Terringzean Castle , East Ayrshire Terringzean Castle , also Taringzean , pronounced ' Tringan ' , is a Category B listed castle ruin lying above the River Lugar and the Terringzean Holm in the policies of Dumfries House , Parish of Cumnock , Scotland . The name Craufordstone or Craufurdstoun , has also been used , echoing that it and these lands originally belonged to the Crawfords , as did Leifnorris or Lochnorris Castle which stood on the site of what is now Dumfries House . History . The knoll on which Terringzean Castle stands was covered with hawthorn trees in the 1890s . The spelling of the castle site has many variations , such as ' Trarizeane ' , ' Trarinyean ' , ' Terrinzeane ' , ' Terringane ' , ' Trarynyane ' , ' Terrynyene ' , ' Torrinzeane ' , etc . Castle structure and aspect . Terringzean Castle occupies the summit of a high , steep bank overlooking the Lugar Water and the Terringzean Holm ; a dry moat ending at the steep natural haughs or slopes , is still clearly visible as a protective measure against approach from the level ground to the south - east and south - west . The moat ' s appearance is mainly due to the excavations carried out by the 3rd Lord Bute in the 1890s . The small , irregular , octangular 14th century vaulted tower has a splayed base and is constructed of courses of square ashlar masonry , 6 m ( 20 ft ) high , with walls 2 . 0m thick , is the earliest part of the structure , together with the wide wall at the north - west . The tower was vaulted , with three ribs , and an entrance from the courtyard via a narrow passage leading to a partly surviving wheel - stair . The remains of outbuildings lie to the north and a well was recorded within the keep ; a sizeable courtyard lay within the complex . The remains have seen some restoration and the lines of excavation trenches are apparent . The whereabouts of the records of the late 19th century excavations is not known for certain . The ruins suggest a ' castle of enciente ' like Loch Doon Castle with a massive walled enclosure . A medieval hall house existed before this walled enclosure , possibly of a 13th century date , indicating that an even earlier fortification may have been present . MacGibbon and Ross saw similarities between the tower of Terringzean and that of Mugdock Castle . The Lairds of Terringzean . The Craufurds . The earliest known reference to Terringzean dates from the " Exchequer Rolls ' in 1438 , making however no mention of the castle , when £14 Scots was paid in tax from the lands to support the royal household . The Barony , castle and lands of Terringzean have a complex history of possession , with the Craufurds , also Crawfurd , being the first recorded . This family had an armorial bearing of a Stag ' s Head and may have been descended therefore from the Craufurds of Dalmagregan . They also and separately held Lefnoreis Castle , now the location of Dumfries House with only the dovecot surviving from the old castle . The family had ceased to hold Terringzean by 1467 , the lands having passed to Thomas Boyd , Earl of Arran . At this time it is referred to as ' Craufuirdstone , alias Terringzeane ' The Terringzean Craufurds were relatives of Sir William Wallace ' s mother . Boyds . Thomas Boyd , Earl of Arran fell out of favour with King James III , despite his having been married to Princess Mary , the King ' s sister . The lands passed to the King due to this forfeiture in 1469 , these lands were to belong to the first born princes of the Kings of Scotland . In 1488 one Thomas Turnbull was granted the castle in recognition of his " good services at Blackness in 1488 . " Ramsays . In 1488 Sir John Ramsay de Trarinzeane ( sic ) held the life - rent of the castle and lands . He sat in parliament and was a great friend of King James III , spared however when the nobles executed the friends of the king at the ' Raid of Lauder ' . He was once Lord of Bothwell and was the ancestor of the Balmain family . William Ramsay of Balmain was granted the lands in 1534 . Campbells . In 1546 , Hugh Campbell , Earl of Loudoun held the lands upon their resignation by one John Campbell of Bruntswood . Hugh Campbell held them in 1587 and may have represented a cadet line of the Campbells of Loudoun . In 1621 Sir John Campbell and his wife Margaret Campbell acquired the lands from his wife ' s father , the Master of Loudoun . Crichton - Stuarts . The Crichton - Stuarts , Earls of Dumfries acquired these lands and the castles of Craufuirdstone and Lochnorris from the Campbells of Loudoun in the person of Sir Matthew Campbell , father - in - law , who sold the lands to Lord Dumfries in 1696 . The Earl of Loudoun still holds the subsidiary title of Lord Taringzean . Other lairds . Other holders were Hugh Montgomerie of Bridgend in 1647 ; in 1666 , James Reid , merchant burgess of Edinburgh ; in 1691 , Sir George Campbell of Cessnock ; in 1692 , Sir James Carmichael , Bart . , as heir of Sir James Carmichael of Bonington ; in 1696 , John , Viscount Stair and then the Earls of Dumfries , who became the Marquis of Bute . Present day . In 2007 a consortium , led by HRH The Prince of Wales , including various heritage charities and the Scottish Government , purchased from the 7th Marquis , Dumfries House , along with its roughly 2 , 000 - acre ( 8 . 1 km2 ) estate ) . Micro - history . In 1587 Hew Campbell of Terringane ( sic ) and others were appointed by parliament to ' visie ' or inspect the bridges at Irvine and Ayr ; in 1595 he was appointed to inspect the port and harbour of Irvine . A ' Torringan ' is marked on William Roy ' s map of 1747 - 55 , together with nearby woodlands , all situated near the extensive landscaping of the lands of ' Liffnoris ' . Armstrong ' s map of 1775 shows the site of Terringzean Castle as a ruin . ' The Avenue ' was an entrance to Dumfries House which ran past Terringzean Castle from Cumnock .