The lands of Kames were granted to the Bannatyne family by
Robert the Bruce in the 14th century. Although of 14th-century appearance, the present tower house is thought to date from the 16th century. The last Bannatyne owner was
Sir William Macleod Bannatyne (1743–1833), a distinguished lawyer and judge in Edinburgh, who took the title Lord Bannatyne on promotion to the
College of Justice in 1799. In the later 18th and early 19th century, he laid out the walled garden and constructed a mansion adjoining the tower house. Lord Bannatyne sold the estate around 1810, to James Hamilton
WS (1775–1849), preferring his social life in Edinburgh. Kames Castle became part of the
Marquess of Bute's estate in 1863. Some alterations to the tower house were undertaken in the later 19th century. Around 1900, the mansion was demolished and replaced with a series of cottages around a courtyard, with the intention of creating a hunting lodge. It is now privately owned, with a number of cottages available as holiday lets. ==See also==