Skelmorlie Castle Skelmorlie Castle is a castle in North Ayrshire , to the south of the village of Skelmorlie , on the Firth of Clyde , Scotland . The castle was formerly the seat and stronghold of the Montgomery Clan . History . The name is given as ' North Skelmoirluy ' on Robert Gordon ' s map of 1636 - 52 ; ' Skelmurly ' on John Adair ' s map of 1685 ; and ' Skelmorly ' on William Roy ' s map of 1745 - 47 . The origin of the name may be ' shelter leeside of the great rock ' and ' Skel - ' may be equivalent to ' Skeir ' and ' Skerries . ' The Cunninghame family . During the reign of Robert III ( 1390 – 1406 ) the lands of Skelmorlie were held by the Cunninghames of Kilmaurs ; in about 1460 the northern portion passed into the hands of the Montgomeries as Skelmorlie - Montgomerie , the remainder continuing as Skelmorlie - Cunninghame . Anne , sister of Alexander de Montgomerie married a Cunninghame of Kilmaurs and this may explain the division of the lands . The Montgomerie family . The Lairds or Barons . On 6 June 1461 Sir Alexander de Montgomerie of Ardrossan , the first Lord Montgomerie , granted the lands of Skelmorlie to his second son by Margaret Boyd ( daughter of Sir Thomas Boyd of Kilmarnock ) , George , thereby was the founder of the cadet branch , the Montgomeries of Skelmorlie . George was also granted the lands of Lochliboside , Hartfield , and Colpy in the Barony of Renfrew . Another view is that Skelmorlie Castle was built by a brother of Hugh , the first Earl of Eglinton . This Hugh was the son of the second Lord Montgomerie and the grandson of the first Lord Montgomerie . John was the second laird and he married Marion Dalzel , by whom he had a son , Cuthbert , the third laird . Cuthbert married Elizabeth , daughter of Patrick Houston of that Ilk and their eldest son George became the fourth laird . George married Lady Catherine Montgomerie , youngest daughter of Hugh , first Earl of Eglinton . They had a large family and the eldest , Thomas , became the fifth laird . Thomas died in 1566 and his brother Robert inherited Skelmorlie , as well as Lochransay , Synnock , and Lochliboside . Robert Montgomerie , seventh laird , was knighted by James VI and in 1628 created a baronet by Charles I . He was the son of another Robert ; his mother was Dorothy , daughter of Lord Sempill . This Sir Robert married Margaret , daughter of Sir William Douglas of Drumlanrig . The sixth laird , Robert , murdered Alexander Cunninghame , commendator of Kilwinning Abbey at his castle and palace of Montgreenan in 1586 , following the murder , by the Cunninghames , of the fourth Earl of Eglinton . The elder Sir Robert and his eldest son where in revenge killed by Patrick Maxwell of Newark Glasgow . The Baronets . Sir Robert , the seventh laird and first baronet , was one day discovered by Patrick Maxwell in Newark Castle ; presumably also bent on revenge for his father and brother . Patrick is recorded as saying " Come down Robin , out o ' that corner , come down , man , to me , who did you so good a turn as to make you young laird and auld laird o ' Skelmorlie in one day . " Patrick and Sir Robert in fact became friends . Sir Robert married Margaret , daughter of Sir William Douglas of Drumlanrig . She was a famous beauty and the subject of ballads by Alexander Montgomerie of Hessilhead . The third baronet and ninth laird , Sir Robert , married Antonia , co - heiress of Sir James Scott of Rossie in Fife , by whom he had four sons and four daughters . This lady was an ardent covenanter and her husband was repeatedly fined for her attendance at conventicles . Robert died in 1685 and was succeeded by his son James . They had seven sons and four daughters . Sir James , fourth baronet and tenth laird , was a member of the 1689 Parliament and Convention , like his father Robert . It is recorded that his mother wrote in 1684 , severely chastising him for not providing for her and her four fatherless children . He was one of those chosen to administer the oath ( the offer of the Crown ) to King William and Queen Mary in London . He was dissatisfied with his reward of Lord Justice - Clerk and become a supporter of the deposed King James II , joining him at St Germains in France ; despite this support Sir James , a Protestant , was not fully welcome by the Catholic King James and despite a promise to create him Earl of Ayr , he died , of ' vexation ' , in September 1694 in London . He had married Lady Margaret Johnston , daughter of a co - conspirator , the Earl of Annandale They had two sons , Robert the elder and William . The Lord Provost of Glasgow , Hugh Montgomerie of Busbie , purchased the estate from the fourth baronet ; taking possession in 1731 and inheriting the title as 6th baronet and eleventh laird . In 1687 he married Lilias Gemmel , daughter of Peter Gemmel , merchant in Glasgow and Christian Boyd his wife . Hugh was one of the commissioners appointed to negogiate the union with England , serving as a member of Scotland ' s last parliament . He was appointed to the first parliament of the United Kingdom as the representative for Glasgow . Hugh died in 1735 without issue and being the last direct descendant , the title became extinct . The Skelmorlie estate passed to the 4th baron ' s daughter , Lilias , who married Alexander Montgomerie of Coilsfield . Lilias ' s son Hugh became the 12th Earl of Eglinton and his brother held the property of Annick Lodge . Lilias had five sons and three daughters and died in 1783 , a few weeks before her husband . She sold her lands in Renfrewshire and purchased lands contiguous with Skelmorlie . Heraldry . Arms - Montgomerie of Skelmorlie are the combined arms of Montgomerie ( quarterly , first and fourth on blue , with three fleur de lis in gold ) and Eglinton ( quarterly , second and third on red , three gold rings with each with a gem stone . A white sword , point downwards , in the middle of the quarters . ) Crest - a heart with an eye over it . Motto - Tout bien ou rein ( everything well ( done ) or nothing ( attempted ) ) Skelmorlie Aisle . The ornate tomb in the Skelmorlie Aisle at Largs was built by Sir Robert Montgomerie of Skelmorlie , as a resting place and memorial to his beautiful wife Margaret Douglas , killed in a riding accident ; kicked by her horse , following a fall in public at the Colm Fair . Her presence was said to haunt Skelmorlie Castle , but reputedly the presence left after the fire of 1959 . Sir Robert is also interred at the aisle in a lead coffin . A third coffin within the tomb is said to be that of Sir Hugh Montgomerie of Eaglesham , a hero of the Battle of Otterburn . Sir Robert is said to have carried out many acts of charity and mortification of his person following a change of character following his wife ' s death . He spent many nights praying for his salvation in the vault . His lead coffin carries the inscription ( translated from the Latin ) - " I was dead before myself ; I anticipated my proper funeral ; alone , of all mortals , following the example of Caesar . " This Caesar was Charles V who had his obsequies carried out before his death . This unusual inscriptions may be explained by his habit of praying alone in the burial vault for excessively long periods of time , as if he was already ' dead ' and occupying his tomb . A story is told of a local warlock bringing the Devil along with him to do a mischief to Sir Robert , however the laird was deep in prayer as usual and the Devil was forced to give up on his evil intent . A stylised view of Skelmorlie Castle is seen in one of the painted panels on the ceiling of the aisle . The castle and grounds . The original Skelmorlie Castle may have stood on a motte which is situated in a defensive position on a promontory on ground lying between a small burn and the Skelmorlie Water at NS 213 660 . The oldest portion of the present day castle was built in 1502 and added to in 1636 , when corbelling and parapets were removed , whilst angle turrets , later roofed , were added . Timothy Pont in his survey of Cunninghame around the year 1600 describes Skelmorlie Castle as " " a fair well built house . It is certainly , in point of situation , a very pleasant and most delightful place , with its old - fashioned gardens , terrace and shrubbery . The view from it over the Firth of Clyde , to the opposite islands of Bute , Arran and Cumbraes , is not to be surpassed in picturesque scenery by any prospect in Britain " " . The baronial hall was on the first floor and as a more modern day dining room it had the Montgomerie coat of arms on the roof with the date 1762 . The castle chapel , converted in the 19th century to stables and servants ' quarters , still stands at the western side of the southern courtyard . Sir Robert ' s 17th range survives in part . Skelmorlie tower is very similar in dimensions and internal arrangements to those towers at Little Cumbrae , Fairlie , and Law . The grounds in the early 19th century are described as " " beautifully laid out , and covered with rich and luxuriant woods . The principal disadvantage of this fine old mansion , as a modern residence , is certainly the difficulty of ascent to it , from the steepness of the hill on which it stands ; but otherwise an agreeable , nay , delightful summer retreat . " " In the 1855 OS survey a bowling green and a sundial , possibly a Scottish sundial , are shown . The old baronial mill still exists in the name ' Milnburn ' close to the Skelmorlie Water and Skelmorlie Mains is marked . The silhouette of the keep has remained largely unchanged for over five centuries . This red sandstone rubble construction was rough - cast harled in the early 1960s following a fire in 1959 , which burnt out the upper floors of the keep and of the west wing . The wing was demolished and the keep restored ; the architects were Noad and Wallace of Glasgow . Historic Scotland listed the Castle ( comprising the original Keep and attached Victorian wing ) , and the adjoining courtyard buildings to the South ( 17th Century Turret House & former Chapel , and Victorian Mews ) as " Category B " in 1971 . Occupants since the 19th century . Major - General James Montgomerie , of Wrighthill , M . P . for Ayrshire lived at the castle for a long period in the early 19th century , being the brother of the 12th earl and grand - uncle to the 13th earl . During this time the castle remained as a little altered , but run down example of a tower castle . The castle was tenanted during the period 1852 to 1890 by John Graham ( 1797 - 1886 ) of Glasgow , a textile and Port wine merchant ( W . & J . Graham & Co . of Oporto established 1820 ) , who was also a great patron of the Arts with an outstanding collection . He rebuilt the castle in 1856 by restoring the old tower at his own expense , and adding the mansion house which joined two old buildings , with the permission of the Earl of Eglinton . His architect was William Railton of Kilmarnock . The 16th Earl of Eglinton moved here from the abandoned Eglinton Castle Montgomerie family seat in the mid - 1920s , but it was sold by the 18th Earl of Eglinton , having been leased to the Wilson family since 1956 . The 16th Earl died at Skelmorlie Castle in 1945 . The castle became the property of the Wilson family in the mid - 1970s , also the owners of the meat canning factory at Eglinton Castle , Kilwinning . The castle was advertised for sale in 2007 and passed to new private owners in the summer of 2009 . Archaeology . The RCAHMS record that a stone axe , about inches long , was found in a field at Skelmorlie ( NS 19 67 ) and is now preserved in the Hunterian Museum , Glasgow . A ' Judge ' s Mound ' , a possible Moot hill existed at the top of the Shaw Glen . The Serpent Mound . Near to the castle at Meigle is a 100 foot high artificial mound , said to have been the site of Sun and serpent worship . A Dr Phenè discovered this structure and excavations revealed a paved platform shaped like a segment of a circle , together with many bones and charcoal . The mound itself may well be entirely natural , however the paved platform is a genuine artifact ; it is not listed by the relevant authorities . Micro - history . In 1666 the feu duties payable on the lands of Ormescheoch ( Armsheugh ) held by the Laird of Skelmorlie were £00 16s 08d .