Smerby Castle

55°26′12″N 5°32′20″W / 55.4366°N 5.5388°W / 55.4366; -5.5388TypeFortified houseSite informationConditionRuin

Smerby Castle, also known as Island Muller Castle, is a ruined fortified house on a promontory known as Isla Muller, Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, north of Campbeltown.[1] The site is protected as a scheduled monument.[2]

History

16th century

Ranald MacDonald was granted Smerby Castle from his father James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg.

Angus MacDonald, 8th of Dunnyveg was kept as a prisoner in chains at Smerby Castle in 1598 after James MacDonald was sent to seek his fathers submission to King James V of Scotland. Angus suffered burns after his Kintyre house Askomull was burnt down by his son James and was subsequently captured.[3] The MacDonalds of Smerby were known as "MacConnell" due to the Gaelic pronunciation of Macdonald as such. In a 1594 Bond by James "Macdonald" of Smerby, signed as M'Connall and a 1597 Bond by Sir James "MacDonald" of Knockrinsay also signed as M'Connall [3]

Notes

  1. ^ "Island Muller Castle". CANMORE. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  2. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Island Muller Castle (SM3222)". Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b Fraser-MackIntosh, Charles (1895). The last macdonalds of Isla. Glasgow.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References

  • Macdonald, Angus; Macdonald, Archibald (1900). The Clan Donald. Vol. 2. Inverness: The Northern Counties Publishing Company, Ltd.