Barony of Aiket


Aiket Castle, East Ayrshire

The Barony of Aiket was in the old feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton in what is now East Ayrshire, Scotland.

The history of Barr Hill and Aiket castle

Barr Hill, near Aiket Castle (Ackett in 1775) had two beautiful small monuments on its top until the early 1800s. These structures were well built, with lime cemented stones and stood twelve feet high. Aiket Castle itself was a square tower typical of the residences of the lesser barons, originally surrounded by a moat. A Justice Hill stood near to the castle. The name is derived from 'Oak Wood'. The family were descended from the Cunninghames of Bedland, who were cadets of the family of Glencairn[1].

Alexander Cunninghame is the first recorded as living at Aiket. Robert Cunninghame seems to have been a very undesirable individual, killing Sir John Mure of Caldwell and his own wife attempted to poison him. He was implicated in the murder of the Earl of Eglinton, had all his property forfeited and was eventually shot dead on his own doorstep[2].

Robert Cunninghame's wife complained bitterly when the estate was eventually returned in ruinous condition. James Cunninghame was closely involved with the Darien scheme and accompanied the first expedition. On his return he was an armed opponent of the 1707 Union Of Parliaments. He lost so much on his various activities that he was forced to sell his estates.

The murder of the 4th Earl of Eglinton

Three Aiket daughters were married to participants in the tale of the murder of Hugh, Earl of Eglinton; two to Cunninghames and one, Lady Margaret, to a Montgomerie. In 1564 Cunninghame of Aicket (sic) is referred to as the 'Larde of Halkhede.'[3] In the 18th-century the Dunlops made the castle more fashionable by cutting off the tower and regularising the windows. A disastrous fire in 1957 left the castle with only two vaults and three walls standing, however Robert and Katrina Clow restored the building in the mid-seventies.[4]

The Spectral Knight of Hessilhead and the Bride of Aiket


Hessilhead (Hasil head) castle in 1876.

Anna Cunninghame of Aiket was pledged to marry her true love, Henry Montgomerie of Hessilhead. They were to marry upon his return from the crusades, however Allan Lockhart, son of a neighbouring Baron began to pay increasingly frequent visits to the inmates of Aiket Castle. His courtship was in vain and he would have no success unless the Crusades were to claim Henry. After many more months had passed Allan decided to used trickery and eventually persuaded a footsoldier recently returned from the Crusades to tell the false tale of the death of Henry Montgomerie. The ruse was carried off with success and after a short while Allan pressed his attentions again and the marriage day was set. On that very day Henry returned to Hessilhead castle and discovered the treacherous act, however he fell from his horse on his way to claim his bride and died within minutes.

At twelve o'clock midnight the wedding feast was halted abruptly by the figure of the fully armour clad Neil Montgomerie striding into Aiket Castle hall, lifting up the Lady Anna and then vanishing into the night. Neither soldier nor bride were ever found.[5] The Lockhart, Loccard or Lockhard family are believed to have been the first owners of the Barony of Kilmarnock. Symington is named after a Flemish knight, Simon Loccard.

"For there, by Glazert's lonely stream,
A lovely maiden swore
to be my bride, when I returned
Again to Scotia's shore."[6]

This hill, its name meaning the 'Bracken Crag'[7], lies about a mile and a half from Dunlop. It is said to be the site of the death of one of the Cunninghames of Aiket, killed by a Montgomerie during the times of the feuds between these families. The area is now known as the 'Brechna Braes.'

References

  1. ^ Dobie, James D. (ed Dobie, J.S.) (1876). Cunninghame, Topographized by Timothy Pont 1604–1608, with continuations and illustrative notices. Pub. John Tweed, Glasgow.
  2. ^ Bayne, John F. (1935). Dunlop Parish - A History of Church, Parish, and Nobility. Pub. T.& A. Constable, Pps. 10 - 16.
  3. ^ Rollie, James (1980). "The invasion of Ayrshire. A Background to the County Families". Pub. Famedram. P. 83.
  4. ^ Dunlop Ancient & Modern. An Exhibition. March 1998. Editor. Dugald Campbell. P.17.
  5. ^ Robertson, William (1889) Historical Tales and Legends of Ayrshire. Pub. Hamilton, Adams & Co. P. 340 - 357.
  6. ^ MacIntosh, John (1894). Ayrshire Nights Entertainments: A Descriptive Guide to the History, Traditions, Antiquities, etc. of the County of Ayr. Pub. Kilmarnock. P. 301.
  7. ^ Warrack, Alexander (1982). "Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. ISBN 0-550-11801-2.

Most of Wikipedia's text and many of its images are licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-SA)

Return to Main Index