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MHG5776 - Monkstadt House and Steading

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NG36NE 7 3797 6748.

(NG 377 674) Monkstadt (NAT)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1903)

(NG 376 748) Monkstadt House, originally built in the second half of the 17th century as a dower house for the widow of Sir James Mor, was rebuilt c.1732 by Sir Alexander Macdonald as a replacement for Duntulm Castle (NG47SW 1), using that later place as a quarry for materials. Monkstadt House was vacated by the MacDonalds in 1798 and then became the dwelling of successive tacksmen of the adjoining lands.
A large part of the house is now a roofless ruin, but half of the main block is still inhabited. The old crow-stepped gable at the W end - the stones of which may have come from Duntulm - is still intact. <1>

Monkstadt: a roofless, gutted, ruin.
Visited by OS (C F W) 28 April 1961.

No change.
Visited by OS (R L) 8 September 1971.

Monkstadt (or Mugstead) House, 1732-41, interior remodelled by James Gillespie Graham, 1803. Plain former laird's house of five bays with later extension and porch, set above what was its orchard on a sward of reclaimed land. Built for Sir Alexander Macdonald of Sleat re-using stones from Duntulm Castle, which it replaced as the Macdonald seat, it was reputedly the first slated house in Skye. It became a tacksman's house after the Macdonalds moved to Armadale in 1798, and was ruinous by the 1950s. But measured drawings of 1928 document it well, recording elegant Georgian plasterwork and panelling. Recent investigation has revealed 17th century fireplaces behind window embrasures. Court of Farm Offices, Gillespie Graham, c.1803, also roofless, with surviving gearing and arm for two-beast horse-walk. <2>

It seems that the earliest house at Monkstadt probably lay some distance to the west of the current building. The first reference to 'Moggstot' is in relation to Sir James Mor MacDonald who transacted business there in 1671. Sir Alexander began to build the present house in 1732; the old house continued to be occupied whilst the new one was being built (the building was completed in 1741). Mid 18th century masons acounts refer to the 'Beg' House with a basement and garret and 'Old House' and an array of other buildings. For a plan of Monkstadt House and gardens, etc at 1764 see 'Plan of the Parish of Kilmuir and Uigg in Trotternish lying in the Isle of Sky and County of Inverness. The Property of Sir James MacDonald Baronet. Surveyed by Matthew Stobie 1764' (held by Clan Donald Lands Trust, Armadale). Further detailed proposal plans dating to the first half of the 20th century are held in the NMRS. The 1732-41 phase of the house is thought to contain fireplaces said to have originated from Duntulm Castle. The house also preserves evidence of post-1764 work - eg when a wing was raised from one to two stories. <3>

A planning application was submitted in 2005 to rebuild the remains of Monkstadt House as a family house <4>. It was not believed that archaeological evaluation within the building footprint would yield further information about the former internal layout of the house. <5>

The house was abandoned in 1956, and its roof was subsequently sold. It stood as a roofless ruin, as was entered onto the Buildings at Risk Register, maintained by The Scottish Civic Trust, in December 1993. It has subsequently been restored to a private dwelling, and was removed from the register in 2010. <6>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 3797 6748 (80m by 80m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG36NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	KILMUIR

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