The first Fergusson in Ayrshire was recorded in 1381.
Their original home, situated above the village of Dailly,
dates back to 1400. They moved to Barclanachan 1686, a former
Kennedy household, now the site of the current 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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