View source for Duart Castle

{{Short description|Castle in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox museum
| name = Duart Castle
| image = Duart-Castle.jpg
| map_type = Scotland Argyll and Bute
| location = Isle of Mull PA64 6AP, United Kingdom
| type = Castle
| website = https://duartcastle.com
}}
[[File:Mull Duart Castle alt.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Aerial of Duart Castle, [[Isle of Mull]]]]
[[File:Duart Castle.jpg|thumb|250px|Duart Castle]]

{{Clan Maclean}}
'''Duart Castle''', or '''''Caisteal Dhubhairt''''' in [[Scottish Gaelic]], is a [[Castles in Scotland|castle]] on the [[Isle of Mull]], beside the [[Sound of Mull]] off the west coast of Scotland, within the [[Subdivisions of Scotland|council area]] of [[Argyll and Bute]]. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is the seat of [[Clan MacLean]].<ref name=electric/> One source states that the castle was "brought back from ruin in 1911".<ref>[https://www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk/whats-new/blogs/capture-the-castles-of-mull/ CAPTURE THE CASTLES OF MULL!]</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=JL |year=1999 |title=Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland and the Middle Ages |url=https://archive.org/details/lostkingdomscelt0000robe |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |location=Edinburgh |isbn=0 7486 0910 5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lostkingdomscelt0000robe/page/102 102–103] }}</ref>

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.<ref name=dowry>{{cite web |url=http://www.duartcastle.com/castle/castle_briefhistory.html |title=Duart Castle |access-date=2009-03-06 |quote=In 1350 Lachlan Lubanach, the 5th Chief, married Mary Macdonald, the daughter of the Lord of the Isles and she was given Duart as her dowry. |publisher=Duart Castle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228131853/http://www.duartcastle.com/castle/castle_briefhistory.html |archive-date=2009-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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 {{ship|English ship|Swan|1641|2}}. To the north of the castle is a [[Marine Protected Areas in Scotland|Historic Marine Protected Area]] within which lie the remains of a wrecked 17th&nbsp;century warship, believed to be the Swan.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=HMPA7|desc=Duart Point Historic MPA|access-date=2019-04-12}}</ref>

In 1678, [[Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll|the 9th Earl of Argyll]], Chief of Clan Campbell and son of the late [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll|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 [[Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth|the 3rd Earl of Seaforth]].<ref name=etc>{{cite book |last=MacLean |first=John Patterson |author-link=John Patterson MacLean|title=A History of the Clan MacLean from Its First Settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the Present Period: Including a Genealogical Account of Some of the Principal Families Together with Their Heraldry, Legends, Superstitions, Etc. |year=1889|publisher=R. Clarke & Company |quote=The MacLeans, not yet recovered from the disastrous effects of the battle of Inverkeithing, were upon this occasion illy prepared to resist the invasion of such a force. The Campbells landed in Mull in three different places, without opposition, the inhabitants contenting themselves with removing into the mountains and fastnesses of the island for protection, with their cattle. The young chief, to shield him from personal harm, was sent to the castle of [[Cairnbulg]], and afterward to [[Kintail]] under the care of the [[Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth|Earl of Seaforth]]. | url=https://archive.org/details/ahistoryclanmac00maclgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/ahistoryclanmac00maclgoog/page/n231 224] }}</ref>

In 1691, Duart Castle was surrendered by [[Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet]], to [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll|the 10th Earl of Argyll]] (who was later created, in 1701, the 1st [[Duke of Argyll]]).<ref name=electric/> The Campbell clan partially demolished the castle, and the stones from the walls were scattered. [[Donald Maclean, 5th Laird of Torloisk|The 5th Laird of Torloisk]] used some of the stones to build a cottage for his family close to the site of the castle.<ref>Fryer, Mary Beacock, Allan Maclean, Jacobite General: The life of an eighteenth century career soldier, Dundurn Press, Toronto, 1987, p.16</ref>

By 1751, the remains of the castle were abandoned.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB17974 |desc=Duart Castle |cat=A |access-date=2019-04-12|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

Descendants of [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll|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.<ref name=electric>{{cite web |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/maclean2.html |title=MacLean |access-date=2007-08-26 |quote=The castle dates from the thirteenth century, and was repaired and enlarged by Hector Mor Maclean, who was Lord of Duart from 1523 till 1568. In 1691 it was besieged by Argyll, and Sir John Maclean, the chief of that time, was forced to surrender it. After that date, though occasionally occupied by troops, the stronghold gradually fell to ruins, and the Duart properties passed to other hands till Sir Fitzroy repurchased Duart itself in 1912.|publisher=Electric Scotland }}</ref><ref name=obituary>{{cite news |work=[[The Times]] |title=Sir Fitzroy Maclean |url=http://www.hussards-photos.com/UK/UK_Yeomanry_WestKent_CPA1.htm  |quote=Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, Bt., who died yesterday at Duart Castle, Isle of Mull, at the age of 101, Chief of his Clan and a Crimean veteran, was one of the best known of the "grand old men" of Scotland. When a boy in his early teens he was taken by his father to see the ruins of Duart Castle, burnt to the ground two centuries before, and then made a vow to restore it to its former glory. The vow was redeemed in 1912, when the yellow banner of the Chief of the Clan once more floated over the castle walls amid the rejoicings of the chieftains and clansmen from all parts of the world. ... |date= November 23, 1936 |access-date=2009-03-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=MacLean |first=John Patterson |author-link=John Patterson MacLean |title=Renaissance of the clan MacLean |publisher=The F. J. Heer printing co. |year=1912 |quote=... who in turn parted with it to [[Alexander Campbell of Possil|Campbell of Possil]], who later on sold it to A. C. Guthrie in 1865, and on 11 September 1911, it was sold to the present chief of MacLean, the official announcement having been made by MacIlleathan, himself, before the annual meeting of the [[Clan MacLean Association]], held in Glasgow, on the evening of October 25, 1911. But the public journals had taken it up before, and the news rapidly spread to every place where the English language was spoken. Letters of warm-hearted congratulations were sent to the Chief from all quarters, and the event awakened a responsive enthusiasm in the hearts of the clansmen. | url=https://archive.org/details/renaissanceclan00maclgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/renaissanceclan00maclgoog/page/n49 46] }}</ref>

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.<ref>[http://www.maclean.org/duart-appeal/ Help to Save Duart Castle An appeal from the Chief of the Clan Maclean]</ref>

==Lairds of Duart==
[[Laird]]s are owners of an estate.
*[[Lachlan Lubanach Maclean, 5th Chief]], 1st laird of Duart, it was part of his wife's dowry.<ref name=dowry/>
*[[Red Hector of the Battles Maclean, 6th Chief]], 2nd laird of Duart.
*[[Lachlan Bronneach Maclean, 7th Chief]], 3rd laird of Duart.
*[[Lachlan Og Maclean, 8th Chief]], 4th laird of Duart.
*[[Hector Odhar Maclean, 9th Chief]], 5th laird of Duart.
*[[Lachlan Maclean, 10th Chief]], 6th laird of Duart.
*[[Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief]], 7th laird of Duart.
*[[Hector Mor Maclean, 12th Chief]] (1497–1568), 8th laird of Duart.
*[[Hector Og Maclean, 13th Chief]], 9th laird of Duart.
*[[Lachlan Mor Maclean, 14th Chief]], 10th laird of Duart.
*[[Sir Hector Og Maclean, 15th Chief]], 11th laird of Duart.
...
*[[Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet]], 16th Laird of Duart. He surrendered Duart Castle in 1691 to [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll|The 10th Earl of Argyll]], who demolished the castle. Sir John Maclean became the last laird of Duart until the restoration of the castle by [[Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean]] over 221 years later.<ref name=electric/>

==2014 restoration==
In 2012, the centenary of the 1912 restoration, the Chief of Clan Maclean announced that his family could no longer afford the upkeep of the castle in light of the expense of major repairs. In the winter of 2013–14 the castle lost four ceilings, which were brought down by water penetration through the chimneys. In July 2014, a restoration appeal was launched.<ref>{{cite web|title=Restoration appeal|url=http://www.maclean.org/duart-appeal/|website=Clan Maclean Website|access-date=26 July 2014}}</ref>

==Film location==
The castle was used as a location in the [[1945 in film|1945 film]] ''[[I Know Where I'm Going!]]'' (as "Castle of Sorne"). It was also featured in the [[1971 in film|1971 film]] ''[[When Eight Bells Toll (1971 film)|When Eight Bells Toll]]'', starring [[Anthony Hopkins]] and in the [[1999 in film|1999 film]] ''[[Entrapment (movie)|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]]''.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

==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 (novelist)|William Black]].<ref name="DuartCanmore">{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=157682 |num2=NM73SE 8 |desc=Mull, Duart Point, Black's Memorial Lighthouse |access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="LismoreCanmore">{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=22660 |num2=NM73NE 5 |desc=Lismore, Lighthouse |access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="NLBDuart">{{cite web|url=https://www.nlb.org.uk/lighthouses/duart-point/| title=Duart Point |publisher=Northern Lighthouse Board |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.duartcastle.com/ Official website]
*[http://www.darkisle.com/d/duart/duart.html Dark Isle Photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308215725/http://www.darkisle.com/d/duart/duart.html |date=8 March 2005 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050910131138/http://www.tobermory.co.uk/panorama/panorama_duart.htm 360° image outside the castle]
*[http://www.electricscotland.com/history/castles/duart.htm History of Duart Castle]

{{coord|display=title|56|27|21.9|N|5|39|17.8|W|type:landmark_region:GB-SCT}}
{{Mull}}
{{Marine Protected Areas in Scotland}}

[[Category:Castles in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Category A listed buildings in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Listed castles in Scotland]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the Isle of Mull]]
[[Category:Clan MacDougall]]
[[Category:Clan Maclean]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Country houses in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Historic Marine Protected Areas of Scotland]]