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Abercairny

The Mapp of Straithern, Stormount, and Cars of Gourie, with the Rivers Tay and Jern
John Adair, 1720map image courtesy of NLS

Abercairny was a property belonging to the Moray or Murray family in the late 13th century, however it was demolished in the 19th century and replaced with a new house which was itself demolished and replaced in the 20th century.

The “old house” was described, in 1883, as having been “situated a little to the south-east of the present building, and on the south side of the lake….The older part of this house was baronial in character, but latterly, from the many additions and alterations which had been made upon it, the design was considerably mixed”. This may suggest that some of the house dated to the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries.

The lands of Abercairny first seem to be mentioned in the early 13th century when they were in the possession of Ysenda of Kinbuck, sister of Sir Richard and Geoffrey of Gask. Ysenda was the second wife of Gille Brigte or Gilbert, Earl of Strathearn. Some time between 1221 and 1223 Ysenda gave 5 acres of her land at Abercairny to Inchaffray Abbey.

Despite Gilbert and Ysenda not having any children Abercairny seems to have become a property of the Earls of Strathearn, passing down the line of Gilbert’s children from his first marriage to Matilda or Maud, the daughter of William d’Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel.

When Gilbert’s great-great-great-granddaughter Mary or Maria, daughter of Malise IV, Earl of Strathearn, married Sir John Moray of Drumsargard, grandson of the celebrated Andrew de Moray, Abercairny was given as a dowry along with the lands of Ogilvie and Glenservy.

The date of their marriage is given variously as 1299 or between 1319 and 1322, the later dates seeming more likely, and some sources refer to the lands being given in 1320. A charter confirming the lands to them was issued by her brother, Malise V, around 1330 soon after he succeeded their father as Earl of Strathearn.

When the first building was constructed at Abercairny, or what form it took, doesn’t seem to be known, although it seems entirely plausible that there would be a defensible property there in the 13th or 14th centuies. At that time the surrounding area was marshy, offering a further degree of protection.

There is some confusion regarding the lineage from Sir John and Mary, but what is known is that a Maurice Moray, or Maurice de Moravia, succeeded to Abercairny. He is variously described as the son of Sir John and Mary or the son of Sir John and his unnamed first wife.

Maurice married, possibly in 1339, a woman named Joan, Joanna or Johanna. She is described in some sources as the Countess of of Strathearn and in others as the daughter of Sir John Menteith of Rusky, but these may be two different people.

Further confusion stems from the fact that Maurice’s grandfather, Malise IV, had also been married to a woman named Joan, and some authors have suggested that his grandson’s wife was one and the same although this seems highly unlikely.

Maurice, was created Earl of Strathearn in 1343, by David II, Maurice’s uncle Malise V having forfeited the earldom for opposing Edward Balliol, but died at the battle of Durham in 1346. Maurice’s brother, Sir Alexander Moray, was served heir to their father in 1349, and Abercairny next passed to Sir Alexander’s son, Sir Andrew Moray, the product of his marriage to Janet or Joanna, daughter of William, 5th Earl of Ross. Sir Andrew married Agnes, daughter of Sir Humphry Cunningham of Glengarnock and Abercairny passed to their son, Sir Humphrey Moray, in the mid-15th century.

Sir Humphrey married Katherine, sister of Patrick Graham, 1st Lord Graham, and their son, Andrew Moray, succeeded his father in 1504. However Andrew and his son, George, were both killed at Flodden in 1513 and Abercairny passed to George’s son, John Moray, who himself was killed at Pinkie. John had married his first cousin twice removed, Nicola, daughter of William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose, in 1539 and upon his death Abercairny passed to their son, William Moray.

In 1553 William married Margaret, daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 3rd Lord Oliphant, but five years later he died and was succeeded by his brother, Robert Moray. Robert married Catherine or Katherine, the third daughter of Sir William Murray of Tullibardine, in 1560. Abercairny passed to their first son, Sir William, following Robert’s death in 1594.

On Pont’s late 16th century map of Strathearn Abercairny is marked as a castle named Akerny.

Lower Glen Almond; StrathearnTimothy Pont, c. 1583 – 1596map image courtesy of NLS

In 1629 Sir William was served heir to his younger brother, Sir David Murray of Gorthy, when he died without issue. Sir William sold the lands of Gorthy to George Graeme, Bishop of Orkney and former Bishop of Dunblane, the younger son of George Graeme of Inchbraikie, and his eldest son David Graeme in 1631.

Sir William married Christian, daughter of Sir Laurence Mercer of Aldie. Their daughter, Mary, married Patrick Murray of Ochtertyre, and Mary and Patrick’s second son, James, minister of Logierait, was given the lands of Wester Dollerie, becoming the ancestor of the Murrays of Dollerie. Easter Dollerie subsequently became the property of the Murrays of Abercairny.

Sir Robert Moray of Ogilvie, the son of Sir William and Christian, predeceased his father and Abercairny passed to his son, also William, upon Sir William’s death in 1640. The younger William died just two years later however and Abercairny passed to his eldest son, Sir Robert, by his wife Ann, daughter of George Hay of Keillour.

There are three sundials at Abercairny which may all date from this period, one of which now stands in the 19th century walled garden to the north of the new house.

A tall 17th century lectern-type doocot stands around 1200 metres to the north-west of the site of the original Abercairny and has been associated with Abercairny however it is actually closer to, although still some distance from, the site of Inchbraikie Castle. The doocot is also to the west of the Muckle Burn and the Beech Avenue which once formed the boundary between the Inchbraikie and Abercairny estates.

Sir Robert married Anne or Anna, daughter of Patrick Graeme of Inchbraikie, and upon his death in 1704 Abercairny passed to their son, William. William, who sold the lands and barony of Ogilvie to Mungo Graeme of Gorthy in 1707, died in 1735 and was succeeded by his son, James.

The Moray family were loyal to the Stuart cause but didn’t play an active role in the Jacobite risings and so held onto their estates. Between 1737 and 1738 extensive repairs were carried out on Abercairny for James by the architect John Douglas, and between 1755 and 1759 Charles Freebairn created a new dining room.

James had married Christian, the sixth daughter of Alexander Montgomery, 9th Earl of Eglinton, in 1737 and Abercairny passed to their second son, Alexander, following James’ death in 1778. However Alexander died without issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, Colonel Charles Moray, in 1784 or 1786. Charles had married Anne, the eldest daughter of Sir William Stirling of Ardoch, in 1778 and as well as adding the Ardoch lands to his own he also added the Stirling name to become Colonel Charles Moray Stirling.

Moray Stirling set about improving Abercairny, with plans drawn up in 1793 to improve the estate. In 1796 the architect John Paterson was asked to design a new house but this work seems not to have been completed and instead he only provided plans for an oval dining room in the old house which also weren’t executed. The architects Archibald Eliot and Charles Tatham were next to be tasked with designing a new house, but instead Richard Crichton was employed to create it.

Early in the 19th century Abercairny, which latterly had been occupied by farm workers, was demolished. It was replaced by a new house, a long three storey mansion situated on a new site around 600 metres to the north-west.

Work began in 1804 but when Moray Stirling died in 1810 the building was still an unfinished shell. His son, Colonel James Moray, inherited the project and considerable debts from his father. By 1814 his situation had improved and he assumed the role of client. However in 1817 Crichton died and the work was continued by his nephews and apprentices Richard and Robert Dickson from 1820 to 1823 and from 1826 to 1835.

Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (Volume VI)
John Preston Neale, London, 1823

James died without issue in 1840 but the work continued into the 1840s for his brother and heir Major William Moray-Stirling, with a stable block added to the north-east of the new house.

Around this time the last remnants of the old house were removed. The trunk of an ancient ash tree, which stood just to the west of the old house, marked the site until it finally fell in October 1882. The tree had originally been around 27 metres in height and was thought to be some 300 years old.

Following William’s death in 1850 the Abercairny and Ardoch estates passed first to his sister, Christian, and her husband Henry Home-Drummond of Blair Drummond then upon her death in 1864 to their son Charles Stirling Home Drummond Moray. Charles improved the estate considerably and was responsible for a four storey castellated Gothic tower being added to the east end of the mansion by the architect Robert Thornton Shiells in 1869.

With the interest in the Gothic style at its height, the family flirted with the idea of calling the building Abercairny Abbey or Abercairny Castle, but neither name stuck and it was simply referred to as Abercairny.

Following the death of Charles’ brother, George Home-Drummond of Blair Drummond and Ardoch, in 1876 those estates were inherited by the Abercairny branch of the family. In 1882 Charles bought the estate of Inchbraikie from his neighbour and relative Patrick Graeme, who had inherited it along with considerable debt from his father.

When Charles died in 1891, Blair Drummond and Ardoch passed to his eldest son Henry Edward Stirling Home-Drummond (who dropped the Moray from his surname) and Abercairny to his youngest son, William Augustus Home-Drummond Moray.

During World War II Abercairny was used as a hospital and by 1960 was in such a poor condition that Charles’ grandson, Major W.S. Drummond Moray, decided to demolish it. A smaller replacement house, designed in the neo-Georgian style by Claud Phillimore, was built on the same site, taking advantage of its position in the grounds, which are considered to be an important example of a late 18th and early 19th century designed landscape.

The site of the original Abercairny property is marked by the convergence of two avenues of trees, around 600 metres south-east of the new house. The estate is still home to the Moray family, their tenure stretching back more than 700 years.

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Alternative names for Abercairny

Abercairney; Abercairney Abbey; Abercairnie; Abercairnnie; Abercairny Abbey; Abercairny Castle; Abercairny House; Abercarnie; Abercarney; Abercarnich; Abircairnie; Abircairny; Abircardny; Akerny

Clans associated with Abercairny

Murray

Surnames associated with Abercairny

Moray

Murray

Where is Abercairny?

Abercairny is in the parish of Fowlis Wester and the county of Perthshire.

Grid reference: NN 914 218

Lat / long: 56.376441, -3.759255

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

OS Map for Abercairny

OS map OL47
Crieff, Comrie & Glen Artney (Strathearn & Auchterarder)
OS Explorer map OL47


Directions to Abercairny

Enter a starting point

Weather at Abercairny

5°C
max 5°C / min 5°C
4km/h WNW
1031mb
80%
6%
03:58 20:24

Clear sky
Weather observed at Crieff at 01:39

References (books)

Charters, bulls and other documents relating to the Abbey of Inchaffray
Various
Edinburgh, 1908
Chronicles of Strathearn
John Hunter
Crieff, 1896
Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine Families (Volume I)
John Stewart-Murray
Edinburgh, 1908
Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine Families (Volume III)
John Stewart-Murray
Edinburgh, 1908
Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (Volume II)
Various
Edinburgh, 1904
Or and Sable
Louisa Grace Graeme
Edinburgh, 1903
Scotland's Lost Houses
Ian Gow
London, 2006
The Castles of Scotland
Martin Coventry
Prestongrange, 2015
The Castles of The Heartland of Scotland
Mike Slater
Malvern, 1994
The genealogy of the most noble and ancient house of Drummond
William Drummond
Edinburgh, 1831
The Heraldry of the Murrays
G. Harvey Johnston
Edinburgh, 1910
The Peerage of Scotland
Robert Douglas
Edinburgh, 1764
The Red Book of Menteith (Volume I)
William Fraser
Edinburgh, 1880
The Scots Peerage (Volume 1)
James Balfour Paul
Edinburgh, 1904
Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (Volume VI)
John Preston Neale
London, 1823
Woods, forests, and estates of Perthshire
Thomas Hunter
Perth, 1883

References (websites)

Garden and Designed Landscape record
Canmore
Wikipedia
Abercairny Estate

Castles near Abercairny

Inchbrakie Castle (site of)

1.1km away

Dollerie

1.4km away

Cultoquhey (site of)

2.6km away

Castleton (site of)

3.3km away

Innerpeffray Castle

4.1km away

Colquhalzie (site of)

4.4km away

Monzie Castle

4.8km away

Gorthy (site of)

5.1km away

Cowgask (site of)

5.5km away
more castles....
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Ancient sites near Abercairny

New Fowlis cairn and standing stones

1.9km away

The Thorn rock art

2.2km away

Crofthead Farm standing stones

2.2km away

Fowlis Wester stone circle, cairns, standing stones and rock art

3.2km away

Monzie kerb cairn and rock art

4.0km away

Ferntower stone circle

4.0km away

Witches' Stone standing stone

4.2km away

Broich cursus

4.9km away

Bennybeg cursus

5.6km away
more ancient sites....

Pictish stones near Abercairny

Fowlis Wester Class II cross-slab

2.6km away

Fowlis Wester Church Class III cross-slab

2.6km away

Bore Stone of Gask Class II cross slab

6.9km away

Blackford Class I symbol stone

12.1km away

Dupplin Cross Class III cross

13.9km away

Tulloch Class I symbol stone

17.7km away

Dunkeld 1 Class I symbol stone

23.0km away

Pittensorn Class III slab

24.3km away

Murthly 2 Class II cross slab

24.9km away
more Pictish stones....

Pictish sites near Abercairny

Norrie's Law hoard

51.4km away

Haddington silver chain

76.7km away

Borland silver chain

77.0km away

Todholes (possible) silver chain

77.1km away

Traprain Law silver chain

81.3km away

Whitlaw silver chain

93.8km away

Whitecleugh silver chain

102.4km away

Hoardweel silver chain

106.3km away

Dunnicaer fort

115.7km away
more Pictish sites....
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Accommodation near Abercairny

The Rowans
bed and breakfastNew Fowlis
1.8km away
At The Willows
bed and breakfastNew Fowlis
1.9km away
Murraypark Hotel
hotelCrieff
4.5km away
Galvelbeg House
bed and breakfast, self-catering apartmentCrieff
4.5km away
Merlindale
bed and breakfastCrieff
4.7km away
Crieff Hydro Hotel and Leisure Resort
hotel, restaurantCrieff
4.8km away
Crieff Hydro self-catering cottages and chalets
self-catering cottagesCrieff
5.0km away
Knock Castle Hotel & Spa
hotel, restaurant, barCrieff
5.4km away
James Cottage Guest House
hotelCrieff
5.5km away
Glendevon Hotel
hotelAuchterarder
9.6km away

Accommodation search

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bed and breakfasts
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more accommodation....

Cafés, restaurants & bars near Abercairny

Crieff Hydro Hotel and Leisure Resort
hotel, restaurantCrieff
4.8km away
Knock Castle Hotel & Spa
hotel, restaurant, barCrieff
5.4km away
Famous Grouse Experience
restaurant, café, barCrieff
6.1km away
Torlum Café, Auchingarrich
caféComrie
12.9km away
Huntingtower Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barAlmondbank
16.4km away
Holiday Inn Express Perth
hotel, barPerth
18.7km away
An Lochan Tormaukin
hotel, bar, restaurantGleneagles
19.0km away
Best Western Queens Hotel & Leisure Club
hotel, restaurant, barPerth
19.9km away
Breizh
restaurant, caféPerth
20.6km away
Sheriffmuir Inn
hotel, pub, restaurantDunblane
21.5km away
more food.... / more drink....

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Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 8th of August 2011 at 12:44 am. Updated on the 1st of July 2024 at 5:34 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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