Dunyvaig Castle (,

Anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

''Fort of the galleys'', also known as ''Dunnyveg'') is located on the south side of

Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...

, in

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...

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 ...

, on the shore of Lagavulin Bay, from

Port Ellen Port Ellen () is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder, Walter Frederick Campbell. Its previous name, ''Leòdamas'', is derived from Old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour". Port E ...

. The castle was once a naval base of the

Lord 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 ...

, chiefs of

Clan Donald Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald or Clan McDonald ( ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs a ...

. It was held by the chiefs of the

Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, also known as Clan Donald South, ''Clan Iain Mor, Clan MacDonald of Islay and Kintyre, MacDonalds of the Glens (Antrim)'' and sometimes referred to as ''MacDonnells'', is a Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. T ...

History

12th century

A castle was built by Somerled, King of the Isles, on top of a fort or dun on a rocky promontory jutting into Lagavulin Bay.

13th and 14th centuries

The castle was held by the Macdonalds, Lords of the Isles, Somerled's descendants, specifically, Angus Mor Macdonald and his sons, Alexander Og and Angus Og. They used Lagavulin Bay as an anchorage for their fleet of galleys.

15th and 16th centuries

Forfeited in 1493, the castle passed to the MacIans of Ardnamurchan. The MacIans were descended from John Macdonald, younger brother of Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of the Isles and friend of Robert the Bruce, and suffered when that clan was punished for the 1501-1506 insurrection of Black Donald; the castle was transferred to a branch of the Campbells. In 1545, however, the MacDonald holdings in Islay and Jura were restored to them.

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

planned a visit to Argyll in June 1563.

Agnes Campbell Lady Agnes Campbell (1526 – in or after 1590) was a Scottish noblewoman and queen consort of Tír Eoghain. She was the mother of Iníon Dubh and the maternal grandmother of Red Hugh O'Donnell. Campbell was a skilled diplomat and political lead ...

, the wife of James MacDonald of Dunyvaig, gave the queen a "marvellous fair" costume of " Hyeland apparell". In 1598 the castle was kept by John Stewart of Arskok who was given £3000 Scots yearly for the expenses.

17th century

Angus MacDonald, 8th of Dunnyveg Angus MacDonald, 8th of Dunnyveg (Scottish Gaelic: ''Aonghus Mac Dòmhnuill'', died 21 October 1614) was the Chief of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg. Life MacDonald was the son of James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg (died 1565) and Agnes Campbell, dau ...

surrendered the castle by negotiation to the king's lieutenant Andrew Stuart, 3rd Lord Ochiltree and the Bishop of the Isles Andrew Knox who brought a royal naval force with 1000 men on 2 August 1608. On 5 August Angus MacDonald and others came aboard the ''Advantage'' to celebrate Gowrie day, the anniversary of the rescue of

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

at Perth in 1600. A garrison loyal to the king was installed. In 1614, the castle was taken by

Ranald Og Macdonald Ranald is a Scots and English Hanks; Hodges 2006 pp. 407–408; Hanks; Hodges 2003; Hanks; Hodges 1997 pp. 204, 205. masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name '' Raghnall,'' and a Scots version of ''Ronald ...

, however it was retaken by Angus Og MacDonald, who attempted to bargain the castle's surrender. Knox attempted to retake the castle in September 1614 and was defeated and compelled to retreat. Knox left his son Thomas and his nephew John Knox of Ranfurly as hostages for his good faith. Knox wrote to the lawyer Thomas Hamilton explaining these events and his actions after accusations that his inaction and sloth had led to the capture of the castle by the MacDonalds. He said his negotiation for the castle's surrender had stalled, and he had found it difficult to hire boats to take him from Arran to Dunyvaig during the harvest time. The MacLeans and McLeods of Harris refused to serve with him, and he could raise no more than seventy men, of whom fifty were waged soldiers and twenty followers of the lairds of Ardincaple and Ranfurly. When he landed on Islay, lacking any further armed support, the Clan Donald of Islay, outmanoeuvred him and cut him off from his boats, which they looted and destroyed. The next day Knox was told he should surrender the two hostages or all his men would be executed. Knox noted that the MacDonalds had built a new fort in the loch. Some of his men had heard Angus Og MacDonald say he was working for the

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, who would give him the castle and the whole lands of Islay. Thomas Hamilton wrote to Knox, who was at

Brodick Castle Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The cas ...

offering the services of the

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to hav ...

and his cannon, but noting it was too late in the year. George Graham negotiated the freedom of the two hostages or "gentlemen prisoners" although he lacked official support except a verbal promise from the Chancellor,

Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline (1555 – 16 June 1622) was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician. He served as Lord President of the Court of Session from 1598 to 1604, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1604 to 1622 and as a Lord High ...

of a cash reward. On 6 January 1615, Sir John Campbell of Calder, with the assistance of

Sir Oliver Lambart Oliver Lambart, 1st Lord Lambart, Baron of Cavan (died June 1618) was a military commander and an MP in the Irish House of Commons. He was Governor of Connaught in 1601. He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (Ireland) in 1603. He was also an Eng ...

who brought artillery and men in the '' Phoenix'' and retook the castle. Lambert captured 22 men while 22 others including

Coll Ciotach Coll Ciotach Mac Domhnaill () (1570–1647) was a Scottish adventurer and mercenary of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg branch of Clan Donald, who became Laird of Colonsay in 1623, by treachery. His name, which means "Coll the left-handed" or "the c ...

escaped from a postern gate into a longboat. In June 1615 Sir James MacDonald and Coll Ciotach captured the castle again, killing the captain and some of the garrison. The

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

asked for a pinnace with cannon to batter the castle. Sir James MacDonald fled, and on 13 October 1615 before the guns were landed from the ''Charles'' and a barque Coll Ciotach surrendered to Argyll. The castle was seized in 1647 by the

Covenanters Covenanters 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. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

and passed into the hands of the Campbells of Cawdor, who held it until 1677, when Sir Hugh Campbell pulled down the castle and moved to Islay House.

Ruins

Today all that remains of the castle are mainly the ruins of the sixteenth-century castle, although the site includes a thirteenth-century courtyard, and a fifteenth-century

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

. The site was designated as 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 ...

in 1989.

References

External links

https://web.archive.org/web/20070622063122/http://www.highlandconnection.org/castles/dunnyvegcastle.html
{{Islay Ruined castles in Argyll and Bute Islay Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg Scheduled monuments in Argyll and Bute