The daughter of the factor to the Earl of Cassilis, Robert Kennedy of Daljarrock, near Colmonel, and younger sister of Mrs Gavin Hamilton, at whose house Burns met her when she was 18. Being much impressed by her beauty and wit, he wrote the song, 'Young Peggy' in her honour, enclosing it in a letter to her. It was published in 1787 in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum.
The year previous to their meeting, Miss Kennedy had met Capt. (later Col.) Andrew M'Dougal of Logan, Wigtonshire, who is mentioned in [Burns?s] Second Heron Election Ballad as 'Sculdudd'ry', and in 1794 bore him a daughter. She tried to get him to declare that she had been married to him privately, but the Captain denied both his paternity and the marriage. An action was raised, but she died before it concluded.
In 1798, the Consistorial Court declared in favour of the marriage and the child's legitimacy, but the legitimacy decision was reversed by the Court of Session, who, however, awarded damages of £3,000 to the dead woman, and alimentary provision for the child.

1. M'Dougal b: 1794

1. Type: Web Site
   Title: Robert Burns Encyclopedia
   URL: http://www.robertburns.org