Historical memoir of the family of Eglinton and Winton

HOUSE OF EGLINTON. 101
of Skelmorlie ? Some revelation may yet disclose
the mystery. Soon after this, however, the barony
of Skelmorlie came into the family of Eglinton —
though by what means is as little known as the
other ; mayhap the unfortunate burning at Eglinton,
in 1528, may be to be chargeable with all this ob-
scurity and inconvenience in the matter.
In 1461, Alexander, the first Lord Montgom-
erie, conveyed " the west part of his lands of Skel-
morlie, in the barony of Cunningham, to his beloved
[second] son George Montgomerie and his heirs,"
to whom he had previously conceded the lands of
Lochliboside and Hartfield in Renfrewshire ; like-
wise, most probably, the extensive region of Loch-
ranzay, with its romantic castle, in the northern
division of the island of Arran. This, the first
Montgomerie baron of Skelmorlie, married a daugh-
ter of the ancient Renfrewshire family of Houstoun,
and was succeeded by his eldest son, John ; which
John married "Marion Dawzel," [Dalzel, most
probably of the ancient family of that surname
in Lanarkshire], and was succeeded by his son
Cuthbert, third baron of Skelmorlie, who married
doubtless his cousin, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir
Patrick Houstoun of that ilk, by whom he had two
sons, George his successor, and Alexander Mont-
gomerie of Portry, in the island of Cumbrae.
Cuthbert was slain at Flodden, September 9, 1513.
George Montgomerie, thus fourth baron of
Skelmorlie, .succeeded his father while under age.
Balfour records of him that in 1545 " The French