The Lands of Pitcon
29 March
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Pitcon Hill
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New plantings at the Pitcon ironstone pit
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Pitcon road end
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Boyd of Pitcon coat of arms
The Ordnance Survey 'Name Book' of 1856 records that the western end of the building had been part of the ancient castellated dwelling and a summer house bore the arms of the Boyd family, and also a stone inscribed 'Thomas Boyd 1530' was present. By 1956 the ancient part of Pitcon had been demolished and the stones noted in 1856 were in the wall of the walled garden. A marriage stone inscribed '1660 RB AW' is located in the wall of an outhouse. The historian James Paterson records that the old manor house stood close to the present building. Although the present Pitcon mansion mainly dates from 1787, a new wing having been added in the 1920s to plans drawn up by James Houston. An old stone dated 1660 is incorporated into the laundry house. The walled garden dates from the late 18th century.
The Lands of Pitcon were given to Thomas Boyd by his father, Alexander Boyd, who was in turn given the lands by his father, Robert, the first Lord Boyd, also Great Chamberlain of Scotland. Thomas Boyd in 1608 also held 'Linget-rig' (Lintseedridge) in Over Mains of Pitcon, and Nether Mains of Pitcon. In the mid 19th century a valuable stratum of ironstone was discovered and exploited, leaving substantial mining remnants from the pits, their mineral railways and waste tips. Extensive tree planting has helped to hide the scars of this industrial activity of the past. The lodge house, Pitcon Cottage, is marked on mid 18th century OS maps but no longer exists. A network of estate roads existed with a ford crossing the River Garnock before the mineral railway was built.
The original Pitcon family are recorded as holders of the property since the 13th century. Sir Robert Pitcon is recorded in 1488, William Pitcon was the Chamberlain of Kilwinning in 1557 and Hugh Pitcon is recorded as holding Lintseedridge in 1693. The surname 'Pitcon' is raely encountered, however the contraction 'Conn' is more commonly encountered. King Robert the Bruce conferred the Barony of Daly upon Sir Robert Boyd and the first Boyd of Pitcon was Thomas Boyd. In 1632 Thomas was styled ''of Lin'', the nearby property now given the spelling of Lynn. Thomas was the brother of Robert Boyd of Kilmarnock, married Marion Fairlie, daughter of John Fairlie of that Ilk and was buried at the family burial ground in Kilmarnock. He predeceased his wife whose second husband was James Stewart, giving rise to the line that led to the Marquess of Bute. His son, also Thomas, together with his brother Richard supported Mary Queen of Scots and fought at the Battle of Langside; they were both later pardoned.
In 1608 Thomas Boyd, son of Thomas, inherited and married Isabell, heiress of William Glen of Barr, dying young in 1617 however and succeeded by his son Robert, who married Anna Blair in 1633, the daughter of Brice Blair of that Ilk. Bryce Boyd inherited the lands from his father in about 1650 and married Isabell Henderson, daughter of Henderson of Baike. This Isabell later married Alexander Crawfurd of Fergushill, as Bryce Boyd died in 1660. Thomas Boyd, heir to Bryce, married Agnes Scott and had a son Robert who inherited, dying before 1725 when his son Thomas inherited; this heir was the last of the Boyds of Pitcon male line and Pitcon was sold to George MacRae. He was comptroller of the Customs in Irvine and had four daughters, three of whom married, however the sons did not marry. Thomas Boyd in 1696 married Janet, daughter of John Cunninghame of Caddel. The Arms of the Boyds of Pitcon were the same as the Kilmarnock branch of the family, with the motto; "Spes mea in Colis".
George MacRae, a merchant from Ayr, purchased the lands in 1770 and after the ruin of the Ayr Bank the estate was sold by his creditors in 1787, b James Robison being the purchaser. Mrs Ann Robison Orr, his sister, inherited as he had no direct heir, and she left the property to a distant relative, John Cockburn, on the condition that he took the name Robison. In the 1829 John Cockburn sold Pitcon for £13,000 to Dr Ebenezer Smith of Kilmarnock, who in turn sold the estate to a Glasgow based merchant, Alexander Alison of Lintseedridge. The Eglinton Iron Company, in the persons of James Baird of Camusdoon and others, held the Pitcon lands in 1874.
Thomas Boyd, the last of Pitcon, was Baillie for the area to the Right Hon. Patrick Lindsay-Crawfurd, Earl of Lindsay in 1730. Saint Margaret's parish church in Dalry contains an oak armorial pew decoration, the shield of Blair impaled with that of Boyd of Pitcon, and this now adorns a transept wall.
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