Stravithie Castle (site of)

Stravithie Castle once stood here surrounded by a bog but no trace of it now remains and the site falls within a field.

In June 1582 Patrick Adamson, Archbishop of St Andrews, confirmed a charter of alienation by Andrew Wod of Strathwittie to William Lundy of Lundy of a 32nd part and half of a 32nd part of Innergellie. Later that month James Lummisden of Ardrie and his wife, Euphemia Dowglass, were granted a sasine of the eighth and sixteenth parts of the lands of Innergellye which were formerly held by William Lummisden, rector of Cleisch, and alienated by him to Thomas Lummisden of Ardrie in a charter by Archbishop Adamson.

Around this time the Lumsdens seems to have taken possession of Stravithie too as towards the end of the 16th century James Lumsden, son of John Lumsden of Blanerne, married the heiress of the lands of Airdrie, presumably also a Lumsden, and from them descended the Lumsdens of Innergellie, Airdrie, Strathvithie and Mountquhannie.

In the mid-17th century Stravithie was owned by Sir James Lumsdaine of Airdrie, who held a commission as a Colonel in the army of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden. He married Christian Rutherford of Hunthill.

In December 1642 Charles I granted the Colonel a new charter of the lands of Innergellie along with the lands of Barnes, Strathvithie, Kinkell and Snawdoun, with their towers and manors, which were all incorporated into the free barony of Innergellie with the manor of Innergellie as its principal messuage.

In September 1665 the second son of Colonel Lumsdaine and Christian Rutherford, Robert Lumsdaine of Strathvethie, married Helen Preston, youngest daughter of the late Sir John Preston of Airdrie. Their eldest son, also James, died in February 1670 and was succeeded by his eldest son, George Lumsdaine of Innergellie, who around 1680 seems to have sold Innergellie to his uncle, the aforementioned Robert Lumsdaine of Stravithie. Some time before 1697 Robert married Isabel Ellis, daughter of John Ellis of Elliston, who had inherited considerable estates from her father.

In the early 18th century Robert Lumsdaine of Lumsdaine, eldest son of George Lumsdaine of Innergellie, married Eliza, daughter of James Lumisdaine of Stravithie and granddaughter of Robert Lumsdaine of Stravithie and Helen Preston.

Robert, now styled Robert Lumsdaine of Lumsdaine, Stravithie and Innergellie, was a member of the erotic society The Most Ancient and Most Puissant order of the Beggar’s Benison and Merryland, Anstruther, which was founded in 1732 and met at Dreel Castle. In 1738 he married Sophia, eldest daughter of the late Robert Lundin of Lundin and sister of James Lundin of Lundin.