INTRODUCTION TO KINNAIRD (KINNARD, KENNARD) CHAPTER

By Alta K Patterson

Our family data states that the spelling of my ancestor's name is "Kinnaird" from Scotland. Kinnaird supported the "Pretender" and it was in the attempt to free Scotland from England, when the Scots were hopelessly defeated, that he was deprived of lands and the income therefrom. Because of financial ruin and possible punishment, he went to Northern Scotland for a short time, then to the Ulster part of Ireland, leaving his ancestral home the, Kinnaird Castle.

The story of the spelling of the name is that they changed it to a simpler spelling of "Kennard" when coming to America, possibly because of entries by clerks. However an old Scotch schoolmaster scolded them for not keeping the original spelling of "Kinnaird". One of the brothers went back to it another compromised by spelling it "Kinnard" and the third kept the Kennard spelling - and this was my ancestor, RICHARD KENNARD.

His descendants continue the three spellings to this date.

My second cousin (our grandfathers were brothers) gave me the Scottish background which she had obtained first hand from her grandfather. I subsequently went about establishing proof on the names of wives, dates of birth and death, etc. which she had given me and have found them documented in wills, land transactions and marriage records which confirmed her information.

Before my visit to Scotland I corresponded with several agencies in Scotland and Ireland. Among them were:

'The Scots Ancestry Research Society", 4A North St., David St., Edinburgh

The Registrar General's Office, New Register House, Edinburgh, sent me the names of four professional genealogical searchers and I promptly wrote to one, Mrs. Eves Walton and engaged her to start searching.

On my first stop in Edinburgh Mrs. Walton met me at my hotel, July 1st, 1962, and we spent some time in the Public Library. However since none of their books of records were indexed, I found searching there unrewarding. Mrs. Walton advised me that the Mormon Library at Saltlake, Utah, USA, had Photostatted every record in the library there.

On my return visit to Edinburgh, a few weeks later, I hired a car with driver and we drove North to Stirlingshire County. We first visited Kinnaird House, Larbert parish, 4.5 miles North of Falkirk, in Kinnaird Village. Kinnaird village is inhabited principally by colliers and operatives connected with the industries of the populous region around Carron Iron Works.

Kinnaird House sets about half a mile off the highway, on extensive private grounds of trees and grass meadows beautifully kept. It is a graceful three-storey structure in this beautiful setting.

Here we met Mrs. M. Bell, who with her husband takes care of the place, and with whom I had corresponded. She welcomed us and invited us to see the inside of the house. The house was being used as a storage place by the Belsdyke Hospital of Falkirk, mostly chairs and tables, and is owned by Scotland Civic Defense. Mrs. Bell informed me that all the records pertaining to the house had been placed in the Library of Falkirk. Copies of these records I later ordered and bought from the Library.

The house was used at one time by Polish troops during the Second World War when the Germans were overrunning Poland. (Excerpt from Scotland History): "Scotland provided a haven for children evacuated from danger zones in England, while Norwegian, Polish and other countries overrun by Germans, found on Scottish soil the facilities to reorganize and retrain in order to meet the enemy once more."

The woodwork inside the house was of beautiful hand carved and inlaid woods with an ornately carved ceiling. Two 6ft or more, wide curved staircases descended from the second storey to the large parlor which was papered with heavy embossed maroon leather all in perfect condition.

Mrs. Bell commented on the staircase down which James Bruce Kinnaird was escorting an elderly lady, who had attended his dinner party, when he fell and died the next day.

On reading the Book "Traveler Extraordinary", The life of James Bruce Kinnaird" by J.M. Reid, I found this paragraph, Page 308: "On April 26th, 1794, there were guests at Kinnaird House. James Bruce was helping an elderly lady to her carriage when he pitched down six or seven steps to the floor. His own weight knocked him senseless and the next morning he was dead". This quotation confirms Mrs. Bell's report to us.

Though I have been unable to make a family connection to this James Bruce Kinnaird, the fact that my father's name was John Bruce Kennard makes this record very interesting to me.

Driving further North to Perth in Perthshire County, we visited Kinnaird castle.

The village is about 2.5 miles West of Inchture, in a parish in the Gowrie district (SE of Perthshire, 3.5 miles NW of Inchture). It occupies a situation among the braes overlooking the Carse of Gowrie, as may have given rise to its name - Kinnaird (Gaelic: Ceann-ard, "high head").

Kinnaird Castle commands extensive views of the Carse and the Fife hills. A strong square tower of freestone, dating probably from the 15th century, it was tenanted for some days in 1617 by James VI, renovated in 1855 and is figured in Dr. R. Chambers' Threiplands of Fingask (Edin. 1880).

Arriving at Kinnaird Castle I found all doors locked and a neighbouring man advised me that the lady, Mrs. Stout, who lived there was on holiday at this time. I was told by Lord Kinnaird on my visit later, that this Castle was sold by the Kinnaird family in 1674 and he showed me the record of this transaction in the book "Peerage of Scotland" giving the Kinnaird family records.

I have copied the data given in the book "The Complete Peerage" Vol. VII, by G.E. Cokayne, and the Kinnairds. This is a brief outline of Kinnaird as compared to the Scotland Peerage Books, which they had at the Edinburgh Library and which Lord Kinnaird had in his own library.

KINNAIRD MANSION (ROSSIE PRIORY) , Inchture, Perthshire

Driving a few miles Southeast we arrived at the private estate Rossie Priory, occupied by Lord Kinnaird (Kenneth Fitz Gerald Kinnaird,) Master of Kinnaird, 2nd but 1st surviving son and heir apparent, born 31 July, 1880. Kinnaird Mansion, Rossie Priory, just a little SE of the Kinnaird Castle and Village, post office Inchture, and 2.5 miles West of Dundee.

I was greeted by a gentleman, who escorted me to a drawing room. I was asked to be seated, while he went up stairs and brought Lord Kinnaird down. He greeted me in a most cordial manner. He informed me that he was 82 years old on this the date of my visit. When I informed him of my Kinnaird family of Scotland background he showed me many family photographs and took down the fifth volume of Belfour Paul's Scottish Peerage and showed where my family might be connected. He led me on a tour of the Mansion, pointing out objects of art and family possessions, including many huge portraits and family statues - busts and full figures. This was truly an impressive Mansion filled with rare objects of art and china. One oil painting was about eight feet square of a hunting scene of his grandfather. He pointed out the portrait of his great grandmother, Frances Anna Georgians Ponsonby, Painted by Sir Francis Grant and engraved.

Upon learning that I had a driver and two friends (Martha Boellner and Gladys Cowan) with me, he invited them in and welcomed them cordially.

It was getting late in the afternoon and I realised that we should leave for our trip back to Edinburgh, as we were scheduled to leave for Dublin, Ireland, the next morning. He seemed very reluctant to let me leave, again calling my attention to some other family item. He escorted us outside to the car. He advised me that the earliest castle of the Kinnaird family was in ruins on the grounds of Rossie Priory and instructed our chauffeur how to drive by it on our way out. He continued to lean into the car to talk and finally was still waving goodbye when we turned out of sight. Lord Kinnaird advised me that an addition had been added to the present structure some years before and at that time they designated the present structure as a Mansion rather than a Castle as before.

An interesting fact is that the oldest castle tower of the Kinnairds is near the newest one, Rossie Priory. It was deserted by the older branch of the family.

The youngest member married the heiress "Moncur" and it was the deed to this property that I saw the various spelling of Kinnaird. The date of the paper was 1177.

The first castle burned in 1650 and "Dremmies" was built. Lord Kinnaird said that in about 1800, everybody was trying to out-build their neighbour, and that the lovely pink brick was used with the white stone tower etc. to build "Rossie Priory" near the little village of Inchture.

Children of the Right Honorable, The Lord and Lady Kinnaird are:
1. Graham, the Master of Kinnaird
2. George, the Honorable
3. Mrs. Anna Scott
4. Mrs. Madeline Gough, wife of Bishop of Barking.
Grandchildren:
Francis Scott, son of Anna
Lucy Gough, daughter of Madeline                           --- DAR Library 4-17-1959

Thus ended the most exciting and rewarding experience of my life. I corresponded with Lord Kinnaird for several years after arriving home but in the last short note he indicated great difficulty in writing as he had a stroke and had to write with his left hand.

Lord Kinnaird told me that his wife had been dead for several years. He said he had a son with family living in Essex and that they were coming the next week to visit him. The butler had explained to me that the Lord had had a sick spell very recently and Lord Kinnaird spoke of it as a slight stroke.

IRELAND

Since my Scottish immigrant is reported to have embarked for America "from the Ulster part of Ireland", I wrote several sources in Dublin and North Ireland soliciting their help in searching their records and made my subsequent visit to Dublin following my time in Scotland.

Contacted by letter were:
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Law Courts Bldg., May St., Belfast
The Registrar General, Register Office, Fermanagh House, Belfast
Ulster-Scot Historical Society, Law Courts Bldg., Chichester St., Belfast.

These offices consulted many of their source materials, such as Registry of Deeds and Journals of the Memorials of the Dead. Their reports were mostly negative and their information was that the name Kinnaird in their records in the 18th century was confined to the two Northern counties of Antrim and was poorly kept and consequently family research was difficult. They gave me a list of Kinnaird wills in their index up to the year 1858 and put a notation at the bottom of the page saying "All above Wills destroyed in Dublin in 1922". I also asked if they had listing of ships or persons leaving North Ireland for America in the early 1700's and was advised they had no records on this.

I wrote to two places in Dublin:
The Public Record Office of Ireland at Four Courts
Office of Arms, Dublin Castlep>

These two places I visited in Dublin. The Office of Arms had no record as early as I needed.

At the Public Records Office at Four Courts, the Deputy Keeper, Mr. C.S. Dunne, who had written to me, spent two hours with me, bringing out every book of the counties I was interested in, and together we searched all of them. None were indexed but due to the early years I needed the listings were short. We found nothing of value. All births and deaths are registered only in the Parishes in both Scotland and Ireland, and there are hundreds of Parishes in each county.

I visited the Genealogical Office of Dublin Castle and learned that none of their records of parishes in the North (Ulster) part of Ireland date as early as I needed. In fact they did not have parish records of anything except very local areas.

The only counties where the name Kinard-Kinear-Kinneer, appears before the year 1740 were: Antrim and Down and in Ahoghill Parish near Ballymena, Antrim Co.

So this knowledge of our Kinnaird background is hereby attested.

(Excerpts from some correspondence & assorted data.)

ULSTER-SCOT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Law Courts Bldg., Chichester St
BELFAST, 1, Northern Ireland
Response:
Dear Mrs. Patterson:
Thank you for your letter of Feb. 6, and for the bank draft to the value of five dollars, a receipt for which is enclosed.

Irish records in the 17th & 18th centuries were poorly kept and consequently family research is more difficult here than in other parts of the United Kingdom. From research, however, it was found that the name Kinnaird was in the 18th century confined to Ahoghill Parish and the surrounding area.

A list of Protestant householders, showed record of five families of the name residing in the Parish in 1740. The name Nathaniel Kinnaird is not recorded. No note was kept of people leaving the country in the 18^th century.

I regret that due to lack of records, I cannot be more helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Miss I. Embleton, Secretary.

List of Protestant Householders, 1740, Ahoghill Parish (ref. P.R.O. N.I.T. 808)
Wm. Kinard - Wm. Kinard - James Kinard - Gloud Kinard - John Kineer
Index to Wills up to 1810 (Nil for Kinnaird)
Kinard, Bernard, Ahoghill 1828         Kinard, Hugh, Connor 1819
Kinard, James, Ahoghill 1779             Kinear, Grizzle, Ahoghill 1736
Kineer James, Ahoghill 1804              Kineer, John, Ahoghill 1831
Kineer, Robert, Gilgorm 1756             Kinnard, Benjamin, Drummaul 1854
Kinnear, James, Ahoghill 1857         Kinneard, Francis, Cloghogue 1792
Kinneer, Andrew, Ahoghill 1732     Kinner, Alex., Ahoghill 1808
Kinner, Patrick, Brocklemount 1796

Note - Above Wills destroyed in Dublin in 1922.

This item I received from the Office of Arms, Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland:

Journals of Memorials of the Dead. (Vol.5, P.177) Co. Down, Donaghadee Parish:
"Here lieth the Body of Elizabeth Alexander, wife to William Kinnard who died 28 May 1759, aged 39 years." (upright slate stone)

(Writing Kinnaird House, I received the following letter from the Caretaker.)

Kinnaird House
Larbert parish,
Falkirk, Scotland. 19th June 1962

Dear Mrs. Patterson,

In reply to your letter which I received. I am sorry that I can't give you any information about the Kinnairds of Kinnaird. As I only came here to live 3 years ago, but I can assure you that it is a wonderful Mansion.

It belongs now to the secretary of state for Scotland and part of my duties here is caretaker and you will be welcome to come and visit us to view the house and I will assist you with all the assistance I can.

I am,