Ardmillan Castle

Ardmillan castle was a tower house erected by the Kennedy family in the latter parts of the 16th century. It had an unusual ground plan which was undoubtedly the result of alterations, with two projecting round towers facing the north, which was the side of the courtyard. One tower was removed in the 18th century to enable a rectangular pedimented mansion to be join the old buildings and act as a new front – and most of the courtyard was lined with modern buildings at this point. The top of the remaining tower was unusually corbelled in to form a square caphouse, and accessed a wallwalk with open round bartizans. The demolished tower was finished more conventionally. Ardmillan Castle suffered a disastrous fire in 1973 and was left derelict until a decision was made to demolish it in the 1980s, the place itself being sold off in 1977. Following the demolition in 1990, nothing remains of the castle today, and the site is now within a caravan park.

The lands of Ardmillan were part of the barony of Ardstinchar, and were held by Thomas Kennedy, a younger son of the second Earl of Cassillis (and not the Kennedies of Bargany, as is often stated). Two further Thomases followed, c1560 and c1568, and then a third Thomas in 1609. This Thomas was succeeded by his second son Hugh in 1640, but it appears likely that the estate was burdened by debt. A 1657 document records notes of debts upon the estate, and by November 1658 one James Crawford is recorded as holding the lands. A document of December 1655 states that James Crawford of “Baidlane” was married to Marion Kennedy, daughter of Hugh of Ardmillan, and it would therefore seem that either Crawford received the estate in return for assuming its debts – or else inherited it in right of his wife. The Crawfords then remained lairds of Ardmillan into the modern period, and much “improved” the castle with extensions and gardens.

HES Canmore database entry