Moy Castle is a ruined castle near Lochbuie on the Isle of Mull,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The site is now a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

History

The land upon which Moy Castle was built was granted to Hector Reaganach Maclean, 1st Laird of Lochbuie, brother of

Lachlan Lubanach Maclean of Duart Lachlan Lùbanach Maclean, 5th Chief (flourished 1370s) was Chief of Clan Maclean. He was the first Maclean to occupy Castle Duart as the 1st Laird of Duart. His brother, Hector Reaganach Maclean was the progenitor of the Lochbuie Macleans usually ...

, in 1360. Construction of the castle was probably begun by John Maclean, 3rd Laird, and finished by his son, Hector, the fourth laird. The first surviving mention of the castle is in a royal charter dated March 1494 confirming that John Maclean, 5th Laird, held his lands from the Lord of the Isles. It was captured from the Macleans of Lochbuie by

Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Scottish Highlands, 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 ...

, but later returned to the Macleans. It was abandoned in 1752 when a new house was built nearby.

Description

The castle comprises a three-storey

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

with a

garret A garret is a habitable attic, a living space at the top of a house or larger residential building, traditionally, small, dismal, and cramped, with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators this was the least prestigious position in a bui ...

. Much of the surviving stonework can be dated to the early 15th century; some alterations and additions can be attributed to the end of the following century. Although missing its roof, the castle's walls are virtually intact up to the height of the

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s and

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

. The

crenel An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...

lated parapet and the remains of two cap-houses survive at the upper level. The ground floor contains a well. A small enclosure or

barmkin Barmkin, also spelled barmekin or barnekin, is a Scots word which refers to a form of medieval and later defensive enclosure, typically found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland and the north of Engl ...

was located on the south east side. Between 2006 and 2015 stabilisation works were carried out to preserve the castle and prevent further decay. As of 2020 conservation work to further stabilise the structure continues. Moy Castle was used for scenes in

Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

's 1945 film ''

I Know Where I'm Going! ''I Know Where I'm Going!'' is a 1945 romance film by the British-based filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey, and features Pamela Brown and Finlay Currie. Plot Joan Webster is a 25-year-old ...

'', along with other locations on Mull.

References

{{coord, 56, 21, 17, N, 5, 51, 33, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Clan Maclean Castles in Argyll and Bute Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Argyll and Bute Buildings and structures on the Isle of Mull