Dunvegan Castle (Caisteal Dhùn Bheagain) is located to the north of

Dunvegan Dunvegan () is a village on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is famous for Dunvegan Castle, seat of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod. Dunvegan is within the parish of Duirinish, Skye, Duirinish. In 2011, it had a population of 386. Name In ''The Nors ...

on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

, off the west coast of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the

Clan MacLeod Clan MacLeod ( ; ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Harris and Dunvegan, known in Gaelic as ' ("seed of Tormod") an ...

. Probably a fortified site from the earliest times, the castle was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. In the 19th century the whole castle was remodelled in a mock-medieval style. The castle is built on an elevated rock overlooking an inlet on the eastern shore of Loch Dunvegan, a sea loch.

History

The promontory was enclosed by a curtain wall in the 13th century, and a four-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, to command and defend strategic points ...

was built in the late 14th century. This tower was similar in style to contemporary structures at Kisimul Castle and Caisteal Maol. Alasdair Crotach, the 8th chief, added the Fairy Tower as a separate building around 1500. During the 17th century, new ranges of buildings were put up between the old tower and the Fairy Tower, beginning in 1623 with the state apartment built by Ruairidh Mòr. The old tower was subsequently abandoned until the late 18th century, when the 23rd chief began the process of homogenising the appearance of the castle. This process continued under the 24th and 25th chiefs, with the addition of mock battlements and the new approach over a drawbridge from the east. The present appearance of the castle dates from around 1840 when this process of "baronialisation" was completed. The castle is a

Category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) *Category (V ...

Site

Dunvegan Castle occupies the summit of a rock some above sea level, which projects on to the eastern shore of a north-facing inlet or bay. On the eastern, landward side of the site is a partly natural ditch around deep.

Artifacts

Notable family heirlooms kept at Dunvegan Castle include: * Dunvegan Cup * Fairy Flag * Sir Rory Mor's Horn

Images

File:The Round Garden, Dunvegan Castle.jpg, Round Garden, Dunvegan Castle File:The Walled Garden, Dunvegan Castle.jpg, The Walled Garden, Dunvegan Castle Image:Dunvegan Castle3.jpg, Dunvegan Castle Image:20210817 Dunvegan Castle-9283.jpg, Dunvegan Castle entrance Image:Dunvegan castle3.jpg, Dunvegan Castle port File:Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1899) (14762008186).jpg, Artist's impression of the castle c. 1500

Literature

The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle a novel by T.L. Huchu is set Dunvegan Castle and the Fairy Flag features in the plot.

References

External links

Dunvegan Castle's homepageDunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye, Clan Macleod Scotland
* {{authority control Castles in the Isle of Skye Clan Macleod Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area) Listed castles in Scotland Gardens in Highland (council area) Historic house museums in Highland (council area) Country houses in Highland (council area)