Mingary Castle ( gd, Caisteal Mhìogharraidh), also known as Mingarry Castle, is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

situated southeast of the small village of

Kilchoan Kilchoan ( gd, Cille Chòmhain) is a village on the Scottish peninsula of Ardnamurchan, beside the Sound of Mull in Lochaber, Highland. It is the most westerly village in mainland Britain, although several tiny hamlets lie further west on the ...

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Nestled on ridge of rock overlooking the sea, it was considered a strategically important site in terms of communication with overseas areas and as an entranceway to the

Sound of Mull The Sound of Mull is a sound between the Inner Hebridean island of Mull and mainland Scotland. It forms part of the Atlantic Ocean. The Sound of Mull Project is a Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI) spatial plan of Argyl ...

. Mingary is roughly

hexagon In geometry, a hexagon (from Ancient Greek, Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple polygon, simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexa ...

al in shape with nine-foot-thick

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...

s, thicker on the seaward side. The remains of the castle are protected as a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...

History

Mingary Castle dates to either the thirteenth- or fourteenth century. It could have been originally constructed by either the MacDougalls or the

MacDonalds of Ardnamurchan The MacDonalds of Ardnamurchan also known as MacIain of Ardnamurchan, or Clan MacIan,{{cite book , last=Coventry , first=Martin , year=2008 , title=Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans , location= Muss ...

(also known as the MacIains of Ardnamurchan). King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

used it as a stronghold for fighting off

Clan Donald Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill; Mac Dòmhnaill ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...

in the late 15th century. In March 1499 he gave John McEan or McIain the lands of Ardnamurchan and "Castle Mengarie" after he had captured

John of Islay :''This article refers to John I, Lord of the Isles; for John II, see John of Islay, Earl of Ross'' John of Islay (or John MacDonald) ( gd, Eòin Mac Dòmhnuill or gd, Iain mac Aonghais Mac Dhòmhnuill) (died 1386) was the Lord of the Isles (1 ...

Lord of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title w ...

. In 1515 the castle was besieged by the

Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh The Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh was a Scottish family and a branch of the larger Clan Donald. History The MacDonald of Lochalsh branch was founded by Celestine MacDonald (d.1476). Celestine MacDonald was the second son of Alexander of Islay, Earl ...

and again two years later when they finally took the castle. In 1588 the chief of the MacLeans of Duart resided there after capturing the chief of the MacDonalds of Ardnamurchan. In 1588, one of the ships of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

, named the ''

San Juan de Sicilia The ''San Juan de Sicilia'' was one of the 130 ships that formed the ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588. The ship was originally known as the ''Brod Martolosi'', before it was seized to form part of the navy. It was one of 10 ships forming the Leva ...

'', landed on

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides **Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...

and MacLean of Duart used troops from the ship to aid him in his warring against the MacDonalds of Clanranald and the MacIans of Ardnamurchan. On one occasion, a force from the ship besieged to the castle for three days before withdrawing. Other occupants over the years included the

Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...

, the

Earls of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerfu ...

(in 1612), and

Alasdair mac Colla Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill (c. 1610 – 13 November 1647), also known by the English variant of his name Sir Alexander MacDonald, was a military officer best known for his participation in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, notably ...

who took the castle from its

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

garrison in 1644. In 2006 a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

television programme ''

Wreck Detectives Wreck Detectives is the title of two TV documentary series from UK Channel 4 aired in 2003 and 2004 presented by Jeremy Seal, Miranda Krestovnikoff and David Manley. Series 1 - 2003 #Alum Bay wreck, Alum Bay # Earl of Abergavenny, Weymouth B ...

'' set out to uncover a shipwreck in the Sound of Mull, directly below the castle. The wreck was finally dated to 1644. In 2013 the site was designated as a Historic Marine Protected Area.

Renovation and Restoration

A recent survey showed that the main curtain wall on the sea side is in imminent danger of collapse. Work will shortly commence to stabilise the wall by underpinning it before proceeding to preserve and restore the castle, after important preliminary archaeological work has been completed. All work is being undertaken by the Mingary Castle Preservation and Restoration Trust, a registered charity in Scotland. Detailed commentary on progress and emerging insights from the largely untouched archeology will be provided. The draw bridge was put back in place, fitted by thistle marine and Don electrical services from Aberdeenshire Scotland.

References

External links

{{Marine Protected Areas in Scotland Ardnamurchan Ruined castles in Highland (council area) Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area) Listed castles in Scotland 13th-century fortifications 13th century in Scotland 17th-century fortifications 17th century in Scotland Historic Marine Protected Areas of Scotland

History

Renovation and Restoration

See also

References

External links