Many of you asked details about the life and history of Lady Row. Here is a little post I humbly created. Feel free to correct any inaccuracy in the comments.

"Hie oretur in speciali pro Egidia Blair Domina de Row et pro anima Jacobi Kennedy sponsi eiusdem ac pro animabus illorum pro quibus voluit orari

Que quidem Egidia pro orationibus supradictis contulit de pecunia numerata pro constructione huius naue ecclesie aliisque fratrum necessitatibus cxx marcas

Anno Domini 1537"

This little paragraph was written by a Franciscan monk in the city of Aberdeen, far away from Baltersan. It is part of the obituaries reporting the most generous donors to the Abeerden (Grey)Friary, in a text called Necrologia Coenobii S. Francisci.

It translates more or less in: "Let’s pray in particular for Egidia Blair, Lady of Row and the soul of James Kennedy her husband… out of the money was paid, for the construction of this new church and other necessities. A.D. 1537."

Lady Row died in 1530 and the church mentioned was the one built under the direction of the well-known Bishop Gavin Dunbar, preceptor to king James V (father of Mary, Queen of Scots), exactly in 1530 and then demolished in 1903 to make space to Aberdeen University expansion.

It shows how far the generosity of Lady Row extended, even after her death, and the importance of such ‘minor’ figure in the History of Scotland, in the dark years of the anglo-scottish wars, including the clash between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Egidia (or Egedia, Giles in her will) Blair was the eldest daughter of John Blair III of that Ilk (1440 -1513) and Beatrice Mortoun of Ayr (1444-1501).

Egidia married James Kennedy 2nd of Row, 1st Lord of Baltersan and she moved (after 1473) with her husband to his manor in Baltersan.

James’s death is documented in a Charter dated 18th April 1515: Egidia Blair relictae quondam Jacobi Kennedy annui redditus levan de terris baroniae de Dunure.

The charter mention how Egidia was a widow in 1515 and her fortune was linked to the lands of the Barony of Dunure near Ayr. In fact her husband was the second son of Gilbert Kennedy of Dunure, 1st Lord Kennedy (1406 -1478/79). In 1460 on the death of King James II, he was one of the six Regents of Scotland and he held the office of Constable of Stirling Castle in 1466 (Gilbert’s younger brother James was also an adviser to both King James II and James III and as Bishop of St Andrews founded St Salvator’s, the oldest college at Scotland’s first university)

Sir James Balfour described Dunure as "a grate and pleasand stronge housse, the most ancient habitation of the surname of Kennedy, Lairds of Dunure, now Earles of Cassiles. In August 1563, Mary, Queen of Scots, visited Dunure castle for three days."

James IV created the third Lord Kennedy (nephew of James Kennedy of Baltersan) the Earl of Cassillis in 1509 and four years later Kennedy and his king were among the estimated 10,000 Scots who died at Flodden.

Another very famous niece of James was Janet Kennedy, one of the favourite mistresses of King James IV. There is a great book describing her story.

When James died in 1515, both Egidia and her husband were living in Baltersan, in some building (possibly a dwelling-house surrounded by gardens and orchards) that preceded the castle as we know it today.

Egidia died in 1530. She asked to be buried in the nearby Crossraguel abbey. At that time the Abbot of Crossraguel was William Kennedy, son of first Earl of Cassillis we mentioned before, her great-nephew.

Lady Row had no children but her children, in a way, were the church, people in need and the local communities.

In particular she donated to the nearby Abbey of Saint Mary of Crossraguel where she asked to be buried in a fine tomb beneath an ornate window.

In the year in which Lady Row died the abbey was extended with the West part becoming the Lady Chapel, commissioned by Egidia, used by both monks and laity and a tower house built in the South East corner of the complex, which formed the residence of the last abbots and of the Commendators who succeeded them.

Baltersan as we know it was built by the heir of Lady Row. A plaque, now no more readable, stated: “This house was begun the first day of March 1584 by John Kennedy of Pennyglen and Margaret Cathcart, his spouse".

We are inspired by the example of Lady Row that was the first real Lady of Baltersan and her will to guarantee a future for her manor and for community that was growing around it and in a way Scotland itself.

Her will that survived to our days is a strong statement of these ideas:

"Seeing nothing is more certain than death or more uncertain than the hour of death therefore it is that I Giles Blair Lady Row although weak in body yet sound in mind blessed be God make my testament as follows In the first place I give and bequeath my soul to God Almighty and the blessed Virgin Mary and to all saints and my body to be buried in the monastery of Crossraguel in the blessed Virgin's aisle I likewise bequeath four pennies towards the fabric of the church of Saint Mungo And I appoint and ordain for my executors David Kennedy of Penny glen and Sir John Kennedy Prebendary of Maybole and the Reverend Father in Christ William by divine permission abbot and superior of the monastery of Crossraguel."

After describing all her possessions and designing a large number of people as beneficiaries, she wrote:

"I bequeath the residue and remainder of all my goods for building my part of the bridge upon the water of Girvan formerly built by me and if anything remain over and above I bequeath the same to the poor to be laid out at the discretion of my executors This Testament was made at my dwelling house of Baltersyne the last day of August one thousand five hundred and thirty before these witnesses."

We take her example now to rebuild Baltersan and to put it at service of the local and national communities, saving a big portion of Scottish heritage.

Angelo, Laird of Baltersan