Ardstinchar Castle *

Region: Ayrshire & Arran

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Ardstinchar Castle © Copyright Billy McCrorie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Description:

Ardstinchar Castle (what is left of it) stands on a hillock at the eastern edge of Ballantrae. Built around 1440 by Hugh Kennedy of Ardstinchar, the castle was irregular in shape, with a four-storey keep and two square towers joined by walls forming a four-sided courtyard within. Outside, further protection was offered by ditches. The entrance was at the north. Mary, Queen of Scots visited the castle in 1563. The last Kennedy of Ardstinchar was murdered in 1601 but his wife resisted attempt to remove her. She died in 1605 and the estate was sold to Sir John Hamilton of Letterick, whose son became the 1st Lord Bargany. The castle was abandoned by the mid-18th century and all that remains is a fragment of the keep, standing to a height of around 15m / 50 feet, and the foundations of some of the walls.