- 1624 Denizen of Ireland
- 1639, 1648, MP for Wigtownshire.
- 1648 Colonel of Horse under General Monck in Ulster
Biography
Robert Beatty Adair was born 1583 in Kilhilt Tower, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom to William Adair (1565-1626) and Rosina Reilly McClellan (1565-1626) and died 1 March 1655 Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland of unspecified causes. He married Jean Edmonstone (1606-1675) 1624 .
Sir Robert Adair (d. 1655) of Ballymena and Kinhilt. Elder son of William Adair (d.1626) and his first wife Rosina, daughter of Sir Thomas McClellan. Made a denizen of Ireland, 1624. MP for Wigtownshire 1639, 1648. He raised a troop for service in Ireland in the 1640s and was commissioned to serve as a Colonel of horse under General Monck in Ulster in 1648; he was knighted about that time.
He was part of the Adair Family in Scotland, but let a contingent of Scotch settlers in the County Antrim in Northern Ireland. For his service he was knighted and awarded a large estate Ballymena in Ireland from which originated another line of Adair descendants.
Kilhilt Tower
Kilhilt was the name of the Adair Family castle / manor home that stood in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in the village of Portpatrick, County of Wigtownshire, Scotland. Nothing remains of the site today. Portpatrick sits on the southwest cost of Scotland and on a clear day you can see Ireland only 21 miles west. In the 17th century, much of the Adair Family moved to County Antrim in Ireland as part of the Ulster Plantation.
- See Also Kilhilt Castle - Stravaiging.com
Ballymena Castle
From a postcard of the early 20th Century.
Ballymena Castle was a large estate located in the village of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The land was first given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a free Saturday market in perpetuity. As of 2018, the Saturday market still runs.
The Adairs were active in helping Scotch settlers settle the "Ulster Plantation" in Northern Ireland. In the 1600s Sir Robert Adair (d. 1655) built Ballymena Castle as a centre for their Irish estates. But a great portion of the Adair Family continued at their main residence in Kilhilt Tower in Wigtownshire, Scotland. For time Ballymena was renamed "Kinhiltshire".
In 1865, one of the key descendants, Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (2nd Baronet Adair) made extensive modifications to the castle. But in the 20th century, the placed was little used, becoming victim to vandalism and arson before being sold and demolished in 1957. The Adairs sold much of the surrounding landholdings to their tenants.
Marriage and Family
- William Adair (1624-1661) -
- Archibald Adair (1625-) - Archibald Adair of Litter, one daughter. (in Scotland).
- Alexander Adair (1626-) - no info
- Robert Adair (1627-) - no info
- Isabella Adair (1629-1678)
- Jean Adair (1631-1675) - married her cousin, the famous minister who helped establish the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| William Adair (1624-1661) | 1624 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 30 November 1661 | Anne Helena Scott (c1625-) |
| Archibald Adair (1625-) | 1625 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | ||
| Alexander Adair (1626-) | 1626 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | ||
| Robert Adair (1627-) | 1627 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | ||
| Isabella Adair (1629-1678) | 1629 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1678 Genoch, County Antrim, Ireland | Patrick McDowall (1627-1699) |
| Jean Adair (1631-1675) | 1631 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1675 Genoch, County Antrim, Ireland | Patrick Cathcart Adair (1625-1694) |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Robert Beatty Adair (1583-1655) | 1583 Kilhilt Tower, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1 March 1655 Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | Jean Edmonstone (1606-1675) |
| William Adair (1591-1684) | 1591 Kilhilt Tower, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1684 Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | Isabel Montgomery (c1598-) |
| Marianne Adair (1593-1630) | 1593 Kilhilt Tower, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1630 Scotland, United Kingdom | William Houston (1575-1631) |
| John Adair (1598-1675) | 1598 Genoch House, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1675 Scotland, United Kingdom | Helen Cathcart (1590-1640) |
| Anna Adair (1599-1670) | 1599 Kilhilt Tower, Old Luce, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1670 Scotland, United Kingdom | Thomas Kennedy (1585-) |
Residences
See Also
- Robert Adair
- Adair Family
- Adair Family Ancestry
- Adair in Wigtownshire
- Adair in County Antrim
- Sir Robert Adair of Ballymena & Kinhilt - Geni.com
- Adair of Ballymena Castle and Flixton Hall, Baronets - Landed Families of England Blog.