Saddell Castle, Argyll And Bute
Photo © Leslie Barrie, 2 June 2009
Saddell Castle - Photo ©
Harold Ralston, 4 May 1993
Saddell Castle, Argyll And Bute Photo © Leslie Barrie, 2 June 2009 |
Saddell Castle - Photo © Harold Ralston, 4 May 1993 |
Dating from the 15th-century and once home to the Bishops of Argyll, the castle is now in the care of the Landmark Trust. The castle is said to be haunted by a white lady and a ghostly monk.
SADDELL CASTLE, ARGYLLSHIRE.
Saddell Castle is situated on the Kintyre shore of Kilbrannan Sound. It occupies a low-lying situation at the base of a thickly-wooded hill not far from the ruins of Saddell Abbey, and was, it is believed, at one time surrounded by the sea.
The abbey is an utter wreck, but fortunately the castle is well preserved, and is cherished with pride by its owner, Colonel Macleod.
It is an oblong keep, measuring about 48 feet 10 inches by 28 feet, and 50 feet 9 inches in height from the ground to the top of the battlements. The entrance door is on the east side, and adjoining it is a wheel-stair, which juts into the interior of the tower and ascends to the top of the building. The ground floor is vaulted, and is about 4 or 5 feet below the level of the passage at the entrance door. It contains two cellars, from the smaller of which that on the left hand a private stair leads up to the first floor. This cellar also contains a garde-robe with shoot.
The arrangement of the first floor, with the kitchen cut off from the end of the hall, recalls other examples above described, also situated in the locality of the Frith of Clyde viz., Little Cumbrae, Law, Fairlie, and Skelmorlie. In these cases, however, the arrangements can only be made out from the ruins, while at Saddell they can still be seen in their entirety. The kitchen is 7 feet 6 inches wide, with an arched fireplace extending to 5 feet 6 inches more. It contains the usual oven and various ambries. Beside the kitchen, and to the south of the staircase, there has been a small apartment, and the hall probably occupied all the space north of the kitchen partition, although it is now divided into two apartments.
The second floor is divided into four apartments, three of which have original fireplaces; and one of the windows on this floor has a stone seat, with a garde-robe entering from the ingoing.
The third floor is divided into three apartments; the centre room, which is without a fireplace, has a seat in the window and a garde-robe, while the irregularly-shaped south room has a mural closet entering from its window. Over the east recess off this room two arches are thrown, so as to give increased thickness for carrying the masonry of the battlements above.
The partitions dividing the various floors into the rooms just described are probably of a later date than the keep, as are also most of the fittings. It was fitted with doors, and access is obtained from it right round the battlements, which are laid with stone. At the four corners of the tower there are round open bartizans supported on large corbels, having openings in the spaces between for defence. A similar turret occurs at one side of the capehouse, and it is likely that originally a corbelled defence of the doorway was continued across in front of the capehouse, but this seems to have been altered in the seventeenth century. The parapet round the tower is 4 feet 8 inches high, and is carried on large corbels, but of a lesser size than those of the turrets, while the spaces between are closed.
The Bernardine Cistercian abbey, which is almost all destroyed, is situated in a beautiful valley shut out from the sea. It was founded by Reginald, Lord of the Isles (son of Somerlid), between 1166 and 1207. It remained an independent foundation till about the year 1520, when David Hamilton, Bishop of Argyll, obtained its annexation to his See. Previous to this, however, in 1508, "the abbey lands were made a barony, and license to build castles within Kintyre, and fortify them with stone walls, ditches, &c., including what is termed le Muchcoling, was given to Bishop David," who received from James iv., for the maintenance of its keepers, the "fermes, here, and aitis" of "Kilyownane and Lochea."
From the following account the castle had apparently become ruinous in the seventeenth century:
"Betwixt the years 1640 and 1674, William Ralston of that ilk, who married Ursula Mure, daughter to William Mure of Glanderston, was forced to seek shelter from the rage of persecution which at that time prevailed in the Lowlands of Scotland; came to the bay of Saddell, about eight miles from Campbelton, and having built the ramparts which still remain on the Castle of Saddell, there resided for some time. She lies interred in the churchyard of St. Colinkeil."
It was probably at this time that the present internal fittings were put in.
The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland by David Macgibbon and Thomas Ross, 1889