What is recorded here

King James IV raised Kilkerran Castle in 1490 as a garrison to break the power of the MacDonalds, and his son James V strengthened it during a 1536 expedition. The castle became a stage for open defiance when Alexander MacDonald, 5th of Dunnyveg, seized it and hung the governor from the walls while James V watched from the water. That brutal gesture turned a military post into a warning, forcing Alexander to Stirling, where he died in 1538.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Kilkerran Castle as Castle (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Kilkerran Castle was built in the 16th century by the Kennedy family, who were prominent in Ayrshire. It is remembered as a historic seat of the Kennedys of Kilkerran and as an example of Scottish medieval and early modern castle architecture.

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