Strathendrick, and its inhabitants from early times

AUCHENECK
219
Mr. MacNair at once set himself to improve his estate by planting, draining,
fencing, road making, and bridge building, and finally he erected a comfortable
mansion. There is no place in the parish of Drymen that has been so much
changed and improved as Aucheneck during the last seventy years, and to
Mr. MacNair belongs the credit of, so to speak, the discovery and civilization
of this beautiful estate. 1
We have already enumerated and tried to describe the lands Mr. Wilson
bought from Mr. MacNair's trustees; he has, however, since he acquired Auch-
eneck, considerably added to it by the purchase of —
I. The south portions of Finnick-Malice. These he purchased in 1873 from
the trustees of the late John Todd of Finnick-Malice. They are bounded on
the west partly by Gartacharan and partly by other parts of Finnick-Malice ;
south by the estate of Aucheneck, east by the lands of Finnick-Drummond, or
Laigh Finnick, and north by other portions of Finnick-Malice.
II. Part of the lands of Finnick-Drummond, or Cunninghame, or Laigh
Finnick. These Mr. Wilson acquired from the Duke of Montrose in 1879.
They are part of Finnick-Drummond lying on the south-west side of the turnpike
road leading from Drymen to Glasgow, and are described as "portions of the 20
merk land of Finnick-Drummond Offerance."
III. Part of the lands of Croy Leckie. This small piece of land was sold
by Mr. Blackburn's trustees to Mr. Wilson ; it lies on the west side of
the Drymen Road and north of Craighat Cottage between Carnock Water and
the road.
Since Mr. Wilson bought Aucheneck he has built a large addition to the house,
and continued in excellent taste the work of improvement which Mr. MacNair
began.
Aucheneck is full of interest. There are few fairer prospects in the West of
Scotland than that from the windows of the house looking towards Loch
Lomond and the Highland hills, and from the top of the Caldon Hill there is
an unrivalled view of the surrounding district. In the Glen, through which the
Carnock flows, there is a very fine waterfall and many other points of beauty,
and to the antiquarian it is interesting to find on Aucheneck traces of another
of the many chapels which were dedicated in Strathendrick to the blessed
1 Mr. M'Nair married Janet, daughter of Andrew Ranken, merchant in Glasgow, and had
issue (1) Andrew, who married Helen Maude, and died leaving two daughters; (2) Hannah,
now the wife of Charles Gairdner, LL. D. ; (3) Jemima Janet, now deceased, the wife of General
David Macfarlane; (4) James Alexander, died young; (5) Anne, the wife of John Macfarlane, late
of the Civil Service, India ; (6) John Frederick, married Veronica Pugh ; and (7) Elizabeth Dunlop,
who married the Rev. Henry Wallis Smith, now deceased.