Photo from Ancestral Castles of Scotland by Hugh Cantlie, 1992 The Front Entrance of Craufurdland Castle

Craufurdland Castle is 3 miles north of Kilmarnock, on the west coast of Scotland. It is in a restored condition.

The 1200's

Craufurdland Castle, near Kilmarnock, is the home of the Houison Craufurds. Their ancestry can be traced back to Sir Reginald de Craufurd, Sheriff of Ayrshire, who established the family fortune by marrying the Loudoun heiress in about 1200. On his death, his estates were divided up among his sons, one of whom, John, became the first Laird of Craufurdland.

Family records related that the third Laird helped his cousin, Sir William Wallace, become arden of Scotland in 1297 and that the seventh Laird fought valiantly against the English in France at the siege of Creyult in 1423, for which he was awarded a knighthood by James I.

The twentieth Laird, John Walkinshaw Crauford never married. His estates eventually went to his aunt, Elizabeth Houison, who united the families of Houison Craufurd, devotes his time to the family firm, which deals in game and smoked products as well as the rearing of guinea fowl.

There was always a very close friendship between the Craufurds of Craufurdland and the Boyd of Kimarnock. There is a delightful legend about this friendship, although probably not true, it is entertaining:

The castle of the Boyds, Dean Castle, was located in Kilmarnock, some 2 miles from Craufurdland. The two castles were connected by an underground passage. The soldiers of Edward I of England lay siege around Dean Castle for three months. When the English soldiers were starting to starve, the inhabitants of Dean Castle hung out fresh beef and offered it to the English, saying they had more food than they could use. In disgust, the English commander raised the siege. The underground passage had been the secret to survival!

Today

As for Craufurdland Castle itself, it has recently been restored to something like its past condition with the help of a grant from the Historic Buildings Council of Scotland.

Written by:
Anne Lindsey Alexander, FSA Scot.
Jill Ray

Sources:
Famous Scottish Houses by Thomas Hannan, 1928; Ancestral Castles of Scotland by Hugh Cantlie, 1992.

Photo from Ancestral Castles of Scotland by Hugh Cantlie, 1992 The Old Tower

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