THE seat of Miss Grace Hamilton of Barnes, is situated in the parish of Old Kilpatrick and county of Dumbarton. It is about nine miles distant from Glasgow.
The lands of Cochna have been a distinct estate, and known under the present name for many hundred years.
Previous to the end of the twelfth century, Alwin, Earl of Lennox, confirmed to the Church of Kilpatrick, among many other lands, those of "Cochinach." Before 1227 Maldoven, Earl of Lennox, granted this richly endowed church to the Monastery of Paisley. Dufgal, the Earl's brother, who was rector of Kilpatrick, resisted this grant, but was finally obliged to yield; and the Abbot granted him during his lifetime the church, with "half a carucate of land of Cochnach." (1)
Andrew Hamilton of Cochna, who is supposed to have been the eldest son of Andrew Hamilton of Ardoch, a younger son of James Hamilton of Torrance, flourished as a person of note about the middle of the sixteenth century, and acquired considerable estates in Dumbartonshire. He was Provost of Glasgow in 1541, 1553 and 1558, and sat in Parliament for that burgh in 1546. He was for many years governor of the Castle of Dumbarton for Queen Mary, and was engaged in the battle of Langside in 1568, with three of his sons along with the loyalists of their name, in defending the last hopes of their injured and unfortunate Queen. In May 1568 he was charged by Act of the Privy Council to deliver up the "tour and fortalice of Cochno," and Robert Lord Semple was ordained "to pass be himself or his servandis in his name, and tak and intromet with the same tour and fortalice of Cochnocht and keip and use the samyn in our soveranis name." (2) He was dead before 1573, as appears from the treaty of Perth, by which his heirs were specially restored against the forfeiture passed upon him by the party of the Regent. He had a charter of vendition in 1546 from William and Alexander Douchelle of Easter Cochnoch. He was twice married: first, to Margaret, daughter of James Noble of Ferme and Ardarden, and second, to Agnes, daughter of Andrew Crawford of Kilbirney. He had a numerous family, and was succeeded in turn by his sons John and Claud. The latter had a charter of vendition in 1581 of Wester Cochnoch from Robert, brother of James Foulis of Colintown, to him and his wife Margaret Beatoun of Creich in Fifeshire, in liferent, and to their eldest son Claud in fee. Sir Claud, subsequently designed of Craigleith, who married Marjory, daughter of Sir James Edmonstone of Duntreath, sold in 1617 to James, Earl of Abercorn, the lands of Easter and Wester Cochnoch, Belwarthill, Hutchison, Coilheuch, and Hoille. After 1622 no further notice is found of this Sir Claud. Playfair says he went to Ireland, a fact which easily accounts for his being heard of no more. (3)
The representation of the family now devolved upon Matthew Hamilton of Auchintoshan, a younger son of Andrew, first of Cochnay, whose son William Hamilton of Auchintoshan, married Jean, daughter of John Stirling of Law, and was succeeded by his daughter Jean, heiress of Auchintoshan, who married first, Walter Buchanan of Moss, from whom is descended the present representative of the old Cochna Hamiltons, William Cross-Buchanan, son of John Cross-Buchanan of Auchintoshan; second, Moses Buchanan of Cummingsglen, by whom she left one child, Jean, who married in 1700 John Dennistoun of Colgrain.
The Earls of Abercorn did not long retain their lands in Kilpatrick: about the middle of the seventeenth century they sold them to Sir John Hamilton of Orbiston, by whose family they were afterwards feued out into different small estates, (4) and Cochna seems to have been then acquired by the Hamiltons of Barnes.
The family of Barnes are derived from Claud Hamilton, second son of Gawin the seventh of Raploch. He had a charter in 1575 of the lands of Barnes and those of Easter and Wester Kilbowie. The property of Barnes is adjacent to Cochna and near the river Clyde.
From this Claud Hamilton is directly descended the present representative of the family, Miss Grace Hamilton. (5)
After the Hamiltons of Barnes acquired Cochna, they resided upon it, but not in the old house of the Hamiltons of Cochna, of which no traces now remain. The house of Cochna, as it now stands, was built in 1757, and added to in 1842.
(1) Origines Parochiales.
(2) Reg. Priv. Council, Vol. I., p. 626.
(3) Dennistoun MS.
(4) Irvine's Dumbartonshire.
(5) House of Hamilton.
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