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"Ayrshire, Scotland was the location of an old family of Lynns whose name was
taken, according to Black, 'from a beautiful natural cascade on the Water
of Caaf, near ... the ancient castle of Lin.' The Caaf emerges from a reservoir in northern Ayrshire and flows for three miles to the River Garnock, just south of the village of Dalry. The cascade of which Black wrote
is Lynn Falls in the wooded Lynn Glen in Dalry.
"It is believed by some that the Lynns of Ayrshire, in their earliest days, were vassals of the DeMorvilles, who were Constables of Scotland and Lords of Cunninghame. Others tell that they were related to the English baron Hugh de Morville and received lands from him as an inheritance. Recorded in the Hunter
family papers as lairds or lords of Lyn and superiors of Highlees, they acquired
the latter property from John Ross, Lord of Hawkhead, and had vassals beneath
them. It is reported elsewhere that they were allied with the former Clan Boyd,
and there is evidence for that association. Older maps refer to their barony as
Linn, and the nearby castle of Lin presumably once was theirs.
Lin was one of several variant spellings
of the surname of this family, who owned the Barony of Lynn. Others were Lyn,
Lyne, and Lynn. Today, the falls, the glen, and an avenue in Dalry all bear the
name of Lynn."
The Barony of Lynn
Lynn Glen, heart of the
ancient barony, is
an enchanting place, described in Ayrshire folklore as the dwelling of elves and
fairies.
With scenes such as these, it is easy to see how such tales came to be told,
especially if one wanders there in the gloamin' and hears the sounds of
approaching night.
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Lynn Falls - William Robertson, in
his 1899 "Tales of Ayrshire," relates the story of "The Wraith of Lord
Lyne," in which the young Lord Lynn's death was foreseen by his mother, Lady
Lynn, and his body was later found at the foot of the falls. |
Our photo
was taken from a poor vantage point.
A stunning view, taken by Steven Clarke of Irvine,
can be seen at:
http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/gallery/wdc_gallery/Lynn_Falls_Dalry_14th_October_007.
Views from about 1915 were imaged by Armour Hamilton and
can be seen here:
http://home.clara.net/douglaswmartin/Olddalry/olddalry.html.
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A
Stone Column in Lynn Glen
is
the only structure remaining that may have belonged to the Lords of Lynn in
Dalry. The path on the east bank of the Caaf Water connects with an
old unpaved and unused road that once led to the location of the Lynn manor,
or perhaps to Lynn Castle itself. Both dwellings are gone now, the site of the manor
marked only by a mound. The exact location of the castle is unknown, but it
was described by George F. Black, Ph.D., in his "Surnames of Scotland," as
being near Lynn Falls. This stone column likely was once one of a pair,
standing on either side of the road and forming a gate to either the manor
or the castle before it. |
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High Lynn Farm - The present-day farm is owned by
others. The view yet conveys a sense of the beauty of the ancient
barony. |
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Lynn Bridge -
The bridge spans the Caaf Water at its narrowest point. It undoubtedly has
seen many repairs, or has been rebuilt entirely, since the Lynns owned the
barony. Its name, nevertheless, recalls the family of old. |
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Lynn Toll -
Also post-dating the Lords of Lynn, this planter set on a walk not far from the Glen apparently was once part of the Lynn
Toll booth. |
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Lynn Avenue -
This Dalry street memorializes the Lynns of that Ilk, who were
Lords of Lynn and Superiors of Highlees. |
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Highlees
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Highlees Mount |
Highlees Farm |
A Highlees Field |
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This
lovely property lies just south of
the village of Dundonald. The name has been thought to refer to a nearby religious site, with "highlees" being a corruption of the word "holy."
However, since the word "lea" is the Scots word for grassland or
pasture and these fields crest above the surrounding countryside, a much more reasonable view is that the name is a rendering of
the descriptive language "high leas."
Highlees was owned by the Lords of Lynn, also known as the Lynns of that
Ilk, for a period of at least 200 years beginning about 1452. The first Lord of
Lynn of record was Andrew, who in that year chartered Highlees to William
Hunter of Arnele. It appears that Hunter was a vassal of the Lynns since the
charter grants Highlees to him "for services rendered and to be rendered." From that time until about 1700, whenever chiefship passed in either family,
the charter was renewed by the then chief of the Lynns of that Ilk.
The present-day farm is situated on the opposite side of Highlees Mount. |
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