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. 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. 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 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.'' 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. 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 negotiate 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. 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. 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.
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 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." 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==