The Montgomeries of Eglinton
Eglinton Estate and Castle was once the home to the Montgomeries of Eglinton, who were the Earls of Eglinton, and for nearly 800 years they were one of the most powerful families in Scotland.
An ancient family of Norman descent, the Montgomeries came to Britain during the 11th century, where they took an active part in the politics and wars that afflicted Scotland over the centuries.
The first Montgomerie in Britain was Roger who fought alongside William the Conqueror in 1066 and gained large amounts of land as a reward. In the middle of the 12th century, Walter the High Steward of Scotland, brought Robert Montgomerie to Scotland and endowed him with land at Eaglesham.
One of his descendants, John de Montgomerie, married Elizabeth Eglinton daughter of Hugh de Eglintoune and inherited the Eglinton and Ardrossan estates, following his death in 1380.The Montgomeries gained the titles Lord Montgomerie about 1448 and Earl of Eglinton in 1507.
Hugh, 3rd Earl, remained Catholic after the Reformation in 1560 and allied himself with Mary Queen of Scots. She visited him at Eglinton Castle in 1563 and he fought alongside her at the Battle of Langside in 1568. Hugh was murdered in 1586 when he was shot by a party of Cunninghames, during their century-long feud with the Montgomeries,
The 10th Earl, Alexander was also murdered. Alexander was shot and mortally wounded on the beach near his stables at Parkhouse on his own estate of Ardrossan by a Mungo Campbell excise officer on 24 October 1769 following a dispute about poaching and the latter’s right to bear arms on the earl’s grounds.
Some, however, had more pleasant claims to fame. Archibald, the 11th Earl, helped finance Robert Burns with his Kilmarnock and Edinburgh publications of his poetry in 1786 and 1787, and his namesake, Archibald, the 13th Earl will of course always be remembered as the Tournament Earl.
Castle
The 16th century was racked with feuds between Ayrshire’s principal landowning families which on occasion erupted into bouts of open warfare. In the autumn of 1526 William Cunninghame, Earl of Glencairn, and his men set fire to Eglinton Castle. As they approached the castle they set fire to the fields and homes of the farmers and peasants who fled in fear of their lives. Word was sent to the Earl of Eglinton who sent his wife and family, along with as many of his retainers (soldiers) as possible to the safety of Ardrossan Castle, from where he could see the smoke rising from the burning castle.
Soon afterwards the castle was restored. In 1729 architect William Adam rebuilt the east side of the castle and added a kitchen and back court.
In 1796, Hugh the 12th Earl employed architect John Paterson, who was a pupil of Robert Adam, to design a large, imposing building. He had the old castle knocked down and replaced by a huge castellated mansion which was completed in 1802. The foundation stone was laid by Alexander Hamilton of Grange, grandfather of the American hero, Alexander Hamilton. It was second only to Culzean in appearance, and supposedly had 365 windows.
In addition to the gardens and woodland, the estate also had two curling ponds, a cricket ground and pavilion. The estate also had an ice house, game and venison larders and Doocots.
In 1923 the Kilmarnock Standard reported that Eglinton Castle “is one of the largest and finest in Ayrshire” and noted that it was “not occupied in the meantime.” The gardens too, were noted as “well worthy of description, although they are not receiving the attention which at one time was lavished upon them” This was, in fact, almost the eve of disaster for, in December 1925, the Montgomerie family vacated the castle forever and its roof was subsequently removed: the financial disaster, which had hung over the family for generations, finally engulfed them in the period immediately after the Great War.
Eglinton Estate
This land has been the home of the Montgomeries and the Eglintons before them for many centuries. It was described in the early years of the 17th century as a “fair an strong ancient house with well planted gardens, orchards and parks.”
Time and time again, the land suffered from the family’s constant involvement in local feuds and national conflicts and during the 17th century the land was both neglected by the Earls and ravaged by their enemies.
From the latter part of the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the Eglinton estate was developed and improved. The period around 1800 was the heyday of Eglinton, when the estate was in its prime. Improvements had produced a landscape of woodlands and grasslands surrounded by small, efficient farms, and at its heart stood a monumental castle.
Industry
The Eglinton Estate was improved throughout the 18th century. The most important and influential efforts in modernising agriculture were those of the 10th Earl. The best dairy farming was to be found at Eglinton.
Agricultural methods advanced throughout the 19th century, requiring fewer and fewer workers. This destroyed communities with many being forced to leave the countryside to find work.
The profits from coal were so attractive that the 13th Earl opened a mine in the heart of the estate. Coalmines and railways had been established within the estate itself with mineral railways carrying coal from the estate to Ardrossan Harbour. Traces of these lines can be found within the Country Park.
The development of the Eglinton Ironworks brought further expansion. At the heart of the heavy industries in Scotland were the blast furnaces that made its iron. At their peak, the Eglinton Ironworks produced upwards of 100,000 tons a year. The chimneys and blast furnaces towered over the farmland south of Kilwinning and the surrounding countryside.
Much of the iron produced was exported from Ardrossan Harbour, built by the 12th Earl and was planned in conjunction with a canal running from Ardrossan to Glasgow. However, by 1819, the funds for the canal had run out and construction was stopped.
For several decades Eglinton Iron Company was the largest employer in the area. Its closure in 1924 was devastating, leaving hundreds of locals unemployed.
A year later, in 1925, they were joined by the staff from the Castle itself.
The Eglinton Tournament
The Tournament Earl
The Eglinton Estate is perhaps best known for its lavish, ill fated Eglinton Tournament, organised by the 13th Earl, who became known as The Tournament Earl.
Archibald William was born on 29th September 1812 and after the death of his father in 1819, became the 13th Earl when he was only 7 years old. He was brought up at Eglinton by his aunt, Lady Jane Montgomerie. He was thoroughly spoilt and continually demanded funds from the estate. He was keenly interested in politics, history, sports and modernisation. He became actively involved in politics and was a Conservative whip in the House of Lords. Amongst his achievements he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord-Lieutenant of Ayrshire, Lord-Rector of Glasgow University, Privy Councillor and Knight of the Thistle.
It was his love of sport, combined with his nobility that brought about the Eglinton Tournament. He donated many trophies to sports associations, some of which are still played for today, such as the Eglinton Jug for bowling.
Archibald was also one of the committee members of Prestwick Golf Club that introduced the world to one of its biggest sports – Open Golf – in 1861.
Archibald died in 1861 after becoming ill while playing golf at St. Andrews. His coffin was placed in the family vault inside the Abbey Church in Kilwinning. He was the last earl to be interred there.
The Prelude to the Eglinton Tournament
The aristocrats in Britain were upset by Queen Victoria’s Coronation, which was perceived by them to have been ‘penny-pinching’ and they felt robbed of the opulent occasions that previous coronations had been.
They wanted a spectacular event and Archibald Montgomerie, the 13th Earl of Eglinton, decided that he should be the one to provide it in the form of a medieval style tournament and banquet. He chose a low lying area in a bend of the Lugton River near Eglinton castle as the ground for the tournament and announced that it would be open to the public and free of charge. This event was to be one of the most lavish events of 1839 and competitors were to include important people from all over Europe.
Invitations were sent out to prospective competitors and 150 interested parties showed interest. However, when they realised how expensive it would be to get armour made, many dropped out, and only 13 took part in the end. In July 1839 the knights convened in London with their armour, horses and weapons at the ready and rehearsed for the event. The date of the 28th of August was chosen as tournament day.
Newspapers all over Europe were writing about the prospect of the event and excitement and interest grew to enormous levels.
The Tournament
It cost a huge amount of money to stage a tournament and only the wealthiest men could afford to do it.
The expense and extent of the preparations became news throughout Scotland, and the railway was even opened in advance of its official opening to ferry guests to Eglinton. This large influx of visitors overwhelmed North Ayrshire. The majority of the principal guests were accommodated at the castle, but the majority had to find a bed wherever they could. Tourist accommodation at that time was limited with the Eglinton Arms Hotel in Irvine and the Eglinton Arms Hotel in Ardrossan both fully booked weeks in advance. However, the people from the surrounding towns and villages were quite accommodating and almost every house and cottage was filled with paying guests.
Tournament Day
Wednesday 28th August dawned and people were arriving at the Eglinton estate in far larger numbers than expected. They had been expecting a crowd of around 4,000, but in reality the figure trying to get there was almost 100,000.Roads were gridlocked, the new trains were crammed full and the railway companies were cashing in by charging 3 times their usual rate.
The parade of knights began three hours later than planned and then dark clouds gathered bringing thunder, lightning and rain. The rain fell hard and soon everything was wet and muddy, the soggy spectators were scrabbling for shelter and the knights and ladies and their expensive costumes were sodden.
The jousting commenced and the knights battled bravely. The Earl of Eglinton, in his gilded armour, was the star of the show. However, as there was no relief from the rain, the event had to be suspended. The great banquet was postponed too as the temporary banqueting hall had collapsed. It was a disaster!
No activities whatsoever could take place the following day, as there was still too much damage. On the Friday however, the weather improved and the knights were able to joust and have their melee, where they scored points by removing the crests from their opponents’ helmets with their swords. The Earl of Eglinton and his guests had their banquet and ball afterwards, although the medieval feast prepared was not to everyone’s taste. Someone said the peacock pie was so tough that it must have been made from a knight’s armour!
The Eglinton Trophy
Following the amazing Gothic adventure that was the Eglinton Tournament, 239 of the Earl of Eglinton’s friends marked their gratitude to him by subscribing to have a piece of ‘plate’ created.
The impressive silver trophy, designed by the artist Edmund Cotterill and created by London silversmiths R & S Garrard , was completed and presented to Archibald in 1843. It stands about 4 feet 8 inches (140cm) high and sits atop a wide crenelated base. The sculpture depicts heraldry, scenes and characters from the event, including the Queen of Beauty placing a wreath on the brow of the Lord of the Tournament. It is a truly fantastic tribute to the tournament, and was recognised as the most important piece of silverware in Scotland at the time of its presentation.
Its position as an important piece is still appreciated today. In 2014 a loan request by Yale Centre for British Art in Connecticut, was agreed and the trophy was displayed as part of their “Sculpture Victorious: Art in the Age of Invention” in the USA from September to November 2014, and then at the Tate Britain Gallery in London from February to May 2015.
Decline
The Eglinton Tournament, with its celebration of history and tradition, marked a turning point in the life of the 13th Earl and in the fortunes of his ancient family and their lands.
The tournament, costing around £40,000, was a severe drain on the family fortune which, together with huge expenditure on the Ardrossan Harbour, the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal undermined the resources of a family who had been among the greatest landowning families of Ayrshire.
Although the sell off of the land began with the 13th Earl, it was the financial difficulties after the Glasgow Bank failure in 1878 that forced the most telling action and the realisation that the family could no longer afford the expense of Eglinton Castle.
Every room was filled with heirlooms gathered over the generations. But economic necessity allowed for little sentiment. Everything had to be sold, raising a total of £7000 19 shillings and sixpence.
Six months after the Montgomeries vacated the Castle and sold off its contents, the roof and windows were removed so that tax and rates were no longer payable. Little more than a hundred years old, the noble edifice began to crumble. In December 1925 the Montgomerie family had moved to Skelmorlie Castle.
New Owners
The War Department purchased parts of the Estate for training purpose in 1939, with the commandos and the Royal Engineers using it for exercises during the Second World War, destroying two of the towers. It was also used for naval gunnery practice and as a training camp for vehicle maintenance and as a preparation depot for the Normandy and North Africa landings during World War II.
In 1948 most of the remaining parts of the estate were sold to Robert Howie and Sons of Dunlop for £24,000. Their 20 year tenure saw the development of a dairy unit and a piggery that were models of modern efficiency.
The Wilson family then purchased the old offices, castle ruins, and other land from Robert Howie and Sons in 1950. Clement Wilson, the food processing factory owner, established the Clement Wilson Foundation (now known as the Barcapel Foundation Ltd.) which opened part of the grounds to the public, spending around £400,000 on consolidating the castle ruins, planting trees, landscaping, making paths and restoring the Tournament Bridge. The Wilson family gave the park to Cunninghame District Council in 1978, making it possible to establish Eglinton Country Park, which now attracts over 250,000 visitors a year.
Eglinton Country Park
Awareness today of the Eglinton legacy is very limited as the demolition of the castle and the destruction of the landscape left few traces for people to admire. The estate was virtually destroyed.
The newly formed Irvine New Town brought much of Eglinton into public ownership and drew attention to the value of its historic landscape. The establishment of the Park by the Irvine Development Corporation and Cunninghame District Council saved much of the estate for the benefit of the people of Ayrshire and beyond. Much of the landscape and the buildings of Eglinton were restored and improved in ways sympathetic to the tradition of one of the most distinguished estates in Scotland.
Eglinton Country Park, with the ruin of Eglinton Castle as its central iconic feature, offers its visitors an extensive area of landscape in which they can enjoy some of their leisure time. There is 400 hectare (1,000 acres) of countryside set aside for public enjoyment, much of which also provides many different habitats for a wide variety of wildlife.
Since its founding in 1986 it has offered visitors many opportunities to enjoy the countryside over several miles of varied and beautiful walks suitable for all ages and abilities.
Eglinton Country Park is a place with a long and distinguished past that, with the understanding and appreciation for all who enjoy it, should have a long and distinguished future.