210 A SCOTTISH BLOOD-FEUD 



brother of the late ' King of Carrick,' took grievous offence 

 at not being appointed guardian. There was, indeed, good 

 cause why he should not be chosen for that trust, seeing 

 that some years before he had brought a company under 

 cloud of night and fusilladed the house of Dunure, intend- 

 ing that this should be deemed an assault by the laird of 

 Carse, with whom the earl was at feud. Cassilis, however, 

 was duly informed how it was his own brother who had 

 done this, and also how the benevolent intention was to 

 cause his countess, at that time enceinte, to miscarry, 

 in order, of course, to secure the succession to Sir 

 Thomas. 



Lord Glamis found his office of guardian no sinecure, 

 for, on arriving in Ayrshire to take up his duties, the 

 lairds of Culzean and Bargany took up arms against him. 

 Thereafter, having to attend a convention of peers at 

 Stirling, Lord Glamis was slain by the Earl of Crawford's 

 men, the shot, it was alleged, coming from the laird of 

 Bargany's stair. This cleared the path for Sir Thomas, 

 the laird of Culzean, who immediately assumed authority 

 over the ward. 



There are so many side currents of feud, involving 

 slaughter and raids between Kennedys, Crawfords of 

 Carse, Gordons of Lochinvar, Macdowalls of Garthland, 

 and other families, that it is difficult to keep to the main 

 conflict which, arising from a dispute about land, now 

 broke out between the lairds of Bargany and Culzean. 

 In order to obtain a clear impression of the state of parties 

 in 1596, it is necessary to marshal the chief combatants on 

 paper as on more than one occasion they met on the field 

 of battle. 



