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Cassencarie


Cassencarie House is a ruined 19th century mansion built around a late 16th century tower.

The house occupies an elevated position overlooking the Cree estuary but sheltered to the east by steep, rocky crags. The lands were apparently owned originally by the church and seem to have been gifted by them to someone before the Reformation although to whom is not known. However the earliest family connected to Cassencarie is the Muirs, and it may have been them who built the tower.

The tower is of rubble construction with ashlar dressings and would have been harled originally. At the south-west corner of the tower is a large boulder incorporated into the structure, a technique sometimes used on old towers.

Cassencarie

The Muir family were certainly in possession by the second half of the 16th century as Janet Muir, the daughter and heir of Alexander Muir of Cassencarrie, married John Muir, son of Sir John Muir of Rowallan. The Cassencarie Muirs may have been a branch of the family of Muir of Torhousemuir. Alexander died in 1581 and Cassencarie passed to his daughter and son-in-law.

In 1593 John and Janet granted a charter of various lands to Alexander, their eldest son and heir, but reserved a free tenement in Cassincarie, along with the tower and mills. A Richard Muir of Cassencarie is on record in 1643 and he was a member of the Covenanters’ War Committee during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

The house is marked on Blaeu’s mid-17th century maps of Galloway, based on Pont’s late 16th century work, as a large tower named Kassinkary or Kaßinkary surrounded by parkland and an enclosure.

Cassencarie

Gallovidia, vernacule Galloway
Joan Blaeu, Amsterdam, 1654map image courtesy of NLS

John Muir, tutor of Cassencarie, is on record from 1661, and his daughter, Susan, married John Sharp of Hoddom.

If the tower wasn’t built on an L-plan originally, perhaps being a simple rectangle in plan, then it is likely that this change was made some time in the 17th century. Certainly before the end of that century the tower was extended and remodelled to form what was described in 1684 as one of the “considerable houses” of the district, with roll-moulded surrounds to the doors and windows. A staircase off the hallway, which is still extant, is likely to date to this time.

William Muir, tutor of Cassencarrie, is on record in 1695 and 1704 and following his death in 1742 he was succeeded by his son, George Muir. George married Margaret Mackenzie of Delvine in 1762 and in 1778 their son, Alexander, inherited his great uncle’s estate of Delvine in Perthshire, assuming the name Alexander Muir Mackenzie. He succeeded his father in Cassencarie in 1784 and was created 1st Baronet Muir Mackenzie of Delvine in 1805.

Either late in the 18th century or early in the 19th century the tower was extended to the north to give an air of symmetry. A projecting three storey wing at the north end of this new wing approximately mirrors the old tower, albeit with differing window levels, and between them is a three storey three bay section. It is also likely that the windows in the west façade of the old tower were enlarged at that time to generally match those of the new wing.

The house contained two celebrated libraries which are said to be featured along with the house, renamed as Woodbourne, in Sir Walter Scott’s novel Guy Mannering which was published in 1815.

In the early to mid-19th century a low two storey service wing was added to the new wing, projecting north from the north-east corner. The 1st baronet died in 1835 and his son, Sir John William Pitt Muir Mackenzie of Delvine, 2nd Bt., was listed as resident at Cassencarie in 1837. However in 1843 the house was occupied by a Rev. Dr. Lawrie perhaps suggesting that the house had been let. Sir John’s children all seem to have been baptised at Caputh in Perthshire which might indicate that they spent most of their time at Delvine. Indeed in 1852 Cassencarie was listed as unoccupied.

Sir John died in 1855 and in 1857 Cassencarie was occupied by James Murray, a farmer. Sir John’s son, Sir Alexander Muir Mackenzie of Delvine, 3rd Bt., sold the house and estate, extending to some 1700 acres, to the politician and agricultural writer Sir James Caird in either 1861 or 1866. Sir James was married to Margaret Henryson, daughter of Captain John Henryson of the Royal Engineers who hailed from Stranraer.

The new owner needed to spend a lot of time in London and so entrusted the running of the estate to his son, James Alexander Henryson-Caird, who in 1877 married Mona Alison. She went on to find fame, as Mona Caird, as a novelist and feminist. The younger James was mostly resident at Cassencarie while his wife spent considerable time in London.

Around 1880 a new harled brick wing was built, in the Scots baronial style, to the south of the old tower, extending from its south-east corner.

Cassencarie

Corbelled out square and round bartizans were added to the top of the tower at that time, built in brick and harled, along with a stylised J and C for Sir James Caird on a carved shield above the fourth storey window of the tower’s south façade.

Cassencarie

The ground floor window of the old tower’s west façade was converted into a doorway, and an ashlar porch was added to the north of it in the re-entrant angle between the old tower and the central wing. Above the door on the porch is a carved armorial panel carrying the Latin phrase “Sola virtus nobilitat” (“Virtue alone ennobles”), the motto of Clan Henderson presumably to represent Sir James’ wife’s Henryson roots. I haven’t been able to ascertain which branch of the family the coat of arms represents however the crest is that of the Hendersons.

Cassencarie

By 1884 the estate consisted of 2036 acres and in the same year the Cairds had an only son who was christened with the names Alison James but who was known as Alister. His grandfather, Sir James, died in 1892, his father, James, in 1921 and his mother, Mona, in 1932. Alister died in 1950 and was succeeded by his son, Captain Murray Alister Cooper James Henryson-Caird.

Part of the mansion collapsed in the 1960s and the family moved into the coach house to the north of the main house which in 1970 was described as having a “comparatively modern roof” and was being used as a hay store. By the time of Captain Henryson-Caird’s death in 1988 the house was largely roofless. Some time between 2011 and 2014 the south wall of the tower partially collapsed at first and second floor level.

Cassencarie

The house now stands within the Castle Cary Holiday Park, owned by the Henryson-Caird family, and the service wing is home to The Laird’s Inn pub.

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Alternative names for Cassencarie

Carssincarie; Cassencarrie; Cassencarry; Cassencary; Cassencary House; Casseneary; Cassin Carie; Cassincarie; Cassincary; Cassincarrie; Cassincarry; Castle Cary; Kassincary; Kassinkary; Kaßinkary

Clans associated with Cassencarie

Muir

Surnames associated with Cassencarie

Caird

Henryson

Mackenzie

Muir

Where is Cassencarie?

Cassencarie is in the parish of Kirkmabreck and the county of Kirkcudbrightshire.

Grid reference:NX 47613 57639

Lat / long:54.890191,-4.377420

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Bing Maps | Google Maps | Historic maps (NLS) | OpenStreetMap | Ordnance Survey | PastMap | Streetmap | Wikimapia

OS Map for Cassencarie

OS map 311
Wigtown, Whithorn & The Machars
OS Explorer map 311


Directions to Cassencarie

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Weather at Cassencarie

8°C
max 8°C / min 8°C
33km/h WSW
1018mb
91%
100%
08:10 16:51

Overcast clouds
Weather observed at Newton Stewart at 01:00

References (books)

Abstracts of Protocols of the Town Clerks of Glasgow (Volume 4)
Robert Renwick
Glasgow, 1897
The Castles of Scotland
Martin Coventry
Prestongrange, 2015
The Commissariot Record of Edinburgh - Register of Testaments 1514-1600
Francis J. Grant
Edinburgh, 1897
The History of Galloway (Volume 2)
William Mackenzie
Kirkcudbright, 1841
The Works of Sir William Mure of Rowallan (Volume 2)
William Tough
Edinburgh, 1989
Transactions and journal of the proceedings of the DGNHAS (Series III, Volume 13)
Various
Dumfries, 1927
Transactions and journal of the proceedings of the DGNHAS (Series III, Volume 18)
Various
Dumfries, 1934
Transactions and journal of the proceedings of the DGNHAS (Series III, Volume 57)
Various
Dumfries, 1982

References (websites)

Canmore
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Castles near Cassencarie

Carsluith Castle

3.9km away

Wigtown Castle (site of)

4.7km away

Muirfad Castle (site of)

5.7km away

Kirkdale (site of)

5.8km away

Barholm Castle

6.4km away

Baldoon Castle

6.5km away

Penninghame Hall (site of)

7.3km away

Machars Hill

7.6km away

Kirkclaugh motte

8.0km away
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Ancient sites near Cassencarie

Cairnholy II chambered cairn

5.5km away

Cairnholy I chambered cairn

5.6km away

Eggerness Castle fort

10.0km away

Trusty's Hill fort

11.4km away

Castle Feather fort

23.6km away

Stairhaven broch

27.0km away

Craigenholly souterrain

28.8km away

Dunragit cursus

32.5km away

Cults Loch souterrain

35.3km away
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Pictish stones near Cassencarie

Eggerness Class I rock carving

10.5km away

Trusty's Hill Class I rock carving

11.4km away

Borthwick Mains Class I symbol stone

111.7km away

Princes Street Gardens Class I symbol stone

139.7km away

Abernethy No. 2 Class III symbol stone

140.0km away

Abernethy No. 4 Class III cross shaft

140.0km away

Hawkhill Class III cross-slab

141.6km away

Old Kilmadock 2 Class I symbol stone

146.5km away

Old Kilmadock 1 Class II symbol stone

146.6km away
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Pictish sites near Cassencarie

Whitecleugh silver chain

70.7km away

Todholes (possible) silver chain

104.5km away

Borland silver chain

106.3km away

Whitlaw silver chain

136.8km away

Haddington silver chain

156.2km away

Traprain Law silver chain

161.9km away

Hoardweel silver chain

167.3km away

Norrie's Law hoard

177.0km away

Dunnicaer fort

268.5km away
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Accommodation near Cassencarie

Glaisnock House
bed and breakfastWigtown
4.8km away
ReadingLasses
café, self-catering apartmentWigtown
4.8km away
The Bruce Hotel, Newton Stewart
hotelNewton Stewart
9.8km away
Galloway Arms Hotel
hotelMinnigaff
10.3km away
Creebridge House Hotel
hotelNewton Stewart
10.3km away
Minnigaff SYHA Hostel
hostelNewton Stewart
10.9km away
The Ship Inn
hotelGatehouse of Fleet
12.4km away
Cally Palace Hotel
hotelGatehouse of Fleet
12.6km away
Old Place of Monreith
self-cateringPort William
17.4km away
Selkirk Arms Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barKirkcudbright
21.6km away

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Cafés, restaurants & bars near Cassencarie

ReadingLasses
café, self-catering apartmentWigtown
4.8km away
Selkirk Arms Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barKirkcudbright
21.6km away
King's Arms Hotel, Castle Douglas
hotel, restaurant, barCastle Douglas
29.1km away
Tigh Na Mara Hotel
hotel, restaurantSandhead
38.5km away
Cavens Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurantDumfries
49.9km away
Friars Carse Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurantAuldgirth
52.6km away
Aston Hotel Dumfries
hotel, restaurant, barDumfries
53.3km away
Best Western Station Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barDumfries
53.4km away
Trigony Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurantThornhill
54.6km away
Turnberry Resort
hotel, restaurant, barTurnberry
55.3km away
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Published on the 23rd of May 2012 at 9:56 pm. Updated on the 3rd of January 2022 at 6:36 pm.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
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