Sir William Adair of Kinhilt was born circa 1500 in Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom to Ninian Adair (1470-1525) and Katherine Agnew (1469-1575) and died circa 1575 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Helen Kennedy (1507-1572) 1530 JL in Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Background
During the reign of James V, William Adair married Helen Kennedy (1507-1572) of Maybole, County Ayershire, Scotland. Helen was of the ancient clan of Kennedy, and her grandfather David Kennedy, just like William Adair’s grandfather Alexander, was slain along with the king at Flodden Field. David was a great-great grandson of King Robert III.
In fact, Helen Kennedy could trace her descent from kings Robert II, Robert Bruce, and other ancient kings of Scotland through at least a couple of lines. Likewise, she was descended in several ways from William the Conqueror, and consequently Hugh Capet and other French kings. Her pedigree included Edmund II “Ironside,” who ruled Saxon England and struck the deal with the Viking Canute. As a result, she ties in with Alfred the Great and all of the other ancient kings of England and Wessex. There were even noble ties on Helen’s mother side, who was of the great clan Campbell.
Such royal blood was considered extremely important in medieval nuptials, and the Adair family would have been thrilled with such an alliance. William Adair and the former Helen Kennedy had a son in 1531 in Kinhilt. The boy was named Ninian, after his grandfather Adair, his uncle, and the great Scottish saint. After all, Scotland, including the Adair household, was still very much Catholic in the 1530’s.
However, the beliefs of this family and their countrymen were about to change. Mary Queen of Scots spent much of her childhood with her mother’s family in France. Her husband became the King of France in 1559, and she ruled as the French queen until his death in 1560. The following year she returned to Scotland. However, while Mary was away in Catholic France, her own country had changed dramatically. The Adair Family as well as much of Scotland were becoming quite Protestant in beliefs.
Research Notes
His grandson William got heavily into debt, and in 1620 agreed an exchange with Hugh Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, one of the undertakers of the Plantation of Ulster, whereby some of the Adair lands at Kinhilt, including Dunskey Castle, were exchanged for newly-settled lands at Ballymena in County Antrim.
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
Marriage and Family
Married Helen Kennedy (1507-1572), daughter of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis.
- Isabel Adair (1529-1568)
- Ninian Adair (1531-1608) - heir to Kilhilt Tower estates in Portpatrick.
- John Adair (1533-1600) - "Rev"
- Patrick Adair (1535-1594) -
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Isabel Adair (1529-1568) | |||
| Ninian Adair (1531-1608) | 1531 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 16 May 1608 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | Elizabeth Gordon (1535-1608) |
| John Adair (1533-1600) | |||
| Patrick Adair (1535-1594) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| William Adair (1500-1575) | 1500 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | 1575 Kilhilt Tower, Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, Scotland, United Kingdom | Helen Kennedy (1507-1572) |
Residences
See Also
- William Adair
- Adair Family
- Adair Family Ancestry
- Adair in Wigtownshire
- William Adair of Kinhilt - Geni.com
- William Adair at thePeerage