This name is frequently spelt ‘Gardyne’, and Black states that a family ‘long of that Ilk’ hailed from the barony of Gardyne in the parish of Kirkdon in Angus. They built a strong and splendid tower, which was extended in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Gardyne Castle is one of the most unusual and attractive examples of Scottish vernacular architecture. The Gardynes seem to have been almost permanently quarrelling with the nearby Guthries, whose even more impressive Castle of Guthrie was only a few miles away. Patrick Gardyne of that Ilk was slain in 1578 by William Guthrie, and in the feud that followed both sides appear to have suffered heavy casualties. There are two accounts of the origin of the feud: according to the Gardyne version, Patrick and his kinsman Robert were slain on Carbundow Moor in 1578, and those deaths were avenged by the killing of Alexander Guthrie in Inverpeffer in 1587 by Thomas Gairden. The Guthrie account holds that Alexander Guthrie was murdered by his cousin, Thomas Gairden of Legatston, and that he was

avenged by his nephew, William Guthrie, who slew the said Patrick. Whatever the cause of the feud, the result was ultimately a victory for the more powerful Guthries and David, the tenth Laird, sold the castle and much of the lands and acquired the estate of Lawton. In 1603 he married Janet Lindsay, daughter of Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell. This family failed in the direct male line and is now represented by Bruce-Gardyne of Middleton. The arms of a black boar’s head on a silver shield are borne by the family of Gardyne of Troup, descended from Gardyne of Banchory. The first Laird of Troup was a son of the house of Banchory who was sent by Charles I to assist Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, during the Thirty Years’ War. He saw distinguished service and remained at the Swedish court until 1654. He returned to Scotland and purchased the lands of Troup in Banffshire, which remain in the family to this day.