98 Castle of Greenan. 



man's brother. Hearing that Culzean was meditating- a journey 

 to Edinburgh on some law business, he arrang-ed to way-lay him. 

 With Walter Mure of Cloncaird and four attendants he waited at 

 Ayr till he heard that the journey was commenced. 



On the 12th of May, lfi02, the Laird of Culzean set out, 

 attended only by a single servant, Lancelot Kennedy. His route 

 lay along the coast from the Cove of Culzean to (xreenan, thence 

 across the Doon and on towards Holmston Ford, where he would 

 cross the river Ayr about two miles above the town. Dinmurchie 

 and his followers saw Culzean alight at Greenan Castle, and 

 immediately placed themselves in ambush behind the ruined chapel 

 of St. Leonard's, overlooking a stream which flows into the Doon. 

 From this point there ^vas a view of the whole route from Greenan 

 nearly to Holmston. After a considerable time Culzean and his 

 single attendant were seen to leave the castle and ford the Doon, 

 making straight for St. Leonard's Chapel. Here the six conspira- 

 tors, as the old historian says, " Brak at him, and slew him maist 

 cruellie with schottis and sti-aikis." The body was plundered, and 

 Dinmurchie and his men departed, leaving Lancelot to convey the 

 remains to Greenan, whence they were carried on a litter to May- 

 bole, and buried in the Collegiate Church. Dinmurchie fled to 

 France, and though he made bold in the lapse of time to live in 

 Ireland, he never dared return to his own country. 



Such is a specimen of the doings of these old times, and it is 

 the only one of the sort connected with Greenan. For the subse- 

 quent developments of the plot — for the death of Culzean was by 

 no means the end of the hostilities — reference may be made to Sir 

 Walter Scott's " Auchindrane, or The Ayrshire Tragedy," and to 

 one or two novels of the present day, including William Eobert- 

 sou's " The Kings of Carrick," and S. R. Crockett's " The Grey 

 Man." The author of " The Raiders " makes an exceedingly 

 interesting story out of the feuds of the Kennedys, but his foot is 

 not so firm and sure as on his native heath of Galloway. He does 

 not know the topography of the Carrick land so well, and his im- 

 perfect acquaintance with the history leads him into occasional 

 anachronisms. The town of Girvan had no existence three hundred 

 years ago, though he speaks of it as a considerable place, and the 

 seat of a court which should rather have been held in Maybole. 

 Then golf as now understood was not played among the dunes of 

 the Ayrshiie coast in the reign of King James VL although it was 



