Saddell (, ) is a small Scottish village situated on the east side of the

Kintyre Kintyre (, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East Loch Tarbert, Argyll, East and West Loch Tarbert, Argyll, West Loch Tarbert in t ...

Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, overlooking the Kilbrannan Sound and the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

, from

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre Peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing port. The 2018 populatio ...

on the B842 road to Carradale. The name Saddell is derived from the Norse for sandy dale.

Saddell Abbey

Saddell is home to the ruins of a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

. This was founded around 1160 by Somerled and completed by his son, whose descendants became the Clan MacDonald and eventual

Lords of the Isles Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( or ; ) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was ...

. Stone carving was a speciality at Saddell, and fine examples of carved medieval grave slabs are displayed under cover in the grounds of the abbey, now a cemetery. Relief carvings on the stones show warriors in their armour, clerics, ships, huntsmen with stags, large swords, and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

knotwork designs. Most were carved at Saddell Abbey, but some are more typical of the Iona school of stone-carving.

Saddell Castle

Saddell Castle, a

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 ...

to the southeast and nearer the shore, was built for the Bishop of Argyll in the early 16th century. When the Campbells took it over in the late 17th century, stone from the abbey was used to add farm buildings to the castle. The family moved into a new house nearby around 1774, and the castle deteriorated over the years before being bought by the Landmark Trust. In 1976, the Landmark Trust contracted Mr Robert R Mauchline to restore the castle to its former glory. Soon after its completion, the castle appeared in

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's " Mull of Kintyre" music video. Mr Mauchline's daughters Joanna and Hazel were also featured in the video. The Trust now owns both Saddell Castle and the newer Saddell House, allowing pedestrian access to the beach below Saddell Bay.

Kildonan Dun

At the end of Saddell Bay is Pluck Wood and the remains of Kildonan Dun, a late

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hillfort dating from 200BC and made from Stone. In contrast to the mostly round Duns, it has a D-shaped ground plan, like Barsalloch Fort and Castle Haven in

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

. The Dun measures about within the outer two, one-meter high and two-meter thick ring wall. The impressive entrance, with its well-recognizable door construction, is in the southwest. The double staircase on the rampart, located within the wall on the west side, and a round wall niche in the northeast are intact. In form and design, some novelties are shown, as occurred with Brochs in the same period. The excavation of Dun Kildonan between 1936 and 1938 resulted in a precise chronology. Objects from the 1st and 2nd centuries demonstrate the time of construction of the dun, while objects from the 6th and 9th to 12th centuries or later times show that the central square also remained an important focus. The finds are located in the

Museum. File:Kildonan Dun, Kintyre, Argyll - geograph.org.uk - 24013.jpg, Kildonan Dun File:Interior of Kildonan Dun - geograph.org.uk - 408462.jpg, Interior of Kildonan Dun

References

*Norman S. Newton, ''Kintyre'' (1999)
SaddellCistercian history
{{Portal bar, Scotland Villages in Kintyre Landmark Trust properties in Scotland Parishes in Argyll

Saddell Abbey

Saddell Castle

Kildonan Dun

See also

References