ited the lands of Kilpeter—now Houstoun. Under the feudal custom, his charter was confirmed by the heir of Baldwin of Biggar. But in the next generation, when Sir Reginald’s son, Hugh Fitz-Reginald, succeeded to the barony, the title was con.firmed by Walter, High Steward, and in future generations, direct from the royal house of Stewart.

Little is known of Sir Reginald except that he bore the honor of knighthood and that he had two brothers, Borthwick and Archibald. He was succeeded by his son, Hugh, grandson and namesake of the great ancestor. This second Hugh came into possession of the barony around the year 1225. The estate included certain lands called Auchincloss, which were also claimed by the Catholic church. Hugh reached an agreement with William, abbot of Paisley, under which the Houstoun barons were to keep two lighted candles at the tomb of St. Mirin in acknowledgment of the Church’s claim.

The next baron in the line, and the first to be known officially by the family surname, was Sir Finlay of Houstoun, Knight. Sir Finlay was one of the signers of the "Ragman Roll" in 1296, in which the barons of Scotland submitted to King Ed.ward of England. Edward had inflicted a disastrous defeat upon the Scots at Dunbar and now forced the barons to sign a pledge of allegiance to the English sovereign to save their estates from confiscation.

If Sir Finlay is to be criticized for this action, he was nevertheless in good company. Two thousand other Scottish nobles and landholders signed the roll. Among them was Robert Bruce, soon to be hailed as the deliverer of Scotland and to rule as King Robert I.

No historical records are found of the Houstoun barons who followed Sir Finlay during the next century, but Sir Patrick Houstoun, Knight, succeeded to the estate around 1425. The exact date is not known, though he is mentioned in public records as early as 1429. He received the honor of knighthood, probably in the reign of James II.

These were the heroic days of chivalry when standards of knighthood were very high. It is not known whether Patrick Houstoun was knighted for some outstanding feat on the field of battle or whether he earned the rank through the hard school of training. Under the training program, he would have started as a page for some important lady to learn the manners of court. Next he would have been assigned to service of a lord