The McCosham House

This is the ruin of a one-roomed house and byre, built at the end of the 18th century. While the Clearances did not directly affect Auchindrain, a nearby township, Killean, was partially cleared.

The lease at Killean was held by a relative of the Duke of Argyll. In 1791, he decided to build himself a large and grand farmhouse. To make room for this, he ‘cleared’ (evicted) several of his tenants.

Some of the refugees from Killean made their way to Auchindrain, where they were allowed to build houses just outside the township’s boundary dyke. Other families eventually moved on, but the McCoshams stayed at Auchindrain until the 1860s.