During the 1217–1250 reign of
Malduin, Mormaer (Earl) of Lennox, Anselan (third of that name) was granted in 1225 the island of
Clairinsh. (Clár Inis). He is referred to as 'clericus meus', meaning 'my clergyman'. He is subsequently recorded as Absalom de Buchanan and it is understood that to have this title, there must have been other grants of land in the parish of Buchanan. During the reign of king
Alexander II (1214–1249), Gilbert de Buchanan,
seneschal to the Earl of Lennox, received in 1231 a charter confirming Clairinsh and other lands in Buchanan. It is from the lands of Buchanan that the clan name is derived. Buchanan Auld House became the seat of the chiefs of Clan Buchanan (the
Lairds of Buchanan) over the next 450 years, until 1682 when the
22nd Chief John Buchanan died without any male heirs. Despite attempts to make provisions by which the chiefship could be passed on to the descendants of his daughters, no such arrangement was finalised. He had inherited significant debt; during his chiefship, the Buchanan estate was gradually sold to satisfy creditors. With the lack of male heirs, the direct chiefly line ended at this time. The estate was purchased by
James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose, in 1682 and the house eventually replaced
Mugdock Castle as the seat of Clan Graham, being seen as a dwelling more fitting the title of
Marquess. The Montrose family substantially rebuilt the house from approximately 1724. The architect
William Adam prepared designs for the house and parklands in 1745. In 1790,
William Henry Playfair was commissioned by the
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose, to design alterations to the house.
The 4th Duke and his wife raised and trained racehorses on the estate in the 19th century; their daughter, writer
Violet, Lady Greville, was said to have enjoyed an ideal childhood here. Buchanan Auld House was destroyed in a fire in 1852, and
William Burn was commissioned by the 4th Duke to replace it. Burn designed an extravagant manor in the
Scottish baronial style, enclosing an L-plan tower in a clutch of
turrets,
bartizans and
stepped gables. This became
Buchanan Castle, which was built in 1852-1858 and stands to the southeast. The ruins of Buchanan Auld House, comprising part of the original servants' quarters, exist today as part of a courtyard attached to the clubhouse of the Buchanan Castle Golf Club, which occupies the surrounding lands. ==Gallery==