Lady's Rock is an uninhabited
skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack.
A skerry may have vegetative life such as moss and small, hardy grasses. They a ...
to the south west of
Lismore in the
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...
. It is submerged at high tide and carries a navigation beacon.
Eilean Musdile is to the north east, next to Lismore.
History
In 1527, Lachlan
Maclean of Duart decided to
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
his wife, Lady Catherine Campbell, a sister of
Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll or Archibald "the Red" Campbell (c. 1507 – 1558), was a Scottish nobleman and politician.
Biography
Archibald Campbell was the eldest son of Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll (died 1529) and L ...
. He rowed out to the rock one night at low tide and left his wife stranded on the rock to die.
[Murray (1977) p. 158 states the incident took place in 1523.] Looking out the next day from
Duart Castle
Duart Castle, or ''Caisteal Dhubhairt'' in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is ...
he observed the rock was devoid of life, so he sent a message of condolence to the earl at
Inveraray Castle
Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...
, indicating that he intended to bring his wife's body there for burial. Maclean duly arrived at
Inveraray
Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...
with an entourage of men and the coffin. He was immediately taken to the dining hall of the castle for refreshment only to discover Lady Catherine waiting for him at the head of the table. She had been rescued during the night by boat from
Tayvallich
Tayvallich (pronounced ; gd, Taigh a' Bhealaich ) is a small village in the Knapdale area of Argyll and Bute, in Scotland. The village name has its origins in Gaelic, and means the "house of the pass". The village is built around a sheltered harbo ...
[Murray (1977) p. 158] (or possibly Lismore
[) that had passed by the rock.
No word was said of the incident by Argyll or his sister during the meal and Maclean was allowed to make his escape. He was murdered in his bed in Edinburgh some time later by Sir John Campbell of Calder, another of Lady Catherine's brothers.][
]
See also
* List of lighthouses in Scotland
This is a list of lighthouses in Scotland. The Northern Lighthouse Board, from which much of the information is derived, are responsible for most lighthouses in Scotland but have handed over responsibility in the major estuaries to the port aut ...
* List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses
This is a list of the currently operational lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB). The list is divided by geographical location, and then by whether the lighthouses are classed by the NLB as a 'major lighthouse' or a 'minor light'. F ...
Footnotes
References
* Murray, W.H. (1977) ''The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland.'' London. Collins.
External links
Northern Lighthouse Board
Skerries of Scotland
Uninhabited islands of Argyll and Bute
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