MHG5 - Tower House, Caisteal Dubh Nan Cliar
Summary
The scheduled remains of a C16-C17 tower house or watch tower in Ardnamurchan.
Type and Period (2)
- TOWER HOUSE? (Built, 16th Century to 17th Century - 1501 AD to 1700 AD)
- WATCH TOWER (Built, 16th Century to 17th Century - 1501 AD to 1700 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
In 1838 (NSA 1845) it was described as 'the remains of a very small tower, dignified by the name of "Castial due nan Clior", the black Castle of the Minstrels'. <1>
‘Caisteal Dubh nan Cliar (site of)' marked on 1st Edition 6” OS map of 1875 and 'Caisteal Dubh nan Cliar (NR) (Remains of)' on 2nd Edition OS map of 1902. <2> <3>
Caisteal Dubh nan Cliar (name confirmed locally) is of uncertain purpose, but it is probably a fisherman's hut or store of no great age, as the adjacent gully is entirely suited as a boat noost. Surveyed at 1:2500. <4>
Visited by OS (N K B) 5 June 1970.
Visited by RCHMAS 1971. Caisteal Dubh nan Cliar: This building occupies the summit of a small rocky knoll immediately above the NW foreshore of Kilchoan Bay. The structure is now extremely ruinous and its original form is uncertain, but it probably comprised a small two-storeyed tower of irregular plan measuring about 5.5m from NW to SE by 4.6m transversely. Beneath the SW portion of the tower a chamber has been formed by enclosing an overhanging lip of rock with a wall of masonry on three sides. This chamber measures about 3.1m by 2.2m and the roof, which comprises slab-lintels supported on corbel-courses, rises to a height of about 1.8m. In the SE wall there are the remains of a rebated entrance-doorway, which appears to have been secured by a draw-bar. All the masonry is of random rubble bound together by coarse lime-mortar. The age of this building is uncertain, but it may tentatively be ascribed to the 16th or 17th century. It seems too small to have been a permanent residence, and it is possible that it served as an outpost of Mingary Castle, (NM56SW 1) securing the anchorage in Kilchoan Bay. <5>
The monument was scheduled 31.12.1992.
The chamber beneath the SW portion of the tower is still extant, including fragments of masonry walls on the NW and SW sides. The roof of slab-lintels, supported on corbel courses, also survives but the remains of a rebated entrance-doorway in the SE wall, recorded by the RCAHMS, have collapsed. A fragment of mortared masonry lies on its side on the SE side. <6>
The structure is ascribed to the 16th century by Mary Miers in her illustrated architectural guide to the Western Seaboard. <7>
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SHG2597 Text/Publication/Volume: NSA. 1845. The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy. Vol. 7, Argyll, 147.
- <2> SHG23731 Image/Map: Ordnance Survey. 1875-6. Ordnance Survey 1st edition 6 inch map: Argyll. Digital.
- <3> SHG23893 Image/Map: Ordnance Survey. 1900. Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 6 inch map: Argyll. Digital.
- <4> SHG2132 Text/Publication/Volume: Donaldson, M E M. 1923. Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands. 2nd, rev.. 400.
- <5> SHG2660 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1980. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 3: Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll (excluding the early medieval and later monuments of Iona). . 190, No. 336; plan, illust.
- <6> SHG24549 Text/Record Form/Field Recording Form: Robertson, J. 2004. Wester Lochaber SMR Field Verification Project. Highland Council. Digital.
- <7> SHG24310 Text/Publication/Volume: Miers, M.. 2008. The Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Paperback. p 102.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NM 47332 63142 (30m by 20m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NM46SE |
| Civil Parish | ARDNAMURCHAN |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM5512 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/22129 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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