Castle Tioram

Castle Tioram
Gaelic name Eilean Tioram
Meaning of name dry island[1]
Location
Castle Tioram
Eilean Tioram shown within Lochaber
OS grid reference NM662724
Coordinates 56°47′N 5°48′W / 56.78°N 5.8°W / 56.78; -5.8
Physical geography
Area <2 ha
Highest elevation 10 metres (33 ft)
Administration
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Scotland
Council area Highland
Demographics
Population 0
References [2]

Castle Tioram (/ˈtʃiːrəm/) (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Tioram, meaning "dry castle") is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately 80 km (50 mi) from Fort William. Though hidden from the sea, the castle controls access to Loch Shiel. It is also known to the locals as "Dorlin Castle". The castle is a scheduled monument.[3]

History

The castle appears to have originally been a principal stronghold of Clann Ruaidhrí.[4] Eilean Tioram, the island the fortress sits upon, is first recorded in a charter of Cairistíona Nic Ruaidhrí (fl. 1290–1318), daughter of Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí (died ×1296).[5] According to early modern tradition, preserved by the seventeenth-century Sleat History, the castle was erected by Ailéan's granddaughter, Áine Nic Ruaidhrí (fl. 1318–50).[6] The castle certainly served as the seat of the latter's Clann Raghnaill descendants for centuries.[7]

As such, Castle Tioram is the traditional seat of the Clanranald (Clann Raghnaill) branch of Clan Donald. The castle was seized by Government forces in around 1692 when the clan chief Allan MacDonald of Clanranald joined the Jacobite Court in France, despite having sworn allegiance to the British Crown. A small garrison was stationed in the castle until the Jacobite rising of 1715 when Allan recaptured and torched it, purportedly to keep it out of the hands of Hanoverian forces. It has been unoccupied since that time, although there are some accounts suggesting it was partially inhabited thereafter including for the storage of firearms from the De Tuillay in the 1745 Jacobite Uprising and Lady Grange's account of her kidnapping.

Restoration proposals

The condition of the castle is disputed. Highland Council issued a Dangerous Buildings Order, closing the castle to the public, in 1998. A significant collapse, comprising several square metres of the outer layer of the north-west curtain wall, occurred in 2000, and was repaired by the owners. On the other hand, a condition report in September 2014 found that there has been no evident change in the stonework since then.

Proposals to restore the castle by the new owners, Anta Estates, were announced in 1997 and received planning consent from Highland Council. This included the creation of a clan centre/museum, domestic apartments, and some public access. However, Historic Scotland refused Scheduled Monument Consent; a decision upheld after a local public inquiry.[8]

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, now part of Historic Environment Scotland, holds a substantial archive of research information, drawings, and photographs lodged by the current owners.

Eilean Tioram

The castle can be reached on foot across the tidal causeway, but there is no access to the interior because of the risk of falling masonry. Eilean Tioram is one of 43 tidal islands that can be walked to from the mainland of Great Britain and one of 17 that can be walked to from the Scottish mainland.[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Evans, Sandra "Eilean Tioram (The Dry Island) and Castle Tioram" Moidart.org.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  3. ↑ "Castle Tioram & Eilean Tirim. SM955". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Tabraham (2005) pp. 29, 111.
  5. ↑ Stell (2014) p. 273; Boardman, S (2006) p. 46; Stell (2006) p. 26 § 2.2; Fisher (2005) p. 91; Raven (2005) p. 63; Murray, A (1998) p. 5; McDonald (1997) pp. 189–190 n. 120, 238 n. 11; PoMS, H3/0/0 (n.d.); PoMS Transaction Factoid, No. 79436 (n.d.).
  6. ↑ Stell (2014) pp. 273–274; Stell (2006) pp. 46 § 3.1, 65 3.2; Raven (2005) pp. 265, 326; Murray, A (1998) pp. 4–5; Munro; Munro (1986) p. xxix; Macphail (1914) p. 26.
  7. ↑ Stell (2014) pp. 273–278, 295–296; Stell (2006) pp. 46–49 § 3.1, 70 § 3.2; Fisher (2005) p. 94; Castle Tioram (1999) p. 19; Murray; Ballin-Smith (1999) p. 5.
  8. ↑ "Castle Tioram: Our statement on bringing Castle Tioram back into residential use". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  9. ↑ Caton, Peter (2011) No Boat Required - Exploring Tidal Islands. Matador.

References

  • Boardman, S (2006). The Campbells, 1250–1513. Edinburgh: John Donald. ISBN 978-0-85976-631-9 – via Google Books.
  • Castle Tioram: Statement of Cultural Significance. ARP Lorimer and Associates. 1999 – via Highland Historic Environment Record.
  • Fisher, I (2005). "The Heirs of Somerled". In Oram, RD; Stell, GP. Lordship and Architecture in Medieval and Renaissance Scotland. Edinburgh: John Donald. pp. 85&ndash, 95. ISBN 978 0 85976 628 9 – via Questia. (Subscription required (help)).
  • Macphail, JRN, ed. (1914). Highland Papers. Publications of the Scottish History Society, Second Series (series vol. 5). Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Scottish History Society. OL 23303390M – via Internet Archive.
  • McDonald, RA (1997). The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c. 1100–c. 1336. Scottish Historical Monographs (series vol. 4). East Linton: Tuckwell Press. ISBN 978-1-898410-85-0.
  • Munro, J; Munro, RW (1986). The Acts of the Lords of the Isles, 1336–1493. Scottish History Society, Fourth Series (series vol. 22). Edinburgh: Scottish History Society. ISBN 0 906245 07 9 – via National Library of Scotland.
  • Murray, A (1998). Castle Tioram: The Historical Background. Glasgow: Cruithne Press – via Highland Historic Environment Record.
  • Murray, A; Ballin-Smith, B (1999). Landscape Around Castle Tioram: The Historical Evidence. Glasgow: University of Glasgow – via Highland Historic Environment Record.
  • "PoMS, H3/0/0". People of Medieval Scotland, 1093–1314. n.d. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  • "PoMS Transaction Factoid, No. 79436". People of Medieval Scotland, 1093–1314. n.d. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  • Raven, JA (2005). Medieval Landscapes and Lordship in South Uist (PhD thesis). Vol. 1. University of Glasgow – via Glasgow Theses Service.
  • Stell, G (2006). "Castle Tioram: A Statement of Cultural Significance". Historic Scotland. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  • Stell, G (2014). "Castle Tioram and the MacDonalds of Clanranald: A Western Seaboard Castle in Context". In Oram, RD. The Lordship of the Isles. The Northern World: North Europe and the Baltic c. 400–1700 AD. Peoples, Economics and Cultures (series vol. 68). Leiden: Brill. pp. 271&ndash, 296. doi:10.1163/9789004280359_014. ISBN 978-90-04-28035-9. ISSN 1569-1462.
  • Tabraham, C (2005) [1997]. Scotland's Castles. London: BT Batsford. ISBN 0 7134 8943 X.

Coordinates: 56°47′6″N 5°49′39″W / 56.78500°N 5.82750°W / 56.78500; -5.82750

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