Barony and Castle of Corsehill
The single section of tower wall that remains today (2020) of Corsehill Castle has had extensive consolidation works to stabilise it and this gives it its unusual appearance, accentuated by the existence of a fireplace and aumbry on the eastern side.The proprietor, from an idea that it might fall or be blown over in a storm, very wisely gave orders to have it strengthened; but the mason who executed the work, either from a want of taste, or from ignorance, converted it into the pillar-like object that we can see at present".The proprietor in question was Sir Thomas Montgomery Cunningham of Corsehill whose wife restored the family monument in Kilmaurs's Glencairn Aisle.The lower level appears as possible robbed dressed ashlar from Corsehill House, and the second phase is distinguished by a raised rectangular area, typically intended to emphasise that this is not original work.A number of authors[15][16] have assumed that the surviving remnant of the typical tower castle equates to a distinctive part of Grose's engraving however the thickness at nearly 3 metres and the other features such as the lack of a fire-place and aumbry, of this clearly later building together with map evidence suggests otherwise and in addition the OS map evidence suggests a typical square or oblong tower castle shaped[17] building rather than a relatively unfortified laird's house with relatively thin walls, many doors at ground level, large windows, etc.The footprint of Corshill House as shown by the engraving also seems far too large for the knoll on which the surviving remnant of Old Corsehill Castle still stands.The 1779 map by Crawford does not indisputably show Corsehill as a ruin although by this time the lands of Cocklebie have extended across the once prestigious avenue of trees.[13] He goes on to state that the site was well remembered, the last parts of the building having been removed around 1800 and that a fine avenue of magnificent trees used to run down into Stewarton.Surprisingly only ten years after the estate map was surveyed Grose shows Corsehill House as an abandoned and much robbed ruin.Archibald Adamson[28] in his 'Rambles Round Kilmarnock' of 1875 makes no mention of the name Ravenscraig, calling the site he visited Corsehill.If Dobie[2] is correct, the ruins published as "Corsehill Castle" on the OS 6", must be those of "Reuincraig", both because they are standing remains, and because they are on the west bank of the burn.[31] Traces survive of a much silted up ditch that may be the remains of a track which led from the Stewarton to Dunlop road to the castle and then on to the cattle creep that runs under the railway line giving access to the east side where Corsehill House once stood.[32][33] Adamson on his walking tour in 1875 records that Old Corsehill Castle was never very large and that the surviving portion showed signs of recent repair.[35] This tunnel may be related to the drainage of the nearby, flooded quarry, the Water Plantation area and other Lainshaw estate lands.A remarkable and fortuitous survival is the 'Baron-Court book of the Baron-Court of Corshill', having been in the possession of Mr John Brown of Stewarton and published by the Ayr & Wigton Archaeological Association in 1884.[39] An old thatched cottage at the top end of Stewarton, on the road to Glasgow, had the name of "King's Kitchen Head", more recently called Braehead.The story is told of a King who whilst on his progress of administering justice was given hospitality, for some long forgotten reason, at this cottage.[2] This is a well known local story and one version given by Robert Cunningham in 1740 in his manuscript, entitled the Right Honorable the Earl of Glencairn's family, is that Macbeth murders his cousin, King Duncan I.The king's son, Malcolm Canmore (big head in Gaelic) tries to reach temporary safe refuge in his castle of Corsehill (also Crosshill).The grateful King Malcolm III (1031 to 1093) gave Friskine the thanedom or Baillery of Cunninghame and the family took this name, together with the motto of 'Over Fork Over' which they retain to this day.Timothy Pont in 1604–1608 records that so thickly was the district about Stewarton and along the banks of the Irvine populated for a space of three or four miles (6 km) "that well travelled men in divers parts of Europe (affirm) that they have seen walled cities not so well or near planted with houses so near each other as they are here, wherethrough it is so populous that, at the ringing of a bell in the night for a few hours, there have seen convene 3000 able men, well-horsed and armed.[2] In 1820 only six people were qualified to vote as freeholders in Stewarton Parish, being proprietors of Robertland (Hunter Blair), Kirkhill (Col. J. S. Barns), Kennox (McAlester), Lainshaw (Cunninghame), Lochridge (Stewart) and Corsehill (Montgomery-Cunninghame).
StewartonEast Ayrshiregrid referenceCunninghameBoarlandEarls of GlasgowEarl of GlencairnDoura, PottertonHugh, Earl of EglintonCunninghamLambruchtonDoura HallEarl of GlasgowSkelmorlie CastleRenfrewshireLanarkMayboleKirkmichaelSouth AyrshireVictoria CrossCrimean WarWinchesterMontgomery-Cuninghame of Corsehill BaronetsCunninghamsaumbrySir Thomas Montgomery Cunningham of CorsehillKilmaursGlencairn Aislelands of CocklebieHerman MollCorvus coraxTimothy PontCocklebieLey tunnelLainshaw CastleKingsfordMacbethMalcolm CanmoreHarthacanuteKing Edward the ConfessorDavid RizzioEglinton TournamentEglinton Country ParkmenhirHistoric ScotlandKing Malcolm IIIQueen MargaretEdward the ConfessorSt. MargaretEdinburgh CastleLugtonDunlop, East AyrshireCunninghamheadChapeltounLambroughtonJohn Montgomery-Cuninghame of CorsehillStones of ScotlandHouse of StuartCunninghamhead, Perceton and Annick LodgeThorntoun EstateBarbara GilmourKirkwood Estate, East AyrshireLands of BlacklawPaterson, JamesKilmarnockProvost of the CouncilCumnockDalmellingtonDarvelGalstonMauchlineNew CumnockAuchinleckBellsbankBonnytonCatrineCraigmallochCronberryCrosshouseDalrympleDronganDunlopFenwickGateheadGlenbuckGreenholmHurlfordKnockentiberMoscowMuirkirkNetherthirdNewmilnsOchiltreePolnessanPriestlandRankinstonRiccartonTrabbochWatersideKilmarnock AcademyGrange AcademyRobert Burns AcademySaint Joseph's AcademyStewarton AcademyDoon AcademyLoudoun AcademyLillian JonesElaine StewartWillie CoffeyElena WhithamAuchinleck HouseAiket CastleDalmore House and EstateDick InstitutePalace Theatre, KilmarnockWhitelee Wind FarmDumfries HouseLoch DoonLoudoun CastleKilmaurs PlaceRowallan CastleRugby ParkScottish Industrial Railway CentreSorn CastleStair HouseDean Castle