: A while ago Tom wrote: "The earlist
: "Ayrshire" Caldwell I have mention of is
: Richardus mentioned 1379. Also Patrick or Peter
: Caldwell m Isobel in reign of Robt II "Petrus
: (Patricus) Caldwell carta Petri Caldwell de tenus de
: Colgrieve 1412 carta from Sir Adam Fullarton of
: Crosbie in his favour of lands of Sottishaw (now
: called Gaylis) dated Irvine 1391(??)" Tom
: Caldwell 2/28/02

: Tom has posted here the research of Lesley Gordon, who
: found documentation of a Caldwell associated with land
: owned or entrusted as a prebend to support the
: Monastery at Paisley, Renfrewshire, in the late 1200s.

: In his book, History of Renfrew (1710), Andrew Craufurd
: (an Ayrshire spelling) mentions that a Caldwell clan
: had straddled the border of Ayr and Renfrew since the
: 1200s, aand that an heiress to the Caldwell Estate
: married a Gilcrist More in 1332.

: It is undisputed that a William Cauldwell of Renfrewshire
: was the Lord High Chancellor of Scotland between
: 1349-1354.

: Tom Caldwell has posted information indicating some of
: the earliest Caldwells acquiring land in Ayrshire were
: connected to Adam Mure of Caldwell, at present day
: Uplawmoor, East Renfrewshire. He wrote: "The
: preamble to the grant of Kempisland January 22, 1496
: runs: "Instrument of Sasine given by the noble
: knight Sir Adam Mure of Caldwell, through his
: procurator William Balye, of the lands of Kempisland
: lying in the parish of Largs and county of Ayr, in
: favour of Thomas Caldwell son and heir apparent of
: Robert Caldwell of Todrigges, before these witnesses,
: Alexr. Boyd, John Reid, James Boyd, Robert Ryburn and
: others."

Yes,

Gaylis is now called Gailes and it is located on the coast the south side of the Irvine River and well into the "South Ayrshire" Caldwell territory. It also is literally within a "stone's throw" of the then residence of the Stewart Kings of Scotland.

Todrigges is now known as Todriggs and is a property that stil exists on the south bank of the Irvine River just to the west of Kilmarnock.

There is a strong long-term history of Caldwell families owning farms from Kilmarnock to the coast on the south bank of the Irvine. Caldwell's are also found in the Ayr valleys and in smaller numbers south of Ayr in the Carrick River valleys (generally poorer country). Of course there is the strong showing of Caldwells inthe Beith-Kilbarchan area extending into Paisley and around through Neilston to Lugton.

I think that it is very obvious that there are two distinct areas of habitation of the Caldwell families - they obviously knew of each other and probably inter-acted through the connection with the Mures.

The Stewarts had land in both these areeas and in fact all areas that are associated with the Caldwell family. This leads me to believe that the earliest association with a patron family was through the Stewarts.

I am not denying the Mure link and it is also noteworthy that the Mures held Rowallan near Kilmarnock, Polkelly (their original) near Fenwick, Caldwell near Lugton (regarded as the "superior") Coudham between Lugton and Neilston and Glanderston to the east of Neilston.

At one stage the Mure's were regarded as the wealthiest family in Scotland whereas the Caldwell's were middle to poor farmers.

The Caldwell family may have originated at Caldwell but there is no doubt that they also have been present in the sourthern parts of Ayrshire for a very long time. I am personally not convinced that there was a welling up of Caldwell's from one single source but rather there were a number of originating families in the Ayrshire area.

Consequently the name must have meant something more than an ubiquitous run of cold wells. I presently think that the family name means "Lowland Welsh" and this would fit very well with a group of farmers of the old stock who were located in the lowlands of Ayrshire/Renfrew Strathclyde.

The strongest case for this is the castle built by Freskin (from Ayrshire) in Speyside called Galdwalls Castle - very obviously a castle built by the Lowland Welsh in the highlands.

Tom