page_title: Polkelly Castle
section_title: Moor of Machirnock (Glenouther)
hierarchical_section_title: Polkelly Castle / Moor of Machirnock (Glenouther)
caption_attribution_description: English: Balgray Mill Balgray Mill Farm in the right foreground, with Pokelly Hall among the trees to the left of the farm.
context_page_description: Polkelly Castle, also Pokelly, was an ancient castle located near Fenwick, at NS 4568 4524, in the medieval free Barony of Polkelly, lying north of Kilmarnock, Parish of Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle is recorded as Powkelly, Pockelly, Pow-Kaillie, Ponekell, Polnekel, Pollockelly, Pollockellie, Pokellie, Pothelly, Pathelly Ha' and Polkelly. The name is given circa 1564 as Powkellie when it was held by the Cunninghams of Cunninghamhead.
context_section_description: Tensions arose between the Cunninghams and Mures over their rights regarding grazing, etc on the very large and valuable area of common grazing to the north of Polkelly known as Machirnock or Maucharnock, now Glenouther. A royal letter of 1534 states that the Cunninghams had not been invested in the moor and it was decided that the souming was split between Polkelly and Rowallan. The souming was the number or proportion of cattle which each tenant was entitled to keep on the common grazing. In 1594 William Mure of Rowallan complained of the excess of Polkelly's grazing cattle and geese on the moor, despite having obtained a caution of lawburrows on May 20, 1593. Lawburrows was a letter in the monarch's name under the signet seal to the effect that a particular person had shown cause to dread harm from another, and that therefore this other complained of was commanded to find "sufficient caution and surety" that the complainer would be free from any violence on his part.
  It is suggested that tensions had not arisen earlier as previously Polkelly was passed to younger sons of the Mures upon their marriage and this came with an allocation of rights on the moor.
  Dobie records that the Macharnock River gave rise to the name of the Kilmarnock Water. He also states that the site of a battle between the Douglas and De Mowbray families :
caption: Balgray Mill, Farm and the location of Pokelly Hall in the distance
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