URPoint Details
A small coastal place where a ship of the Armada was sunk.
Portencross has been inhabited for thousands of years.
An archaeological dig found evidence of an Iron Age settlement on Auldhill, just behind the castle.
The Iron Age lasted from around 800 BC to 100 BC.
The lands around Portencross were given to the Boyds of Kilmarnock by King Robert I as a reward for their help at the Battle of Bannockburn.
After the 1600s, it was occupied by local fishermen. The roof was destroyed in a gale in January 1739.
By the 20th century, the Adams of Auchenames owned the castle.
It became a scheduled ancient monument in 1955.
- Type:
- Landmark