RECORDS OF EXCURSIONS IN AYRSHIRE. 39 



house and jail, Kilmaurs having been made a Burgh of Barony 

 by James V., at the instance of Cuthbert, Earl of Glencairn, and 

 his son William, Lord Kilmaurs. 



Taking the Fenwick Road, we pass the out-crop of a thick post 

 of trap which covers a large area in this district. Arriving at 

 Rowallan, an inspection was made of the old castle both outside 

 and inside. It has been thus described : — 



"The main front with staircase and double turrets, still in good 

 preservation, over which the royal arms of Scotland, fully blazoned, 

 are carved, with the shields of the Comin family (from whom 

 the Mures claim descent), and the Rowallan crest, was built by 

 John Mure of Rowallan and Margaret Cunninghame his wife, 

 in 1562. The oldest portion, however, is of much greater 

 antiquity, dating probably from the thirteenth century, and is 

 supposed to have been the birthplace of Elizabeth Mure, queen 

 of Robert II. of Scotland. There is some old carved wood-work 

 to be seen in the castle." 



Some fine box trees are said to have been at one time in the 

 grounds, but they were all cut down during the night and carried 

 off by the fiddle-pin makers of Kilmarnock. Some holly trees of 

 a fair size still exist. A small dinan or earth fortlet was at one 

 time to be seen a short distance further up the stream, but it has 

 been totally destroyed. 



The party afterwards proceeded to the Buston Crannog, where 

 many of the oak piles and beams belonging to that ancient 

 lake-dwelling and fort were seen lying about. An account of 

 its exploration will be found in vol. iii. of the Archaeological and 

 Historical Collections relating to the Counties of Ayr and Wigtoji, 

 many of the antiquities got in connection with it being figured. 

 An oak canoe, 22 feet in length, was amongst the finds ; and 

 the following relics have been recorded: — Of stone, 29 articles; 

 bone, 32 articles; horn, 2 articles; wood, several bits shewing 

 workmanship ; iron, 28 articles ; bronze, 3 articles ; brass, several 

 pieces ; gold, 3 articles ; vitreous paste, 3 articles, and bits of 

 dark slag ; glass, 3 fragments, bright green ; pottery, a bit of 

 Samian ware, 4 other bits, 2 crucibles, and pieces of another 

 crucible with drops of gold adhering to it. The animal remains 

 found consisted of the bones of oxen, sheep, pigs, red-deer, 



