The name Wallace was spelled in various ways, such as 'Waleys', 'Walensis', 'Walays', etc. The family were the barons of Riccarton and it is said that Wallace's father was born here. Some go so far as to suggest that William Wallace himself was born in Riccarton. After his murder of Selby, Governor of Dundee, William Wallace first sought refuge in Riccarton castle; another time being after he had revenged his uncle's death at the Barns of Ayr.
A little below the watermeetings of the Irvine and the Kilmarnock Water took place a pivotal incident in 1297 which led to the Scottish Nation regaining its independence following what was effectively its conquest by Edward I of England.
Sir William Wallace was fishing on the Irvine at Monksholm also Maxholm farm, about half a mile to the west of old Riccarton castle, when a troop of English soldiers dismounted and demanded that he give up his catch. He offered to share, but this was refused and he was grossly insulted by the soldiers for his temerity. He had no weapons, however he used his fishing rod to disarm one soldier and then killed him with his own sword. He similarly dispatched two others and the remaining soldiers then fled.
He went to his uncle's castle, the nearby Riccarton castle and took
on the disguise of a woman working at her spinning-wheel, thereby eluding the
vengeful English troops. In the following months an uprising slowly gained impetus
through the example of one unarmed Scotsman killing three armed soldiers. A
thorn tree called the "Bickering Bush" stood nearby and its site is marked
on the 1860 OS map and a public house by that name used to stand in Riccarton,
although another still exists in Bonnyton, Kilmarnock.
John Wallace of Riccarton married the heiress of Craigie
castle and this became the principal residence , the old castle being allowed
to fall into ruins. In 1875 all that remained of the castle was some stately
trees, including a pear tree supposedly planted by William Wallace.
Several sites in the Riccarton/Caprington area have been suggested for the location of Riccarton Castle. One possible site is where Riccarton Parish Church now stands, another is Kilmarnock Fire Station in Campbell street (There is a plaque on the wall which acknowledges this) and a third is the farm-house of Yardside.
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