Dunaverty Castle

[Bobbie En Tejas]

And also about how the Campbell sentry let Flora McCambridge go as she tried to sneak away from the besieged castle, along Dunaverty beach, with her baby dressed in Campbell tartan " he might be wearing Campbell tartan but he's got McDonald eyes" but he showed mercy and let them live. They escaped to Ireland.

I had heard that story but didn't realize it happened down there. Given enough time, everything fits together.

My favourite sory in this book is that of an old man in southend who kept a skull , with sabre marks and all, which he claimed he found at the foot of the rock and was the remnants of one of the massacred MacDonalds!

That was 1st gen Suthen' !!

I wondered if he was related to you suthen! You have a lot of interesting history that has gone on down there (still remembering Queen Esther who lived in the cave) Wonder whatever happened to the skull.. you don't have any interesting bowls or odd lamps around, do you?

[Bruce]

Yes Bruce im sure the guys on here will be a great help in finding out more about Campbeltown and the surrounding area .

Yea I'm sure they will be... and I am sure there are plenty stories of the area to keep us all happy for a while!

[linda_j]

Thanks for all the information that you have posted .... im sure if I keep searching I will get a artist impression of how the castle used to look. We have some great pictures taken from the top of the rock so maybe get around to posting some of them to share with you.

Linda

[dgraves]

Thanks for all the information that you have posted .... im sure if I keep searching I will get a artist impression of how the castle used to look. We have some great pictures taken from the top of the rock so maybe get around to posting some of them to share with you.

Linda

That would be great to see your pictures, Linda_j. I enjoyed jd's. Its lovely the way that someone has restored the living area.

I've been looking for an artist's sketch too..no luck so far. I'm sure one of us will find one. The going's been slow for me..I keep getting lost reading the history and related links.

[Malky]

Likely you all know about the walled enclosure in Machribeg field where all the bodies were buried......quite a bit after the massacre if I mind right......somebody will put me right I am sure.

Is that the bit just to the right of the entrance to Dunaverty Golf Course?

And also about how the Campbell sentry let Flora McCambridge go as she tried to sneak away from the besieged castle, along Dunaverty beach, with her baby dressed in Campbell tartan " he might be wearing Campbell tartan but he's got McDonald eyes" but he showed mercy and let them live. They escaped to Ireland.

It wasn't actually Flora McCambridge's baby. She was the nurse to the baby son of Archibald Macdonald of Sanda, who was the commander of the Castle at the time. So it would be his baby. The sentry was more accurate than he thought

Here's another photo of the rock taken in August 2003. By the way, there was supposed to be a drawbridge between the rock and the mainland at one time.


I also took this photo while coming back down from the top of the rock. It shows the back of the house that is seen on most other photos. The roof of the small lean-to is covered in turf. You can just imagine someone mowing the roof in the summer As I said, this was in August 2003, so I'm not sure if this still exists.


Malky

[Bruce]

As we're posting pics of the area I thought I would share a couple taken last summer... the first gives an idea of the size of the gap between the two parts of the hill!



Its still hard to imagine any sort of castle being there!

The second is looking from the top of the hill looking back along the bay - I think you can still make out the lean-to at the back of the cottage...

[GarySutherland]

I also took this photo while coming back down from the top of the rock. It shows the back of the house that is seen on most other photos. The roof of the small lean-to is covered in turf. You can just imagine someone mowing the roof in the summer.

There's a house on the Kilberry Road that is completely turf-roofed. I had a photo of it somewhere but can't find it now. Probably be a good idea to keep a sheep or a goat?

Cheers
Gary

[Trapper]

Another interesting thing I read about dunaverty rock (not sure where) is that the river used to run a different course to the sea in the days when the castle was there, not sure where but I would think it ran on the other side of the rock i.e where the boathouse is now. Apparently the way the covenanters managed to get the MacDonalds out was by stopping or contamnating thier water supply which was the burn. Anybody know anymore about this or the course of the river?

[Bruce]

I've had a look for details Trapper and can't find anything.

The stream seems to be called the Conieglen (or maybe just Conie) Water - it certainly flows through Conie Glen!

[dgraves]

On the good authority of a resident on Southend, this might be the way Dunaverty Castle would look today if it hadn't been destroyed.
(a slightly larger scale)

[Bruce]

Assuming I am right in thinking that is Dunluce Castle, Antrim, then the time the two castles were built would be about right. Also that the builders would have had the same background and understanding of modern (for their time) castle building. Then when you take into consideration the evolution of Danaverty in the 13th-15th centuries, this would probably be quite close in appearance if not size!

It would still be nice to get some sort of sketch... but this at least makes sense!

[dgraves]

Yes, Bruce it is Dunluce Castle right across the way in Ireland. It was supposedly built by the same clan around the same time.

http://www.travelsinireland.com/castle/dunluce.htm

There is some interesting history and tales at this site. The original part of the castle was of the same era (the main castle built on the rock) Newer additions spread out over the mainland across the bridge.

You're right, though...someone will find a sketch of Dunaverty sooner or later.

[4th gen Suthen']

yer some wummin right enough dgraves, you know everything! .................... about everything

I know the Campbells somehow cut off the water supply to the castle but there is no way the River Con could have flowed to the sea any other way.........the lie of the land would not let it go to the other side of the rock.

I am pretty sure there was a spring within the castle grounds and with the long hot summer it ran dry......

[chrisduffy]

When we go diving we used to launch our boats from the slip you can see in the photos, and as we set out you can see a small section of walled stone on the side of the rock, it fascinates me trying to imagine a castle built on it.

The photo is taken from the edge of Pennyseorach looking at the rock, you can see the burn mentioned as it meets the sea, the background is the Mull and N.I.




Cheers
Chris

[jdcarra]

The Conieglen Burn entering the sea at Brunerican Bay. Many a time I fished it as a boy. Dunaverty Rock just to the right of photo.