The Past Owners

The Early Barony

The history of the Bannockburn estate begins with the medieval Barony of Bannockburn, in part, also known as Ochterbannock. In the early 14th century the lands were associated with the Bisset family, and later passed to the Wallaces and then the Sandilands family through royal charter and inheritance. These early owners were connected to the wider political and noble networks of medieval Scotland, and their tenure helps show that Bannockburn was already a place of significance long before the present house existed.

The Drummonds

By the later 16th century, the estate had passed into the hands of the Drummonds. Under their ownership, the site appears to have been known as Drummond’s Hall, a name shown in early cartographic evidence and remembered in later historical accounts. This is an important clue that a substantial residence stood here before the building of the current mansion. The Drummond period forms a key bridge between the medieval barony and the later development of Bannockburn House as a notable laird’s residence. 

The Rollos

In the early-17th century, control of the estate passed to the Rollo family through the marriage of Catherine Drummond and Sir Andrew Rollo, 1st Lord Rollo. Around the mid-17th century, likely circa 1654 we believe at least some of the present house was constructed, possibly over an earlier tower. Although some details remain the subject of ongoing research, the Rollos are closely associated with the creation of the early mansion that survives at Bannockburn today.

The patersons

The Patersons were among the most important owners in the history of Bannockburn House. Sir Hugh Paterson, 1st Baronet of Bannockburn and Deputy Keeper of the Signet acquired the estate in 1672. Much of the house as we recognise it today is associated with the Paterson period, including our famous plasterwork ceilings. The family is particularly significant because Bannockburn House became a place closely tied to the Jacobite era. Sir Hugh Paterson’s son and grandson supported the Jacobite cause. His grandson, Sir Hugh Paterson, 3rd Baronet of Bannockburn was an MP and Writer to the Signet. Married to the Earl of Mar’s sister, Jean Erskine, he played a critical role in several of the Jacobite Risings including fighting in 1715 at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. In both September 1745 and January 1746 the house hosted Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie. During the 1746 campaign, Bannockburn House served as an important Jacobite headquarters during the siege of Stirling and the Battle of Falkirk Muir.

The Ramsays

Sir Hugh’s daughter Mary inherited the house on his death, and it was sold to William Ramsay of Barnton and Sauchieburn in 1787. He was a Merchant Banker and a Director of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The house remained in the hands of the Ramsay family (later becoming the Ramsay Gibson Maitland’s through succession) until it was sold in 1883. However, the house was not used as the main residence of the Ramsays and it was occupied by different tenants throughout their ownership, although it remained an important landed property within the family’s holdings.

Sir James Ramsay Gibson Maitland who inherited in 1876 was the founder of Howieton Fishery at Sauchieburn, one of the oldest fish farms in Scotland. As well as being a magistrate he was a pioneer in scientific aquaculture.

The Wilsons

After renting the property for some 20 years, in 1883 the house and estate were sold to Colonel Alexander Wilson. This marked a turning point for the house as it went into the hands of a family whose influence in the 19th century reached far beyond the estate itself. The Wilsons were major figures in the Scottish textile trade and played an important role in Bannockburn’s rise as a world-famous centre of tartan production. Their mills helped make Bannockburn a name known far beyond Stirlingshire, closely associated with the manufacture and export of tartan cloth.

The Wilson family’s importance is hard to overstate. They were part of the movement that helped transform tartan into one of the defining symbols of Scotland. Through design, weaving, and large-scale production, families like the Wilsons helped bring tartan into wider national and international use, embedding it in ideas of clan identity, Highland dress, ceremony, and Scottish heritage. Their story links Bannockburn House to one of the most powerful cultural industries in Scottish history.

That means the Wilson era is about much more than a change of ownership. It ties Bannockburn House to the story of how tartan was shaped, marketed, and celebrated and how Bannockburn itself became woven into that story.

The Mitchells

When Alexander Wilson died in 1906 the House was sold to James Mitchell in 1910. James Mitchell was a Banker and Sheriff Substitute for Stirling. The family were from Airdrie having prominent connections there through his wife Annie Rankin and major interests in coal mining. Sadly, only one child, his daughter Annie survived him. There were three sons, one died in infancy. Their son James died due to injuries received in WW1 and their other son David died in 1921 as a result of complications from a war injury. James was promoted to Lt Col with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in France and was fatally wounded at the battle of Arras. He was commemorated on the Centenary of his death, 1st April 2018, with the planting of a Laburnum tree in the grounds of the house. 

James senior passed away in 1923, his wife in 1928, leaving their daughter Annie to inherit the house and estate. Miss Mitchell continued to live in the house until 1960 and was active in the community and a benefactor of her church, the Ladywell in Bannockburn. She laid the foundation stone for the new Church when it moved to the new Hillpark estate. This plaque can be seen in the entrance to the Church. The contents of the house were auctioned off in 1960 and she moved to live in a smaller property in Kings Park Stirling.

The Pickard & Drake Years

The house was bought in 1962 by Albert Ernest Pickard who was a well-known eccentric millionaire and businessman. He was a self-made man who made his fortune from property and had owned many Music Halls in Glasgow including the famous Britannia Panopticon. Mr Pickard never lived in the house.

Mr Pickard died in 1964 but the house was not sold by his family until 1979, to businessman Mr Peter Drake. Mr Drake did not reside in the house and used it mainly for storage, having interests elsewhere. In 2016, Mr Drake put the house and 26 acres of the lands on the market for sale.