The Wraith of Lord Lyne
 
An Ayrshire Folk Tale
Introduction

The Tale

© Loretta Lynn Layman / House of Lynn
Lynneage @ comcast . net

In his collection of Historical Tales and Legends of Ayrshire, William Robertson repeated the story of "The Wraith of Lord Lyne".  He noted that this tale and the others: “... hundreds of years ago or more, were universally accepted in the districts where they had their birth”.¹ 

While Robertson wrote "Lyne" for the name of the Dalry family to whom this story relates, a series of documents spanning no less than five centuries evidences the fact that it was written at different times as Lin, Lind, Linn, Lyn, Lyne, Lynn, and Lynne.²  However, the letter "y" was used predominantly during the first four centuries and gave way, temporarily, to an "i" in the fifth.³  The "y" eventually was restored, and "Lynn" is the accepted spelling in Dalry today; e.g., High Lynn, Lynn Avenue, Lynn Bridge, Lynn Falls, and Lynn Glen - all of which once were part of the family's barony of Lynn.

In The Wraith, the young Lord Lynn’s untimely death was foreseen by his apparently widowed mother, Lady Lynn.  Perhaps it was this very tragedy which prompted the family to abandon their beautiful glen and its enchanting falls for Bourtreehill⁴ ...

The Tale

SOURCES :

Wraith of Lord Lyne - the Tale

Lynn Folke Lore

Lynn History

House of Lynn

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