and a member of Parliament. He was also involved in buying and selling land in many places, including Scotland. Around 1777, Grougar was likely sold to William Blane. In 1770, Grougar was valued at a lot of money. Both Sir George Colebrooke and William Blane rented out the farmlands within Grougar to tenant farmers.

The Blane family owned Grougar for almost 100 years. A later William Blane bought even more land in the 1820s and 1830s. By 1845, William Blane of Grougar was one of the main landowners in the area. In 1881, the Blane family sold Grougar.

Grougar was then sold to John White of Ardarroch. He was known as John White of Grougar and Ardarroch. He owned Grougar until 1904, when it was sold to William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland.

In 1918, the Duke of Portland signed a document about the Barony of Grougar. Later, Professor David Ian McLean bought the barony. In 2015, the Barony was given to his daughter, Dr. Lianne Jennifer McLean, when she got married.