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Castles of the Clan Campbell

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Innis Chonnel Castle is situated on the island of Innis Chonnel on Loch Awe. ... Rather than leave the castle to his MacDougall cousins, he left the Lordship to ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Castles of the Clan Campbell


1
Castles of theClan Campbell
2
Innis Chonnel Castle is situated on the island
of Innis Chonnel on Loch Awe. While clan Chief
Executive and author of the History of Clan
Campbell, Alastair Campbell of Airds, believes
Caisteul na Nighean Ruaidhe on Loch Avich to be
the first castle of the Campbells, there can be
little doubt that Innis Chonnel was the first
prominent home to the clan. Most probably
built by the MacDougalls, after their defeat in
the rise to power of Robert the Bruce the
Lordship of Loch Awe reverted to the Campbells.
Sir Neil Campbell, Roberts brother-in-law, was
confirmed in a free barony, and Innis Chonnel
remained the chief place of the clan until Colin
Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll, moved his residence
to Inveraray, on Loch Fyne. For the next two
centuries the Earls of Argyll used the castle as
a prison for political and criminal prisoners.
The castle is now a ruin. It is privately owned
by the Argylls and is not open to the public. It
may be seen from the above vantage just off the
road which runs along the east side of Loch Awe.
3
Inveraray Castle is home to the Chief of Clan
Campbell. Construction began on the castle in
1746. Famed Architects Roger Morris and William
Adam worked on the design, which was completed in
1789 under the supervision of Adams sons. It
replaced an earlier castle on the site. In
1975 the castle was devastated by fire. Many
local people rose to the occasion to help save
items in the castle. Although some irreplaceable
items were lost, many more were preserved. We
of the clan owe much to the 12th Duke and
Duchess, who easily could have walked away from a
ruin of a castle. Instead, they worked tirelessly
to raise funds and restore the building, which
stands as an icon of Clan Diarmid. The castle
is open seasonally for tours. Members of the Clan
Campbell Society, North America, are admitted for
free on producing their membership card. 
4
Castle Campbell Situated above Dollar, this
castle was the eastern home of the Earls of
Argyll when they visited the royal residences of
nearby Stirling and Falkirk. It lies at the head
of a glen, between the Burn of Care and the Burn
of Sorrow. Now a ruin, it is owned by the
National Trust.
5
Dunstaffnage Castle
In 1308 Robert the Bruce had defeated the
MacDougalls at the Pass of Brander and
subsequently rewarded his Campbell and MacDonald
allies with many of the Clan Dougall lands. Sir
Arthur Cambel, a senior first cousin of Sir Neill
of Lochawe, was granted the Constableship of
Dunstaffnage in 1321-22. However after his death
it was re-granted to the a MacDougall.. A
descendant of the Ewen or John MacDougall who had
escaped to the English court after the battle of
the Pass of Brander returned to Scotland in the
train of the English princess who was to become
the bride of David II King of Scots, and received
the grant to the castle. However, he had no sons
but did have two daughters. Rather than leave the
castle to his MacDougall cousins, he left the
Lordship to his daughters, both of whom married
Stewarts, one becoming Lord of Lorne and
therefore taking possession of Dunstaffnage.
On the murder of John, the second Stewart Lord of
Lorne, in 1463 by a renegade MacDougall in the
pay of the English, the Lordship and castle
passed to his brother Sir Walter. There was a
dispute, since the murdered man was on his way to
be married to his mistress so as to legitimate
his natural son. Local sympathy seemingly favored
the boy and for six years there was conflict in
Lorne. Sir Walter, perhaps finding the lands more
trouble than they were worth, exchanged the
Lordship with Colin Earl of Argyll for richer and
more peaceful lands in eastern Scotland. The
exchange was ratified by royal charter in 1470.
This acquisition of the Lordship of Lorne by the
Earl of Argyll was a most notable event in the
history of Argyll and in the fortunes of Clan
Campbell. Apart from the very strategic castle of
Dunstaffnage, the charter of the lands of Lorne
provided better westward and northward sea-access
from landlocked Lochawe and more fertile valleys
for oats and grazing than were offered by the its
rocky shores. The castle of Dunstaffnage has
remained in Campbell hands for over five hundred
years. The Campbells of Dunstaffnage lived in the
castle until a disastrous fire in 1810. However
most of the historic belongings of the family
were saved, only to be lost in another fire at
Dunstaffnage House before the Second World War.
The castle is the seat of the Campbell Captains
of Dunstaffnage who are hereditary Captains of
the Castle for the Earls and Dukes of Argyll. The
Captain spends one night each year in the
Gatehouse as symbolic occupancy. The structure is
in the care of the Department of the Environment
and is open to the public.
6
Loudoun Castle in Ayrshire was the home of the
first of the younger houses of the clan, the
Campbells of Loudoun. Following his marriage to
the heiress Susanna Crawford of Loudoun, Sir
Duncan Campbell, son of Donald Campbell, the
younger brother of
Sir Neill Campbell of Lochawe, was granted the
charter of Loudoun and Stevenson in a barony.
Along with his marriage to the Crawford heiress,
a descendant of the original Loudoun family, came
the hereditary office of Sheriff of Ayr. The
Campbell Earls of Loudoun ruled here for many
years until the death of the fifth Earl. His
daughter, Lady Flora Mure Campbell, 6th Countess
of Loudoun, was six years old when she inherited
the estates and titles. She later married,
Francis, the 1st Earl of Hastings, and the titles
and estates passed out of Campbell hands.
The castle itself is a ruin. It originally was
a tower keep, which was later enclosed in a
baronial palace. The building was huge, with an
inner courtyard that contained a well. The great
hall measured 70 feet by 30 feet, and four large
columns held a gallery overhead. The was a large
library containing over 10, 000 volumes, and an
extensive art collections. For many years
The sword of William Wallace resided at the
castle. On the outside of the south wall is
what is known as the Auld Yew Tree of Scotland.
Sir Hugh Campbell signed the treaty of Union
under its branches, and the 2nd Earl, in exile in
Holland, wrote to his wife at the address, The
Guidwife, The Auldtoun, The Auld Yew Tree of
Loudoun ,
Scotland. The castle burned in 1941. The
property around the castle has been turned into
an amusement park.
7
Taymouth Castle
was the seat of the Campbell Earls and Marquises
of Breadalbane. Located a mile east of Kenmore
and Loch Tay, it replaced the old Balloch Castle
originally built by the chiefs of the Glenorchy,
later Breadalbane, Campbells.
The central and eastern wing of the old castle
was demolished in 1799. The foundation stone of
the central block was laid in 1801, and new
central and eastern wings completed within six
years. It wasnt until 1838 that the old west
wing was torn down to make way for a new wing.
This was just in time for the visit of Queen
Victoria and Prince Albert in 1842. Of her
visit, the Queen wrote There were a number of
Lord Breadalbanes Highlanders, all in the
Campbell tartan, drawn up in front of the house,
with Lord Breadalbane himself in a Highland dress
at their head, a few of Sir Neil Menzies men, a
number of pipers playing, and a company of the
92nd Highlanders, also in kilts. The firing of
the guns, the cheering of the great crowd, the
picturesqueness of the dresses, the beauty of the
surrounding country, with its rich background of
wooded hills, alltogther formed one of the finest
scenes imaginable. It seemed as if a great
chieftain in olden feudal times was receiving his
sovereign. It was princely and romantic.
At the time of the Queens visit John
Campbell, the 2nd Marquis, was one of the
wealthiest landowners in the country. His
holdings stretched from Taymouth all the way to
the west coast. However, debts incurred by the
family led to the selling of the palatial castle
and the estate. The grounds are currently a
golf course.
8
Kilchurn Castle was the original seat of the
Glenorchy, or Breadalbane, Campbells. The castle
stands upon a low plateau of rock at the end of a
level spit of marshy land which juts into the
northeastern end of Lochawe. On the northwest
side of the spit, the River Orchy enters the
loch. The water level
of the loch was originally higher, flooding the
spit and forming an island upon which the castle
stood. It is from this that the name Kilchurn
is derived. In the Gaelic, Kil would normally
denote a religious affiliation, as in cell,
church, or burial place. In this name Kil is
derived from the Gaelic caol, which means a
narrows. The Kyle of Lochalsh, for example, is
the point of land at the narrows between the
mainlaind and the Isle of Skye. Another example
is the fine Islay single malt, Caol Ila, which is
distilled at the point of land at the narrows
between the isles of Islay and Jura. In the case
of Kilchurn, the meaning comes from the caol of
the cairn, a narrows between the mainland and
what was a small island, at which stood a cairn
of stones.
The Glenorchy family moved from Kilchurn to
their new home near Loch Tayside, and the castle
was left unused, with the exceptions of being
garrisoned in 1708, 1715 and 1745. Lightning
destroyed the roof and the building was left
un-repaired. It is now in the care of the
Department of the Environment.
9
Also known as the Black Castle of Benderloch,
BARCALDINE CASTLE, lies west of the road between
Oban and Fort William, near the township from
which it takes its name. It was the westernmost
of the castles built by Duncan of the Seven
Castles, also known as Black Duncan, seventh
Knight of Glenorchy. Sir Duncan, who
succeeded on his father's death in 1583 and was
made a Baronet in 1625, constructed a string of
castles stretching from Barcaldine to Taymouth
Castle, just east of Killin. They were a
defensive measure, due to unrest in the
Highlands. The building of Barcaldine is recorded
in the Breadalbane familys Black Book of
Taymouth. The castle was built in an L shape,
with four levels. The Walls are extraordinarily
thick, not surprising given that the building was
erected as a defensive measure. Despite having
deteriorated over the previous one hundred years,
the castle remained in the hands of the
Breadalbane Campbells until 1842. In 1896 it was
purchased again by Campbells. Today, the Campbell
of Barcaldine family have opened the castle for
tourism, and two rooms are available as a bed
breakfast.
10
  • Cawdor Castle
  • Home to the Earl Cawdor, Chief of the Cawdor
    Campbells. Legend has it that the Thane of Cawdor
    decided to build a new castle, and dreamt that he
    should load a donkey with gold and build a new
    castle wherever the donkey laid down to rest.
    This he did, and built a castle above the tree
    under which the donkey stopped.
  • The castle was built over the tree, which lies
    below in a vault, and which for years had been
    thought to be a hawthorn. Analysis has proven the
    tree to be a holly. However, the Cawdor toast
    continues to be, Flourish the thorn!

11
Argylls Lodging, looking down from the car park
outside of Stirling Castle.
While not a castle, ARGYLLS LODGING was an
important residence of the Campbell Chiefs. Like
Castle Campbell, it lies in the east of Scotland,
specifically on Castle Wynd near the center of
Stirling, and just down the way from Stirling
Castle. As court was frequently held at Stirling,
this was an important location for the Campbell
Chiefs. The ninth Earl of Argyll, Archibald
Campbell, purchased the townhouse in the 1660s.
It is said to be the finest surviving 17th
century townhouse in Scotland. It is presently
owned by Historic Scotland, and is open for
touring.
12
Dia le ua nduibhne
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