'Amor Petitur Moras'   Love Endures Delay

Innergellie House is an 18th century mansion which probably incorporates part of an earlier castle.

The house sits back from the coast on the east bank of the Kilrenny Burn, formerly known as the Gellie Burn. When the first building was built on the property is not clear however a low barrel-vaulted basement is clearly much older than the later house and may date from the 15th or 16th centuries. Whether the basement was built in a rectangular or an L-plan tower originally is not known.

Around 1156 Malcolm IV confirmed a charter in which Robert of Scone, Bishop of St Andrews, granted to Matthew, archdeacon of St Andrews and Bishop of Aberdeen, various lands including Rossen, Kinnemont, Kinkellet and Innergelly.

Lands in this area of the south-east coast of Fife were held by Merleswain, Lord of Kennoway and Ardross, son of Colbán and grandson of Merleswain, around this time. His son, also Merleswain, witnessed charters by Richard the Chaplain, Bishop of St Andrews, in the third quarter of the 12th century. Towards the end of the 12th century Merleswain’s son, Waltheof, inherited Ardross, Fethkill and Kennauchy and his possessions also included Kincraig, Sandford and Elie.

Waltheof’s son, another Merleswain, was described as lord of Invergelly and died around 1250 leaving three daughters, Scolastica, Margaret of Ardross and Ela of Ardross. Judging by later references to subdivisions of the lands of Innergellie it is likely that his estates were split into three parts and distributed between his daughters as as co-heiresses.

Margaret of Ardross married Hugh de Pearsby, Sheriff of Roxburgh, and in September 1281 granted the lands of Innergelly to Dryburgh Abbey with the consent of her husband who acted as procurator. This grant was for the benefit of the souls of her and her husband, and the annual rents from the land were to go to William Fraser, Bishop of St Andrews. By 1295 she had married again, this time to Sir John de Soulis or Soules, one of the ambassadors to France who helped arrange the marriage between Alexander III and Yolande de Dreux.

Margaret’s grant to Dryburgh is confirmed by subsequent Bishops of St Andrews however the ownership of other parts of the lands of Innergellie is less clear and they appear infrequently in early records. In 1392 Christiana, sister and heiress of Galfridus de Retray, was granted one twelfth of Innergelly, which possibly represented a quarter part of one of the original thirds, along with one third of Sandford in the barony of Ardross, one third of Ballingall and of Pitgedie, and one twelfth of Balnaves in the barony of Fethkill.

Part of the lands of Innergellie seem to have come into Royal hands by the 14th century as in January 1431 James I confirmed an earlier grant by his late brother, David, Duke of Rothesay (who died in 1402), to Richard de Spaldyne of all of his lands of Lunlethyn, and of Cragon in Angus and all of his lands of Ardaray and Invergelli in Fife.

Another part seemingly had passed to the Leslies of Fethkill as in February 1440 George Leslie, later 1st Earl of Rothes, was served heir to his father, Norman de Leslie, in the eighth part of the lands of Innergilly, valued at twenty shillings yearly in the time of peace and forty shillings in the time of war, which were held from the Bishop of St Andrews. Interestingly these lands are also referred to as one half of Innergellie perhaps suggesting that this represented half of a quarter share.

James II confirmed various lands, including Inuergelly, to James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andrews, in 1452 and in 1479 and 1480 James III confirmed his father’s charter of the same lands including Invergelly to William Scheves, Archbishop of St Andrews.

At some point during the 15th century Richard de Spaldyne or Richard Spalding of Airdrie, Lamlethan and Innergellie sold his part of Airdrie to John Lummysden of Glengyrnoch, a descendant of the family of Lumsdaine of Lumsdaine.

In October 1481 John Lummisdene de Ardery received from James Rinde de Broxmouth the quarter part of the lands of Ardere, the superiority of the lands of Lathame and Redewellis, and the one-sixteenth part of the lands of Innergelly in exchange for the quarter part of the lands of Lunlethin.

In April 1526 William Lundy, as son and heir of Sir John Lundy of Lundy, was granted a precept of clare constat by John Hepburn, Prior of St Andrews, of the eighth part of the lands of Innergelly. In November of that year John Hepburn granted a a precept of clare constat in favour of Isobell Strang, daughter and co-heiress of Walter Strang of Pitcorthy, in a 32nd part of the lands of Innergellye.

Walter Lundy of Lundy received a sasine of the eight part of the town of Innergellie in a charter by James Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, in July 1528. In May 1531 James V granted to John Spens of Maristoun various lands which included the one-sixteenth part of the lands of Innergelly, extending to 3 merks, which John Chalmer of Drumlochy had placed in ward with Archbishop Beaton.

Isobel Strang died in 1533 or 1534 and her part of Innergellie passed to her widower, John Clephane of Carslogie. Her sister, Egidia Strang, also seems to have received a 32nd part of the lands of Innergellie from their father as in 1534 Archbishop Beaton granted to Andrew Wood both parts of a 32nd part of the town of Innergellie that had belonged to Egidia and Isobel and John Clephane. In April 1535 Archbishop Beaton granted to John Cornuelle, burgess of Crail, a twelfth part of the lands of Innergellie which had belonged to his father, William Cornuelle.

David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, granted eight arable acres of Innergelle to John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis, as heir to his grandfather, John Lyon, 4th Lord Glamis, and his great-grandfather, John Lyon, 3rd Lord Glamis, in September 1545. In 1546 or 1547 John Spens of Maristoun sold his one-sixteenth part of the lands of Innergellye, extending to 3 merklands and occupied by Alexander Howesoun, to William Arthour, a citizen of St. Andrews, and his wife, Margaret Mertyne.

By the mid-16th century the Lumsdaine family had evidently added to their Innergellie holdings as in November 1548 John Hamilton, Archbishop of St Andrews, granted a sasine in favour of Thomas Lumisden as heir to his late father, William Lummisdene, in an eighth part and a sixteenth part of the lands of Innergelly, the latter presumably the one-sixteenth part which James Rinde had exchanged with John Lumsdaine in the 15th century.

In 1560 William Barclay of Ryn was served heir to his father, Thomas Barclay, in two part of the lands of Pettarty (probably Pitcorthie or Wester Petcorthy rather than Pittarthie) and a fourth part of the lands of Innergelly, receiving a precept of clare constat by David Erskine, Commendator of Dryburgh. William and Thomas are thought to have descended from the Barclays of Kippo. Wester Pitcorthie is thought to have been used as the dower-house of Innergellie by this time. Margaret Barclay, a daughter of Barclay of Innergellie, possibly Thomas, was married to Alexander Inglis of Tarwald.

William Arthoure, son and heir of William Arthoure and Margaret Martene, resigned into the hands of Archbishop Hamilton the forty shilling lands of Innergelly which his parents had bought from John Spens and which were formerly owned by John Chalmer of Drumlochy, in favour of Chalmer’s son, William Chalmer of Drumloche in April 1570. The following month William Chalmer granted a feu charter of the forty shilling lands of Innergelly in favour of John Spens of Condy and Joanna Arnot, his wife.

Patrick Adamson, Archbishop of St Andrews, confirmed a charter of alienation by Andrew Wod of Strathwittie to William Lundy of Lundy of a 32nd part and half of a 32nd part of Innergellie in June 1582. Later that month James Lummisden of Ardrie and his wife, Euphemia Dowglass, were granted a sasine of the eighth and sixteenth parts of the lands of Innergellye which were formerly held by William Lummisden, rector of Cleisch, and alienated by him to Thomas Lummisden of Ardrie in a charter by Archbishop Adamson.

Towards the end of the 16th century James Lumsden, son of John Lumsden of Blanerne, married the heiress of the lands of Airdrie, presumably also a Lumsden, and from them descended the Lumsdens of Innergellie, Airdrie, Strathvithie and Mountquhannie.

In April 1593 James VI granted to his second cousin, Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, the episcopal revenues from the lands of the Archbishop of St Andrews which included Innergellie. Five years later the King granted to Robert Lummisden, brother of James Lummisden of Ardrie, and his wife, Isobel Cor, various lands including the eight and sixteenth parts of of the lands of Innergellie.

David Lundie of Newhall, heir to his brother, Robert Lundie of Newhall, was granted various lands in March 1603 which included “a quarter and a thirty-second part and two-thirds of another thirty-second part of the lands and vill of Innergellie, in regality of St Andrews, and two thirds of a twelfth of the lands of Innergellie”.

In March 1604 James VI granted a charter to John Erskine, 2nd Earl of Mar, of all the lands which once belonged to the monasteries of Inchmahome, Cambuskenneth and Dryburgh, including “the landis of Pettorthie and Innergellie”, uniting them all into the lordship and barony of Cardross. This was presumably the superiority of those lands. The Earl of Mar was a relation of David Erskine, Commendator of Dryburgh.

Thomas Barclay of Rynd was recognised as heir to his father, William Barclay, in Wester Petcorthy and a quarter part of the lands of Innergelly in March 1608. The house of Innergellie seems to have been situated on this quarter part. William Barclay of Innergelly is listed as a witness in Edinburgh on numerous charters in the first quarter of the 17th century, in particular in connection with the Earl of Glencairn.

In 1611 William Barclay of Innergellie gave his consent to Sir William Anstruther of Anstruther mortgaging the land, town and barony of Anstruther, with the fortalice and manor, to Patrick Black, master tailor to Henry, Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay.

James VI confirmed a charter by the Earl of Mar in March 1617 to his son, Henry Erskine, of the lordship and barony of Cardross which included Pitcorthie and Innergellie.

In July 1618 the Earl of Mar, by then Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, signed a contract with William Barclay of Innergellie according to the terms of which the Earl ratified in William’s favour all the infeftments of the lands of Pitcorthie Wester and the fourth part of the lands of Innergellie and the parsonage and vicarage teinds of the parish of Kilrynnie, with William undertaking to relieve the Earl of all expenses in respect of the kirk of Kilrynnie.

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In February of the following year the King granted to John Scott of Scottistarvet the “decimas garbales et vicarias decimas” lands of Over Caplie alias Thridpairt, the town and lands of Nethir Caplie with the mill and mill lands, and the town and lands of Eister Pitcorthie, which the Earl of Mar had resigned with the consent of William Barclay de Innergillie.

William Barclay married Margaret Borthwick in 1619 and their marriage was commemorated by a triangular pediment carved with that date and the initials W.B. and M.B. The pediment was installed over a gate in the wall to the right of the main entrance to the house and was still visible in 1956.

By this time the house is likely to have been L-plan in form, with a wing extending south from the east end of the main block. It may have been the Barclays who built an octagonal stair tower in the re-entrant angle of the two wings, although it could also date to later in the 17th century.

In 1621, for good service, Williame Berclay of Inuergellie and his wife were granted “sundry parts and portions of the town and land of Inuergellie with the pertinents (except a quarter pertaining to the Abbot of Dryburgh and also excepting a third part of a quarter of the town and lands of Inuergellie pertaining to David Beaton of Balfour)”. This seems to have consolidated a large part of the constituent parts of Innergellie.