Note 285 — 178 CAPTAIN CAR, OR, EDOM O GORDON

The making Gordon burn a house of the Hamiltons, who were of the queen’s party, is a heedless perversion of history such as is to be found only in ‘historical’ ballads. The castle of Hamilton had been burnt in 1570, “and the toun and palice of Hamiltoun thairwith,” more than a year before the burning of Towie, but by Lennox and his English allies. (Diurnal of Occurrents, p. 177.)

“The old castle of Loudoun,” says the Rev. Norman Macleod, “was destroyed by fire about 350 years ago [that is, about 1500]. The current tradition regarding the burning of the old castle ascribes that event to the clan Kennedy at the period above mentioned, and the remains of an old tower at Achruglen, on the Galston side of the valley, is still pointed out as having been their residence.”