Ladyland

In the Parish of Kilbirnie in the 16th century there were three baronies: Kilbirnie, Glengarnock and Ladyland. It is Ladyland that is relevant to my ancestry and although the first Lairds were Barclays there is nothing in my research so far that suggests a connection. What I do know is that John Barclay, my great, great, great grandfather was a servant at Ladyland House.

There are two Wikipedia articles worth consulting. The first is simply a definition of barony; the second gives a comprehensive history of Ladyland.

Ladyland House

In the events outlined in the article,the timeframe relevant to my ancestry starts in 1803 when William Cochrane inherited the estate on the death of his father. On 5th September 1815 William married Catherine Hamilton, a distant relative of the Hamiltons of Ladyland, and it's likely that William and Catherine would have been John Barclay's employers.

I know that John married Menie Montgomrie on 29th December 1823 and I also know that they first had a son James born on 26th May 1823 at the family's home in Newton Street. For now there's not much more to the story. John and Menie went on to have at least another three children and by the time of John's death in 1861 he no longer worked as a Servant because the occupation quoted on his death certificate was Slater. I'm intrigued to know more of John and Menie's story but for now I will move on to their first son James.