1st Laird: William Venator (William The Hunter)
William was from Normandy and was named in a document of the Royal court of David Prince of Cumbria soon to be King David I of Scotland (ca 1116) together with Hugh de Morville and other men of rank or importance.
2nd Laird: Norman Venator (Hunter the Norman)
Received Grant of Land from King Malcolm IV of Scotland.
3rd Laird: Venator (The Hunter)
Named in charters of King Alexander II
4th Laird: John Huntar
Witness to a Deed of 1233 as Jon Deo Venator (Glasgow Church Records)
5th Laird: Ardneil (Arnele) Hunter
Ardneil Bay extends from West Kilbride towards Portencross on the South-Side of the Hunterston Peninsula. Ardneil led the Clan at the Battle of Largs (1263) fighting for King Alexander III. It is believed that the Viking owner of the Hunterston Brooch may have lost it at this time.
6th Laird: Norman Huntar
Dates Uncertain
7th Laird: The Huntar
Dates Uncertain
8th Laird: Aylmere Le Huntar (Del Counte de Are ~ of the County of Ayr)
Aylmere was one of the Magnates Scottiae who, like the majority of those of Norman descent settled in Ayrshire, signed the noted submission to King Edward I of England, known as the RAGMAN ROLLS. These documents referred to the question of succession to the Scottish Crown, between King Edward and Balliol. It was signed in Berwick-on-Tweed on 28th August 1296. (More details can be found in the Hunterston Library.)
9th Laird: Huntar, Son of Aylmere
Dates Uncertain
10th Laird: William Huntar
William was granted the lands of Ardnell by Royal Charter from King Robert II of Scotland on 2nd May 1374, "for his faithfull service rendered and to be rendered". This Document is still in the possession of the family and is on display at Hunterston castle. The name of his son is unknown but his grandsons were William (12) and John. Died 1436.
11th Laird: Huntar
Dates Uncertain Died 1447, 2 children
12th Laird: William Huntar
Grandson of William, the 10th Laird. William is the next Laird on record. He paid 11 years 'Blench ferme' which is accounted for in the Exchequer Roll for 1447. The next remaining charter in the possession of the family concerns the transfer of land at Highlees (near Dalry) to William Hunter from Andrew Lyn of that Ilk, for services rendered, dated last day of February 1452. William was hereditary keeper of the Royal Forest of Little Cumbrae in 1453. He died in 1454 while his son was still a minor. William's brother John assumed the role of regent for two years. John also held the offices of Forester of Arran and Forester of Cumbrae.
13th Laird: Archibald Huntar
Laird of Ardneil-Huntar and Campbelton. He took over the Estate in 1456. He married Margaret Kerr on the 14th June 1462. His uncle John retained the title of hereditary forester. He died in 1487.
14th Laird: John Huntar of Ardneil and Hunterstoune
Married Margaret, daughter of John, 2nd Lord Cathcart, on the 13th June 1505. John was called before the Court of Justices in Ayr to answer a charge of estimated arrears concerning payment of feus and land taxes. He produced the Charter granted to his ancestor, before the Court, showing that his lands were held in Blench of the Crown on payment for one silver penny and after validation of the charter was exonerated from all claims. John was killed leading the Clan at the Battle of Flodden on the 9th of September 1513 in the service of the Crown of Scotland.
15th Laird: Robert Huntar of Huntarstoune
A minor when his father fell, he inherited on 6th May 1515. He married Janet, (known as Lady Huntarstoune), daughter of John Montgomerie. Robert sold a large amount of Hunter Land in Forfar and other distant parts of Scotland and bought more land in Ayrshire, near to the main Estate. He over-saw the building of the great hall extending the living space in the castle. In 1542 he was granted a license by King James 5th permitting his absence from the Wars, '"he being weak and tender of complexion and troubled with sickness and infirmity." provided he sent his son in his place. He died in 1546. There are a large number of papers in the possession of the family, in connection with the land transfers.
16th Laird: Kentigern (Mungo) Huntar
As his father's health was dwindling so the powers and titles were transferred. Married to Marion, daughter of James Hamilton, of Torrance, Co. Lanark. He took the clan to assist with "'our sovereign lady's army at Dumbarton on the 11th of July 1545, at the siege of the Castle." Mungo died at the faith and peace of Queen Mary under her standard at the Battle of Pinkie 10th of September 1547 together with an unknown number of clansmen during a preliminary skirmish on the hill of Fallside. Mungo's brother-in-law, John Crawford, was also killed with him. Mungo had two sons, Robert and John. Marion continued to live at Hunterston for 48 years.
17th Laird:Robert Huntar
An infant at his father's death, Robert inherited in 1548. He was one of the Ayrshire gentlemen who signed a Bond to defend the reformed religion in September 1562. In these troubled times of religious conflict this could have been the signing of his death warrant and the expulsion of the family as it was considered treason against the Ruling Monarch. He married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Crawford. They had 4 daughters and 1 son, he died in 1580
18th Laird: Robert Hunter
A minor under the charge of his uncle John in 1580. He inherited in 1609. He married Margaret Peibles and died in 1616 leaving no children and settled the Estate on the husband of his niece, Jean Cunningham nee Hunter.
19th Laird: Patrick Hunter
Laird and co-heir on marrying Jean Cunningham (her mother was Robert Hunter's sister) they took the Hunter name. They had three sons: Robert, Henry & Francis, and two daughters. A large part of farm-land was sold that was distant from Hunterston to consolidate the Estate. Patrick died in 1665 aged 74.
20th Laird: Robert Hunter
Robert entered Glasgow University in July 1627. He married twice, first to Elizabeth Crawford in 1635 and second to Marion Cunningham in 1649. He had five children by his first wife: Patrick, Robert, James, Hugh & Jean. (James had a son Robert who was Governor of Virginia and New York from 1709-1719)
21st Laird: Patrick Hunter
His title was ratified by King William III in 1698. He died in 1699. Having married Marion Cunningham of Longmuir in 1662 they bore seven children: Patrick, Henry, John, Dorothea, Marion, Anne & Margaret.
1699-1710. Unfortunately Patrick alienated a considerable portion of the Estate. It is thought to have been caused by gambling debts. He married Marion Crawford and they had ten children: Patrick, Robert, Thomas, Henry, David, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Marion, Dorothea and Margaret.
It appears from family records that Patrick was forced by his sons to hand over the estate to them before his death in 1738. His eldest son Patrick was legally conveyed the income from the lands on January 1729 and on the Patrick's ( son ) premature death in 1732 his brother Robert succeeded to the post.
Best described by a noted historian as a "true Scottish Baron of the genuine age of Baronage". Robert took over the estate in December 1732 on the death of his elder brother. He married Janet Atchison daughter of a Glasgow merchant. They had five children: Thomas and Patrick both sons who died in infancy, two daughters who later died unmarried and the remaining daughter Eleanora, succeeded her father who died in 1796 aged 86.
24th Laird: Eleonora Hunter
Born in 1764 she inherited the title in 1796 and married her cousin, Robert Caldwell *, who assumed the surname of Hunter. Her new husband Robert Caldwell Hunter had accumulated some wealth in American shipping and following the birth of their first son they started to build larger living quarters to be known as Hunterston House in 1799. They also started draining the marshes that surrounded the castle to open up the land to agriculture. Robert died in 1826 and Eleanora followed in 1851 leaving 7 children.
* Robert Caldwell was born from the marriage of Margaret Hunter, the 22nd Lairds youngest, to a Robert Caldwell from Larne, Co. Antrim in Ireland..
Born in 1799, Robert was the eldest son and the last Laird born in the castle. He was to become a magistrate, an advocate at the Scottish Bar and also deputy lieutenant of the county. He continued with the good work started by his father. He enlarged the new house, which had been built in the Georgian style, and drained large areas of marshland on the Estate to create some of the finest arable farming land in the West of Britain. He married Christian Macknight Crawford in 1836 and had two daughters, Jane and Eleonora, but no sons. He died in 1880.
I have added this photo as it helps explain the Hunter - Cochran Patrick relationship.
A family photo on the steps of Hunterston House taken in 1871
from the left is Robert Hunter, 25th Laird. Jane Hunter, his daughter and 26th Laird, behind her Gould-Weston, her husband, in front her two children Aylmer, 27th Laird and Reggie who left for New Zealand. The child on the right is Arthur Cochran Patrick, their cousin who died young, behind is Christian Hunter wife of Robert, then Robert William Cochran Patrick and his wife Eleanora, Jane's sister and the other daughter of Robert 25th Laird.
Born in 1837, the elder daughter of Robert. Lady Justice of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Was married in 1863 to Lieutenant Colonel Gould Read Weston who had a successful career in Her Majesties Indian Army, surviving the siege of Lucknow in 1847 and gaining the D.S.O..
She was the 2nd wife of Gould.
Jane completely managed the estate and proved herself a very competent Laird.
General Sir Aylmer, born in 1864, had a most distinguished army and political career. He married Grace Strang-Steel from Selkirkshire in 1905. He achieved his rank in the army and served as Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire in 1916-1918 and for Buteshire and N. Ayrshire 1918-1935. After the war there was a time of depression and Aylmer gave employment to around 100 of his ex-regiment in estate improvements, he commissioned Sir Robert Lorimer, architect, to carry out alterations and improvements to Hunterston house and Castle during 1913-1916.
He died in 1940 and Lady Hunter-Weston followed in 1954, leaving no children. His younger brother, who had emigrated to New Zealand, had no interest in taking up the reigns..
The hereditary title passed back to the family of Eleonora Hunter, the sister of Jane. Eleanora had married a Robert William Cochran-Patrick in 1866. He was an M.P. for Bute and North Ayrshire ( 1880-1885 ) and the Under Secretary of State for Scotland ( 1897-1892 ). They had two children: William, who died while a student at Cambridge University in 1891 and Eleonora who married Neil Kennedy of Underwood in 1895 later to become Sir Neil James Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick K.B.E.
Eleanora and Sir Neil had four children: William John Charles (d.1933), Eleonora (28th Laird), and twins Margaret Hamilton (d.1982) and Kathleen Agnes (d.1985).
She was born in December 1899 as Eleanora Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick. She took over running the Estate after the General died in 1940. She assumed the name Hunter and was granted the arms of Hunter of Hunterston in 1954. She lived and farmed at Hunterston most of her life. She died in January 1984.
In 1969, at the age of 70, she handed over the estate to her nephew Neil who was the only son of her elder brother William.
William John Charles Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick born in 1896 was decorated in the 1914-18 war, as a pilot, he was awarded the D.S.O. & M.C. and Bar. But for his accidental death while flying in South Africa in 1933 he would have been the next Laird.
Born 1926 as Neil Aylmer Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick. Neil was a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's Royal Bodyguard for Scotland. He was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron and won a silver medal in the Melbourne Olympics 1956 for sailing yachts.
He married Sonia Furlong in 1952 and they had one daughter and six sons. Their family comprise: Pauline ( present Chief ), Charles,
Robert, Nigel, John, Angus and Richard.
Neil assumed the name of Hunter and was officially recognised by Lord Lyon King of Arms in the name of Hunter of Hunterston in 1969. He matriculated the Arms in 1970 to become the 29th Laird. He
inherited the title of Hereditary Forester from his Aunt. He passed away in 1994.
Madam Pauline Hunter of Hunterston
and of that Ilk
30th Laird of Hunterston
Recognised as Chief of Clan Hunter and
30th Laird by Lord Lyon in 1995.