Lemlair House

Lemlair House is a mansion house in the parish of Kiltearn, Ross-shire, in the Highland council area of the Scottish Highlands.[1]

Entrance to Lemlair House

History

A 17th century manuscript of the Clan Mackenzie claims that the Mackenzies burnt the Clan Munro lands of Lemlair in the aftermath of the Battle of Logiebride in 1597.[2] The lands of Lelmlair were made into a barony direct from the Crown in 1643 for Colonel John Munro of Lemlair who was a leading supported of the National Covenant and who opposed Charles I of England's church innovations.[1] In 1738 the lands of Lemlair reverted to the chief of the Clan Munro and later went through a period of Mackenzie ownership when it was connected with the neighboring Mountgerald.[1] It was later bought back by another member of the Munro family.[1]

The name "Lemlair" is thought to come from the Gaelic for "a bare place suitable for grazing horses".

Rebuilding

In 1859, it was bought from Sir Charles Munro of Foulis by "Red John" Munro and it was Red John's grandson, another John, who rebuilt it into the present mansion with its internal fittings featuring the Munro eagle in 1876. He moved into the house in 1879 and it has had only three owners since then.

Lemlair today

The mansion is set in 6 acres (24,000 m2) of grounds. The building features a Rennie Mackintosh tiled fireplace and mantelpiece, a snooker room, a tiled-floor veranda overlooking the firth, a tennis court, eight bedrooms, stained-glass windows and Munro clan features such as a fireplace depicting the famous eagle emblem. The house has recently been extensively refurbished including exterior woodwork to bring the house back to original standard.

The area boasts excellent fishing, shooting and stalking and countryside walks.

References
  1. Munro, R.W (1987). Mapping the Clan Munro. Edinburgh: Clan Munro Association. Printed by Lindsay & Co Ltd.
  2. MacPhail, James Robertson Nicolson (1914). Highland Papers. 2. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. pp. 35–36. MacPhail's 1914 book contains a transcript of John Mackenzie of Applecross's 17th century MS History of the Mackenzies


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