The name 'Grenane' is recorded in 1480,[1] however the first detailed reference to Montgreenan is contained in the description of the ancient county of Cuninghame by Timothy Pont[2] in the period 1604–1608.

In it he describes 'Mongrynen Castle' as "…ane old strong Dunijon veil and pleasantly planted ye inheritance of Cuninghame Laird thereof sone to the abott of Kilwinin quho wes brother to James Earle of Glencairne".

[6] Alexander Cunninghame, the Commendator of Kilwinning Abbey, was shot and killed at his gate at Montgreenan by Sir Robert Montgomerie of Skelmorlie (better known for building the Skelmorlie Aisle as his burial place) on 1 August 1586, as a direct result of the assassination of Hugh Montgomerie, 4th Earl of Eglinton at Stewarton in April of that year.

His life was spared, however his lands were forfeited and given to Lieutenant-General Douglas who sold it on to High Stevenson, clerk to the Privy Council.

The ruins of the old Montgreenan Castle or Bishop's Palace lie in a loop of the Lugton Water at its confluence with the Cowlinn Burn.

The name Dunach Brae for the strip of woodlands nearby, suggests that a hill fort or 'Dun'[12] may have been in the vicinity at a much earlier date.

John Smith[13] in 1895 recorded that in the Montgreenan Woods are the remains of a Bishop's Palace, sometimes called a castle, of which little appears to be known.

Mr R. Glasgow, the proprietor, stated in the 1856 Name Book of the Ordnance Survey that the dwelling probably became disused in 1680, when the last Cunninghame of Montgreenan was forfeited.

The details were unclear, but the castle plan seemed to be that of a courtyard with internal buildings on all sides except perhaps the East, where there is a wall running along the edge of the Lugton Water.

[14] The present Georgian mansion with architectural features by Alexander 'Greek' Thompson[16] was built by Sir Robert Glasgow in 1817.

The memorial is formed from glazed fireclay much like that used for wall coping stones and pipes and has the appearance of a corbel laid horizontally.

It appears therefore that John died whilst fighting in the Chattanooga Campaign of November 1863 and being in the Ohio Volunteers he was on the Union side and not a Confederate soldier.

Beside the driveways running to the Montgreenan mansion house from the Lodges are a number of red sandstone pillars, these are milestones.

The 1858 OS map shows a carriage or driveway running from close to the surviving Auchentiber schoolhouse on the Lochlibo road, passed the old Murchland farm site (Murghland in 1747; Murchen is the Scots for a hare) through the Montgreenan plantations, crossing the road near Cavan Mill and finally running on down to Montgreenan house.

It has false windows, diamond / lozenge-shaped embellishments, a thistle on the keystones and raised random patterns and other designs which represent leaves.

The Ness Papers state that the false windows were for the insertion of a coat of arms and that the old coach road ran across this bridge on its way to Cavan Mill and beyond.

[21] The Glasgow and South Western Railway built a station at Montgreenan which opened on 1 February 1878[23] and closed permanently to passengers on 7 March 1955.

Pate was normally a still, dour man, but on this occasion he was highly animated and took the doctor to see the long dead corpse of a 'bonnie lady' lying in a hole in the peat.

It is said that a large part of the monks treasure from Kilwinning Abbey was found at Montgreenan circa 1740 by the laird, consisting of seven crocks of coins, rings, brooches, candlesticks, crosses, necklasses, pomanders, beads, etc.

[27] John Smith in 1895 recorded that a pot of silver coins was found in the Chapel Park, on Montgreenan lands (NS 343 445).