The chiefdom descends from the MacLellans of Bombie, the title Lord Kirkcudbight being conferred on Sir Robert MacLellan in 1633. When he died in 1641 he left only a daughter and, since the barony was only heritable by a male heir bearing the family name and arms, he was succeeded by a nephew. The second Lord Kircudbright died without any children and the title and lands were then passed on to a cousin. The 3rd Lord was a zealous Royalist and forced his vassals to take up arms in the cause of the King, during the course of which the villages of Dunrod and Galtway were ruined. However, his ardour seemed to cool somewhat after the Restoration and he sanctioned a riot by the people of Kircudbright to prevent an Episcopalian minister taking over the church in the town. He died, greatly in debt, in 1664 and his son, by right the 4th Lord, died without having fathered children in 1669. The estate was eventually seized and sold by creditors. The title was reclaimed in 1736 when James MacLellan petitioned the King on the matter, and passed on through to the 9th Lord. The title again became dormant on his death in 1832.