As we approach Hallowe'en, the end of the month where ghosts, witches and even the Devil himself supposedly roam the land, I thought it would be good to mention another legend connected to Ardrossan Castle.

In previous articles, I’ve told you about Sarah Vincent, the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in Saltcoats; and how William Wallace’s ghost is supposed to haunt Ardrossan Castle itself.

But this time, I thought I would tell you of another famous legend with a ghoulish twist and a connection with Ardrossan Castle: The Story of Sir Fergus Barclay, the De’il of Ardrossan.

Apparently, Sir Fergus Barclay was a famed horseman and people would come from far and wide to admire his horse handling skills. But in those days, locals were very wary of people with extraordinary talents. And so, the rumour spread that Sir Fergus was in league with the Devil himself.

The secret to his amazing horsemanship couldn’t possibly be talent - it was obviously a magical bridle given to Sir Fergus by the Devil in exchange for his soul.

As time went by and Sir Fergus grew older, he began to ponder on a future of eternity in Hell and so he met again with the Devil and gave him the impossible task of making ropes from the sand on Ardrossan beach in exchange for getting his soul back.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: The De'il

The Devil agreed, but the more he tried, with dry sand and then wet sand, the more the sand simply slipped through his fingers.

Unable to make the rope, the Devil returned Sir Fergus’s soul and, in a rage, attacked Ardrossan Castle, kicking it violently over and over again with his hooved feet (which may explain the state the Castle is in today).

Legend has it that, to this day, the mark of one of the Devil’s hooves can still be seen, gouged in the rock.

Unfortunately, with his pact with the Devil dissolved, Sir Fergus lost his horsemanship skills. Soon after, his son died in a riding accident and, for some reason not mentioned in the history books, Sir Fergus blamed his wife for his son’s death - and in a fit of grief and rage, he murdered her.

Suffering from deep depression, having killed his wife and lost his son, as well as his fame and fortune, Sir Fergus did what anyone would do in his state – he moved to Isle of Arran.

It was here that he took up residence in Kildonan Tower and soon after, he had a premonition,

Now, I’m not sure what he had against the Irish but his premonition said that if he ever set foot on Irish soil, he would die.

Luckily, he had no intention of visiting Ireland, so he reckoned he would be safe. But one day, as he was walking along the beach, he stopped to admire the view.

As fate would have it, he had stopped on a pile of grass sods which had been used as ballast on an Irish boat. He was now standing on Irish soil.

The premonition had come true and soon after, Sir Fergus died.

His body was sewn into a bull’s hide and, somewhat bizarrely, buried on the Isle of Arran shoreline. Well, I suppose it wouldn’t make a good story if he was buried in the local cemetery.

That night, a storm brewed and a strong tide came ashore and swept the body out to sea. By the next morning, Sir Fergus’s body had floated back to Ardrossan. It must have been a bit of a surprise for the locals but they reburied him in the chapel of Ardrossan Castle.

Now that’s a Hallowe'en story if ever I heard one.

Happy All Hallow’s Eve, folks. Until next time, stay safe – and watch out for the Devil of Ardrossan.