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The first Fergusson in Ayrshire was recorded
in 1381. Their original home, was situated
above the village of Dailly, dating back to
1400.
They moved to Barclanachan 1686, a former
Kennedy household, now the site of the current
mansion house. This was rebuilt after 1695 by
Sir John Fergusson of Kilkerran, the first
baronet, and enlarged in 1814 and 1874. It
contains the family portraits of eight
generations and many relics of former
chiefs.
Many Fergusson's had distinguished military
careers, such as Sir James Fergusson, injured
at Inkerman in 1854, where his friend
Lieutenant-Colonel James Hunter-Blair was
killed. At Straiton, a monument stands on top
of Craigengower Hill, commemorating James
Hunter Blair of Blairquhan Castle.
Sir James Fergusson went on to become
under-secretary at the India Office in 1866,
Governor of South Australia in 1869, and
Governor of New Zealand in 1873. He was killed
in an earthquake in Jamaica in 1907.
Kilkerran is a private estate still owned by
the Fergusson's. The only part of the estate
open to the public is the Walled Garden, now run as a
touring caravan park.
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