HISTORY
The earliest appearance of the name Cathcart is found in a Register from the year 1178, when Rainaldus de Kethcart was a subscribing witness to a grant by Alan, the son of Walter Dapifer Regis (Walter Fitz-Alan), of the patronage of the church of Cathcart to the monastery of Paisley. This Register is now housed in the National Library, Edinburgh.
About 1150, David I, King of Scotland, granted Walter Fitz-Alan, a comrade-in-arms from his youth in England , the lands of Renfrewshire and part of Ayrshire. King David also appointed Walter Fitz-Alan hereditary High Steward of Scotland. As such, Walter became the progenitor of the Royal house of Stewart. The Fitz-Alans, originally from Bretony (Brittany), were Normans who had settled in Shropshire on the Welsh Border. All who followed William of Normandy were known as Normans.
When Walter moved north from Shropshire, he was accompanied by five "lesser" Knights, all of Norman-Breton extraction. Among these Knights were Robert de Wallensis, great grandfather of Sir William Wallace; Robert de Brus, great grandfather of Robert the Bruce; ___ de Baliol, great grandfather of John Baliol; and Rainaldus.
Unfortunately, beyond this, we know nothing of Rainaldus.
Surnames were generally adopted in the 12th Century and Rainaldus (latinized
form of Reginald or Ronald) assumed the name and title Cathcart, although he
spelled it Kethcart. There have been other spellings of the name since, Cathkert,
and now Cathcart.
Dr. William Cullen A
Letter to Lord Cathcart, President of the Board of Police in Scotland,
Concerning the Recovery of Persons Drowned and Seemingly Dead
London: 1776
Cathcart
and Langsdale: Interesting history.
Excert from Dumure Castle: ...The castle’s legend tells of a supernatural knight who abducted a young heiress and held her captive in the castle. "The knight tells her how he plans to kill her, but she manages to lull him to sleep and stabs him to death with his own dirk." Later this legend comes to life, when May Kennedy from Culzean was abducted from the castle by Sir John Cathcart. Cathcart is supposed to have murdered his wife and apparently was planning on murdering May Kennedy. Luckily May discovered his murderous plans and managed to push Cathcart to his death from cliffs near Carelton Castle, where he lived and still to this day haunts it’s ruins. Once a Kennedy stronghold; Dunure Castle is now a crumbling ruin...