argyll-1971/01-206

Transcription

No 313 CASTLES TOWER-HOUSES AND FORTIFICATIONS

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by the insertion of a bead-moulded fireplace in the 18th
century, and the original corbels re-dressed as armorial
shields in late Victorian times. The nearby window in the
E, wall retains traces of a stone-window seat in its S,
embrasure, while its N. embrasure contains an original
doorway opening into a small mural chamber in the NE.
angle of the tower; a similar mural chamber may
formerly have existed in the NW. angle. Another door-
way in the E. wall gives access to a mural garderobe
containing a stone seat, now covered over, and a lamp-
recess. At least one other window embrasure on this
floor appears to have been equipped with a stone seat,
and this arrangement may originally have prevailed
throughout the principal floors of the tower. The southern
apartment at this level retains no features of interest
apart from an 18th-century fireplace in the E. wall which,
like the one in the hall, occupies an original opening of
much larger dimensions.
The arrangement of the third floor seems to have been
much the same as that of the second. The northern
apartment contains a mural chamber and a garderobe
corresponding to those below, while the fireplace, of
which no traces are now visible, may likewise have been
situated in the N. wall. The southern room retains some
18th-century panelling, and the bead-moulded fireplace
in the E. wall may be ascribed to the same period.
Immediately to the S. of this fireplace there may be seen
a portion of the plain chamfered surround of the original
fireplace-opening.
No early features are visible in the garret apart from a
small window-opening in the N. wall, and the original
arrangements at this level are uncertain. At the stair-
head doors open southwards and northwards on to the
parapet-walk. This was originally continuous round all
four sides of the tower, but the circuit is now interrupted
at the SE. angle by a flagpole-mounting. The parapet
itself is evidently an original feature although, like the
cap-house, it may have been partially renewed in the
middle of the 17th century.

BARMKIN AND OUTBUILDINGS. The relationship of the
surviving fragment of barmkin wall to the existing out-
buildings can most readily be grasped by reference to the
site plan (Fig.164). The barmkin wall is constructed of
large boulder-rubble masonry with pink sandstone
dressings and measures about 1.4m in thickness and
about 3.7m in height; it may originally have been
somewhat higher. The S. face of the wall shows traces
of a segmental-headed postern-doorway having plain
chamfered arrises; there is provision for a draw-bar.
On the N. face of the wall, and immediately to the E. of
the blocked-up doorway, the upper portion of the wall
displays part of a splayed ingo, but the significance of
this feature is uncertain. The original extent of the
barmkin is not known, but the enclosure wall is likely
to have run south-eastwards from the SE. angle of the
tower, thence returning progressively westwards, north-
wards, eastwards and again southwards, to join the N.
wall of the tower close to the NE. angle at a point where
tusks of masonry may be seen protruding from the wall-


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face. The tower would thus have been enclosed upon all
but its eastern, or seaward, side.
The only portions of the later out-buildings that call
for special mention are the courtyard gateway on the N.
side, and the adjacent NW. range, both of which (though
not strictly contemporary in date) can be ascribed to
the latter part of the 18th century. The gateway is
segmental-headed, its moulded arch-head springing
from rectangular impost-blocks supported by plain
offset jambs (Pl.55A). Some of the stones bear large
crudely-incised masons' marks.1 The crenelated parapet
that surmounts the gateway is of late 19th-century date,
as are also an associated belfry and two carved stone
panels.
The NW. range is of interest by virtue of the fact that
its masonry incorporates a large number of carved
stones deriving from the nearby ruins of Saddell Abbey
(No.296).2 These fragments are composed of yellowish
and pink sandstone similar in character to the dressed
stonework of the original portions of the tower-house.
The majority of them appear to be architectural details,
such as a doorway and window mouldings, but what seems
to be a recumbent tombstone, with a roll-moulded
margin, occurs in secondary use a window-sill on the
E. side of the range.

LADY MARY'S WELL. This is the name given to a
small spring which issues from beneath a massive rock-
boulder about 400m S. of Saddell Castle and some
45m above the tidal high-water level.

HISTORICAL NOTE
In January 1508 the lands of Sadddell Abbey (No.296)
were annexed to the bishopric of Argyll and erected into
the free barony of Saddell, with power to the bishop to
build castles for its defence.3 David Hamilton, Bishop
of Argyll, must have begun the construction of the
present castle shortly afterwards, for the building appears
to have been completed before February 1512.4 In 1556,
when the bishopric was again held by a member of the
Hamilton family, the lands of Saddell and the keeping
of the castle were granted to James MacDonald of
Dunnyveg, subject to certain rights of the bishop,
James Hamilton, and his natural half-brother the Earl
of Arran.5 Two years later the castle, described in a
contemporary document as "a fayre pyle and a stronge"
was burned by the Earl of Sussex during his raid on
Kintyre, but the extent of damage caused on this
occasion is not known.6 After the forfeiture of the
MacDonalds of Dunnyveg at the end of the 16th centuary,
Saddell, in common with other lands in the lordship of
Kintyre, passed to the Earls of Argyll. In 1650 the 1st
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1 White, Kintyre, pl. xxxviii.
2 A number of these stones were removed to Campbeltown
Museum in 1966.
3 RMS, ii(1424-1513), no.3170.
4 RSS, I (1488-1529), no.2369.
5 PSAS, lxxxvi(1951-2), 119.
6 Hamilton, H.C., Calendar of the State Papers relating to
Ireland, I (1509-1573), 149.

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