Alan Cathcart, 4th Lord Cathcart

His father, Alan Cathcart, 3rd Lord Cathcart, sold Cathcart Castle to Gabriel Sempill of Ladymure in 1546, and was killed at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. Other family lands at Cathcart were inherited by his son.^[1] The site of Cathcart Castle is in Linn Park, Glasgow.

Cathcart ownership of the lands of Sundrum and Auchincruive is recalled in a verse foretelling the demise of the family's fortunes:

Sundrum shall sink
Auchincruive shal fae
And the name o' Cathcart
Shall in time wear awae^[2]

Alan, 4th Lord Cathcart signed the Glasgow band of the west country barons to support Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley during the Chaseabout Raid on 5 September 1565.^[3] He fought against the army of Mary, Queen of Scots, at the battle of Langside in 1568.^[4]

On 3 January 1579, James VI of Scotland wrote from Stirling Castle to Lord Cathcart, commending him for his service and the expenses he had made against rebels. His loyal services had impoverished him, and his living was "grittumlie hurt". Now that Cathcart had joined royal domestic service as a Master of the Household he would be given a yearly fee of 1,000 merks.^[5]

Around this time, Cathcart completed the sale of lands and the site of the House of Bogtoun, or Bogton Castle, between Holmwood and Muirend, to John Blair of Blair and his wife Grissel Sempill (Cathcart's cousin).^[6]