Clan Rising
Saddell Castle today

Scotland · Restored

Saddell Castle

Saddell Castle is a 16th-century stone castle on the shore of the Kilbrannan Sound near Saddell in Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Built c.1508–1512 from reused abbey and earlier castle stone, it served as a seat of the MacDonald family and was later restored by the Landmark Trust for holiday letting.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1512

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1512

What Saddell Castle looked like in its prime.

A compact early 16th-century stone tower-house and ancillary ranges set directly on the rocky shore of Kilbrannan Sound, built of pale, weathered masonry partly reclaimed from Saddell Abbey. The castle is enclosed by a low defensive curtain wall defining a small paved courtyard, with a pronounced entrance passage through the wall. Narrow slit windows and modest rectangular openings puncture thick walls; rooflines are simple pitched ranges over the tower and service blocks. A subterranean dungeon is reached from the entrance passage.

Its story

The story of Saddell Castle.

Somerled's Shore and the Bruce at Saddell

A castle stood on the shore of the Kilbrannan Sound at Saddell in Somerled's time, in the 12th century, and the site served as a bastion of the MacDonald family for several centuries. Among the MacDonald lords who resided there was Alasdair Mor MacDonald, younger brother of Angus Mor MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, in the 13th century. In the early 14th century, during the First War of Scottish Independence, Angus Og MacDonald gave refuge at Saddell to Robert the Bruce before taking him on to Dunaverty Castle on the Mull of Kintyre.

Bishop Hamilton's Tower and the Burning of 1558

The castle standing today was built between 1508 and 1512 by David Hamilton, Bishop of Argyll, from the stones of the ruined castle and of Saddell Abbey. In 1556 Bishop James Hamilton gave it to James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, as payment for debts and taxes. Arran was later forced to exchange it with James MacDonald, chief of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, for James's lands on the Isle of Arran, and the tower became one of several ancestral homes of the MacDonald family in Scotland.

In October 1558 an English force led by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, Lord Deputy of Ireland, captured and burnt Saddell under orders from Queen Mary I of England, in retaliation for James MacDonald's involvement in Ireland against the English Crown.

MacDonald Lairds, the 1607 Conveyance to Argyll, and Decay by 1774

Successive MacDonald lairds rebuilt and enlarged the castle. A trap door in the main entrance passage sent unwanted visitors into a dungeon with no exits. In 1607 King James VI conveyed the Clan Donald lands in Kintyre, Saddell among them, to Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll. The castle fell into disrepair when Saddell House was built around 1774.

The Landmark Trust and the Clan Donald Pilgrimage

The castle was bought and restored by the Landmark Trust, which lets it as a self-catering property, and it has been a category A listed building since 20 July 1971. Members of Clan Donald continue to make pilgrimages to Saddell every year, in memory of its place in Scottish history.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1512.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Saddell Castle, including 2 interiors: main entrance passage and gate, subterranean dungeon. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach along Saddell BaySeaward façade from the waterMain entrance passage and gateSubterranean dungeonInner courtyard within the curtain wallWall above the gate (folk mark)

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Whose castle

Clans who held Saddell Castle.

The families that held Saddell Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • MacDonald

    Exchanged to James MacDonald of Dunnyveg by the Earl of Arran after 1556; an ancestral home of Clan Donald until the Kintyre lands were conveyed to Argyll in 1607.

  • Campbell

    Granted the Clan Donald lands in Kintyre, including Saddell, by James VI in 1607.

From the archive

Saddell Castle on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

ENTRANCE, Saddell Castle

ENTRANCE

1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)

Public domain

FIRST FLOOR, Saddell Castle

FIRST FLOOR

1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)

Public domain

SECOND FLOOR, Saddell Castle

SECOND FLOOR

1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)

Public domain

Questions about Saddell Castle

What is the history of Saddell Castle?

Saddell Castle was built in the early 16th century as a MacDonald seat, using stone from an earlier castle and Saddell Abbey. The present tower was built between 1508 and 1512 by David Hamilton, Bishop of Argyll. It was captured and burnt by an English force in October 1558, later passed to Archibald Campbell, and was eventually restored by the Landmark Trust.

What is inside Saddell Castle?

Saddell Castle contains a main entrance passage and gate, with a subterranean dungeon reached from the passage. The entrance once included a trap door that sent unwanted visitors into a dungeon with no exits. The documented interior spaces are limited to these areas in the supplied material.

Who owns Saddell Castle now?

Saddell Castle is owned by the Landmark Trust. It was bought and restored by the trust, which now rents it as a self-catering property. The castle has been a category A listed building since 1971.

Why was Saddell Castle built, and what was it used for?

Saddell Castle was built as a seat and stronghold for the MacDonald family and their lords. MacDonald lords resided there over several centuries, and the present tower reused stone from the earlier castle and Saddell Abbey. After its historical use as a MacDonald residence, it became a self-catering property after restoration.

Where is Saddell Castle?

Saddell Castle is on the shore of the Kilbrannan Sound near Saddell in Kintyre, within Argyll and Bute. Its setting is beside Saddell Bay, on the coast of the Kintyre peninsula. It stands directly on the rocky shore of the sound.

When was Saddell Castle built?

Saddell Castle was built between 1508 and 1512, making it an early 16th-century castle. The original castle at Saddell existed in the 12th century, so the present building replaced or reused an earlier structure. Its construction used stone from the ruined castle and Saddell Abbey.

Was Saddell Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Saddell Castle was captured and burnt in October 1558 by an English force led by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex. The attack was ordered in retaliation for James MacDonald’s involvement in Ireland against the English Crown. The castle later survived, was rebuilt and enlarged by successive MacDonald lairds, and was eventually restored.

Which family or clan held Saddell Castle?

Saddell Castle was held by the MacDonald family and became one of the ancestral homes of Clan Donald. After 1556, James MacDonald of Dunnyveg received it from the Earl of Arran in exchange for James’s lands on the Isle of Arran. In 1607, the Kintyre lands including Saddell were conveyed to Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll.

What did Saddell Castle look like in its prime?

Saddell Castle is a compact early 16th-century stone tower-house with ancillary ranges on the rocky shore of Kilbrannan Sound. It has pale, weathered masonry partly reclaimed from Saddell Abbey, a low defensive curtain wall, a small paved courtyard and a pronounced entrance passage. Narrow slit windows, thick walls and simple pitched rooflines define its appearance.

Is Saddell Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Saddell Castle is still standing and has been restored. It was built from the stone of a ruined earlier castle and Saddell Abbey, and was later rebuilt and enlarged by successive MacDonald lairds. The castle fell into disrepair after Saddell House was built around 1774, before being bought and restored by the Landmark Trust.

Who built Saddell Castle?

Saddell Castle was built by David Hamilton, Bishop of Argyll, between 1508 and 1512. The supplied material does not name a separate architect or commissioner. Its construction used stone from the ruined castle and Saddell Abbey.

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