Greenan Castle Murder - Ayr - Scottish History

#scottishhistory #castles #history

Greenan Castle sits on a cliff edge in South Ayrshire, a few miles south of the town of Ayr. The castle is a 16th century tower house which belonged to the half brother of Sir Thomas Kennedy at the time of the murder.

Sir Thomas and his servant Lancelot Kennedy had left Culzean Castle on the 11th of May 1602 to begin their journey to Edinburgh the following morning. Thomas and Lancelot spent the night at Greenan Castle, probably to refresh and break-up the journey, before continuing on horse-back.

In the Castle courtyard the following morning Sir Thomas and Lancelot mounted their horses and set off to Edinburgh when around two miles away, in the woods of St Leonards, they were ambushed by a group of seven men.

The seven men murdered Sir Thomas in retaliation for the death of the young Laird of Bargany who had been killed in December 1601 at the Battle of Brockloch, near Maybole. The young Laird was a brother of one of the seven men and Sir Thomas had been present at the Battle of Brockloch, which would have been cause enough for the ambush in their eyes.

Having murdered Sir Thomas, the seven men stripped his body of anything of worth including gold buttons, rings, watches, and money... all the while Lancelot was present.

Lancelot brought Sir Thomas' body back the few miles to Greenan Castle, where they had left just a few hours earlier, and back to his half-brother John's care.

Years later, the Mures of Auchindrain, a father and son, were executed for their "art and part" in the murder of Thomas Kennedy on that fateful morning of 12th May 1602.

Greenan Castle is a stunning site to visit and I will definitely be back some time soon in the better weather. The views from the cliff are amazing and knowing that little bit more about the site is what makes the journey's all the more brilliant.

Please leave any comments below and any suggestions about where to visit are always welcome.

Take care...

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Видео Greenan Castle Murder - Ayr - Scottish History канала A Scotsman Outdoors