THIS mansion-house has long been known by the name of Castlemilk. In very early times it was called Cassiltown. The date of its first foundation is hid in the dim and distant past. When, and by whom it was built, it would be difficult, if not impossible, now to say. Like the family then and since holding it, its history runs back into ages that are dark, and of which we have but scant memorial. The construction of the oldest part of the castle clearly shows, from its thick walls, small windows, narrow passages and staircases, that it belongs to an age of trouble and discord. In course, however, and at different and distant periods, it was greatly enlarged and improved; so much so, that now it is one of the handsomest and most comfortable family residences in the county. Amid much that is interesting in its past history, perhaps one fact deserves special notice, viz., that in one of the rooms of the oldest part of the building, Mary Queen of Scots is said to have slept the night before the fatal battle of Langside. The ceiling of this room was originally ornamented with the arms of the Kings of Scotland in the Stuart line, and with the arms of all the crowned heads of Europe with whom the Stuarts were connected. This apartment is still known and labelled as "Queen Mary's Room"; but, unfortunately, during subsequent alterations and repairs, those early blazonings have now totally disappeared. On the property of Castlemilk, and on a spot commanding full view of the southern slopes of Langside, an old hawthorn, still called "Queen Mary's Thorn," is pointed out as the stance from which she beheld the rout of her troops; and farther on to the south-east, in the bosom of the braes, a well still exists, from which she is said to have drank on her way southward. It too bears the name of "Queen Mary's Well."
The site of the castle is a remarkably well chosen one. Though planted at the base of the Castlemilk Braes, still few positions command such a sweep of rich and varied landscape. Close by, the country is gently undulated and richly wooded, and the more distant views are grand and extensive. Standing as it does in the hollow between Ayr and Edinburgh, the two countries intervening are brought easily under the eye; while the northern view, including the Clyde, Glasgow, with its varied industries, &c., &c., is bounded by the bold outlines of the Cowal, Lennox, and the Perthshire ranges. Few places in Scotland are more beautifully planted, or have more natural attractions - none can excel it in range, beauty, and grandeur of outlook. Its immediate surroundings of wood and water, of steep and slope, along with the recent alterations in the garden and grounds, render it altogether one of the finest and most naturally beautiful places in this part of the country.
The castle stands in the north-eastern division of the property called by the same name, and is distant from Glasgow about three miles. It forms the largest individual property in the parish of Carmunnock, of which living the proprietor is patron.
The Stuarts of Castlemilk are a very ancient family. The present proprietor, James Stirling Stirling Stuart, is the grand-nephew of the late Lady Anne Stuart of Castlemilk, who was supposed to have been in her day the most direct descendant of the royal line of that name. From the family muniments now carefully compiled and preserved, it appears that towards the close of the thirteenth century, Matthew Stuart of Castlemilk (for at this time the property in Dumfriesshire of the same name was owned by this family), Cassiltown, and Fynnart-Stewart, granted an annuity from his lands in favour of a convent raised in Glasgow by the Black Friars in 1270. And in "Rymer's Foedera Angliae," a very honourable and prominent mention is made of several members of this family in connection with some state arrangements. From this record it clearly appears that they are of the same family as the Stuarts of Darnley, being their descendants in the ninth generation from the first Walter, son of Alan the High Steward. From the authority referred to above, it appears that in 1398 Sir William Stewart of Castlemilk was given, as one of the sureties on the part of Scotland, for the preservation of the peace of the Western Marches between this country and England during the reign of James I. of Scotland. This same Sir William, along with his elder brother, Sir John Stuart of Darnley, went over to France to the assistance of Charles VII., where they performed many gallant deeds, and rendered such signal service to the King and country that their names are most honourably mentioned in the records of that age. The Monarch, in appreciation of such distinguished services, made grant to Sir John of the lordship and estate of Aubigny in France, besides conferring on him many other marks of distinction.
Both brothers - Sir John Stuart of Darnley and Sir William Stuart of Castlemilk - remaining true to the flag under which they enlisted, perished on the field of battle in February 1429, during the famous Siege of Orleans.
Without following in close detail the fortunes of this family during the centuries succeeding, it may perhaps be sufficient here to state that they have during these times allied themselves by marriage to many of the best families of the land, and borne part in many transactions bearing intimately on the history of their times.
From and after the date referred to above, till the year 1759, the property of Castlemilk in Dumfriesshire and Cassiltown in Lanarkshire were held by this family. In course, however, the former came to be alienated, being made over to John, Lord Maxwell. The title, however, was transferred to the property in Lanarkshire, and has ever since been known by this name, which property has been held, in unbroken succession, by the same family for upwards of six centuries.
Like many old families, the Stuarts of Castlemilk have a burying-place of their own. Attached to the church of Carmunnock is a vault, in which the members of this family have been interred for upwards of three hundred years.
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