thumb|250x250px|Aerial of Duart Castle, [[Isle of Mull]]

thumb|250px|Duart Castle

Duart Castle, or Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is the seat of Clan MacLean. The regimental colours of the WW1 Canadian Expeditionary Force 236th Battalion (New Brunswick Kilties), CEF are laid up in the Great Hall.

History

Duart Castle was probably built by Clan MacDougall in the 13th century, and appears to have come into the hands of Clan MacLean in the following century.

In 1350, Lachlan Lubanach Maclean of Duart, the 5th Clan Chief, married Mary Macdonald, daughter of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, and Duart was part of her dowry. John of Islay's son, Donald Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, confirmed the castle by charter to the Macleans in 1390.

In 1647, Duart Castle was attacked and laid siege to by the Argyll government troops of Clan Campbell, but they were defeated and driven off by the Royalist troops of Clan MacLean.

In September 1653, a Cromwellian task force of six ships anchored off the castle, but the Macleans had already fled to Tiree. A storm blew up on the 13 September and three ships were lost, including . To the north of the castle is a Historic Marine Protected Area within which lie the remains of a wrecked 17th century warship, believed to be the Swan.

In 1678, the 9th Earl of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell and son of the late Marquess of Argyll, successfully invaded the Clan MacLean lands on the Isle of Mull and Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet, fled the castle and withdrew to Cairnbulg Castle, and afterward to Kintail under the protection of the 3rd Earl of Seaforth.

In 1691, Duart Castle was surrendered by Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet, to the 10th Earl of Argyll (who was later created, in 1701, the 1st Duke of Argyll).

By 1751, the remains of the castle were abandoned.

Descendants of the 1st Duke of Argyll sold the castle in 1801, to MacQuarrie, who then sold it to Carter-Campbell of Possil who kept it as a ruin within the grounds of his own estate to the north, Torosay Castle. He later sold his Torosay Estate, which now included the ruins of Castle Duart, to A. C. Guthrie in 1865. On 11 September 1911, the ruin was separated from the rest of the Torosay Estate and was bought by Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, the 26th Chief of the Clan MacLean, and restored.

By 2012, additional restorations were required and a fund was set up to accept donations for this purpose. Phase 7 of the project was underway in 2020.

Lairds of Duart

Lairds are owners of an estate.

  • Lachlan Lubanach Maclean, 5th Chief, 1st laird of Duart, it was part of his wife's dowry.

Film location

The castle was used as a location in the 1945 film I Know Where I'm Going! (as "Castle of Sorne"). It was also featured in the 1971 film When Eight Bells Toll, starring Anthony Hopkins and in the 1999 film Entrapment, starring Sean Connery (who has MacLean ancestry on his mother's side) and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

It is also the setting for the base of Buffy Summers in the first half of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.

Lighthouse

To the south east of the castle is the Duart Point lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1900, as a memorial to Scottish novelist William Black.

References

  • Official website
  • Dark Isle Photos
  • 360° image outside the castle
  • History of Duart Castle