Dunoon Castle is a ruined castle in

Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...

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 ...

, Scotland. The castle sat upon a cone-shaped hill about high. Very little remains of the castle's structure today. Castle House, built in 1822, stands a few yards north of the castle ruins. The remains of the castle, and a surrounding area, are a scheduled monument. The castle was a royal residence in the 14th century, and in the 17th century fell into ruins.

13th–15th century

Dunoon Castle engraving by William Miller after W Brown

The castle is first recorded in the thirteenth century.. It may have been constructed in the context of the

Stewarts Stewart's or Stewarts can refer to: *Stewart's Fountain Classics, brand of soft drink **Stewart's Restaurants, chain of restaurants where the soft drink was originally sold *Stewart's wilt, bacterial disease affecting maize *Stewart's (department s ...

increasing authority in Cowal. In 1333 Dunoon Castle was besieged and taken by

Edward Balliol Edward Balliol or Edward de Balliol (; – January 1364) was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of the kingdom from 1332 to 1356. Early life Edward was the el ...

, who surrendered it to

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. An insurrection ensued, driving Baliol out of Scotland. Robert the Steward, later King Robert II of Scotland, arrived in Cowal and, with the help of Colin Campbell of Lochow, retook the castle. James III undertook to repay his Master of Household,

Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll (c. 1433 – 10 May 1493) was a medieval Scottish nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Archibald Campbell, Master of Campbell and Elizabeth Somerville, daughter of John Somerville, 3rd Lord ...

for repairs to the castle in 1468, and made him keeper of the castle in 1472. By the 15th century it was a royal castle with the Campbells as hereditary keepers.

16th century

In 1544 Dunoon Castle was besieged by

Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England. Origin ...

. Having eighteen ships and 800 soldiers provided by

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, Lennox succeeded in taking the Castles of Dunoon and

Rothesay Rothesay ( ; ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Wemyss Bay, which also offers an ...

Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll or Archibald "the Red" Campbell (c. 1507 – 1558), was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Biography Archibald Campbell was the eldest son of Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll (died 1529) and Lad ...

, was driven out, sustaining great loss. In 1563,

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 ...

, stayed at the castle while visiting her half-sister, Jean Stewart, Countess of Argyll, and granted several charters during her visit. Mary's rebels met up at Dunoon during the

Chaseabout Raid The Chaseabout Raid was a rebellion by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, against his half sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, on 26 August 1565, over her marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. The rebels also claimed to be acting over other causes i ...

. Her brother the Earl of Moray's faction in Argyll included the

Duke of Châtelherault Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

, and the Earls of

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 ...

and

Rothes Rothes (; ) is a town in Moray, Scotland, on the banks of the River Spey, south of Elgin, Moray, Elgin. The town had a population of 1,252 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census. A settlement has been here since AD 600. History and cas ...

. They left for Ayrshire on 18 August 1565.

17th century

In 1646 occurred the Dunoon massacre in which the Campbells slaughtered men, women, children, and infants of Clan Lamont. After the restoration of the episcopacy under Charles II, Dunoon became the residence of the bishops of Argyll for a time.

20th century

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and II, military fortifications were established at Dunoon Castle for the defense of the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

and the shipbuilding industry.

References

External links

Visit Scotland webpage for Dunoon Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunoon Castle Clan Campbell Listed buildings in Dunoon Ruined castles in Argyll and Bute Scheduled monuments in Argyll and Bute