Calvay Castle () is a ruined castle on an islet close to the island of Calbhaigh, at the eastern approaches to Loch Boisdale,

South Uist South Uist (, ; ) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the ...

. The castle is linked by a causeway from Calbhaigh, which becomes inundated at high tide. The castle is 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, visu ...

. The castle may have been built by the MacRuaries of Garmoran, or by the MacNeils of Barra who were granted the lands of Boisdate in the 15th century.

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

hid at the castle in June 1746, while fleeing from the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British royal family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom w ...

's troops after the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

. The island also has a lighthouse, built by David Alan Stevenson in 1891.

References

Castles in the Outer Hebrides Ruined castles in Scotland Scheduled monuments in the Outer Hebrides {{Scotland-castle-stub