Extracted from the Topographical, Statistical, and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland, Volume 2. Published by Fullerton, Glasgow in 1842.

Kenmure Castle

Kenmure Castle, the seat of Viscount Kenmure, occupies a delightful site at the head of Loch Ken, about half-a-mile south of the burgh of New Galloway, in the parish of Kells, Kirkcudbrightshire.

It stands on an insulated circular mount, which, previous to observing the rocky texture of one of its sides, an observer would suppose to be artificial; and it appears to have been anciently surrounded by a fosse, supplied with water from the Ken. The castle is approached by a beautiful avenue, and has around it a fine plantation, and forms a conspicuous and superb feature in one of the most picturesque landscapes in the south of Scotland.

The edifice is a conglomeration of several buildings of different ages: the older parts exhibiting the turreted character which distinguished the 15th century, and all of it having a castellated form and imposing aspect. In the interior are spacious and elegant rooms, handsomely furnished; a large and well-selected library; and a gallery which does honour to the taste of the collectors, and contains, among other remarkable pictures, one of the few extant genuine portraits of Queen Mary.

When or by whom the original portion of the present pile, or rather the whole of a previous one which it must have supplanted, was built, is a matter not known. In early times, and even at a comparatively modern date, it suffered much from the ravages of war, having been burnt both in the reign of Mary and during the administration of Cromwell. Originally, it is said to have been a seat or stronghold of the Lords of Galloway. John Baliol, who succeeded to a great part of the estates of those feudal princes, is reported to have often made it his residence ; and omitting to reserve it when he resigned his Scottish possessions to the English king, he had it restored to him by a special deed.

Kenmure, after the triumph of the dynasty of Bruce, passed into the possession of the Douglasses; upon their forfeiture, it was granted by the Crown to the Maxwells of Caerlaverock; and in the end of the 14th century, or the beginning of the 16th, it was purchased, along with the lands of Lochinvar, by a younger brother of Sir Alexander de Gordon of Berwickshire, the ancestor of the Dukes of Gordon, and it has ever since remained in his family. The Gordons of Lochinvar or of Kenmure claim strictly the same stock as the Gordons of the north, and were originally from Normandy ; and after sitting down at Kenmure, they gradually acquired, by grant, purchase, or marriage, the greater part of the lands in Kirkcudbrightshire. They were distinguished by the confidence of their sovereigns, and by such extreme hereditary attachment to their persons and fortunes, as eventually involved their house in prolonged ruin; and they, at the same time, sought to be the friends of the people, and were steady professors of the Presbyterian religion.

Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar was an unswerving follower of Mary, and ran serious hazards in her cause. His son and successor was one of the most distinguished Scotsmen in the court of James VI. In May 1633, Sir John Gordon, the contemporary of Charles I., was raised by that monarch to the dignity of the peerage, by the title of Viscount Kenmure. This excellent nobleman singularly combined attachment to the house of Stuart with unflinching fidelity in the profession of religion; and, much as he is known for the honours conferred upon him by Charles, among the rest, the curious one of chartering a royal burgh within limits on his estate, whereas yet not a human dwelling existed (New Galloway), he is greatly better known for his intimacy with John Welsh and Samuel Rutherford, for the important services he did the latter, and for the tone of deep religiousness which flung its melody over the closing scenes of his life.

His amiable lady, too. the third daughter of Archibald, 7th Earl of Argyle, and the sister of Lord Lorn, is intimately known to a numerous class in Scotland as the correspondent of the quaint but unctuous Rutherford. In 1715, William, the 6th Viscount, took an active part in the rebellion, and next year was beheaded on Towerhill in London, entailing upon his family the forfeiture of their title. It is said he was urged to engage in the unfortunate enterprise by the importunities of his lady; and the tradition of the Glenkens still records that, on the ominous morning when he left Kenmure Castle, his charger -  one of the finest animals of its kind, and remarkable for its docility - thrice refused its master. The matter in itself was of no moment, and, but for what followed, would have been since forgotten. For some days, we believe, he threatened Dumfries; and he kept a body of the rebel troops on Amisfieldmoor, ready for action, to the dismay of the loyal burgesses, who expected their town to be sacked, and such of their male population as were capable of bearing arms to be forthwith draughted into the Pretender's army.

His descendants, inheriting his estates, which by prudent management were purchased from the Crown, endeavoured by serving in the army to make amends for their ancestor's error, and distinguished themselves by patriotic concern for the interests of their tenants, and for the general welfare; and, in 1824, they were, in the person of the forfeited Viscount's grandson, restored, by act of parliament, to their ancient honours. He who thus became the 7th Viscount, was born in 1730, and continued to enjoy his title and estates till his 91st year.

His lordship is succeeded by his nephew, Adam Gordon, Esq., a lieutenant in the royal navy, now Viscount Kenmure, a brave officer, who displayed great gallantry in many severe actions on the American lakes during the late war,