Monument record MHG5416 - Caisteal Maol
Summary
No summary available.
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NG 7580 2635 (85m by 77m) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NG72NE |
| Geographical Area | SKYE AND LOCHALSH |
| Old County | INVERNESS-SHIRE |
| Civil Parish | STRATH |
Map
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
NG72NE 1 7580 2634.
(NG 7580 2634) Caisteal Maol (NR) (In Ruins)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)
Caisteal Maol ... a stronghold of the MacKinnons of Skye occupies a rocky promontory about 50ft OD.
The structure appears to be of 15th century date and is rectangular on plan measuring 46ft 6 ins by 34ft 8 ins externally with its major axis lying almost NE-SW. Only the N and S corners and the SE wall remain, being 8-9ft thick. They reach a height of 35-40ft outside and have contained three floors, with possibly a fourth within the roof. Debris completely fills the basement, but a corbel, projecting from the S wall at a level of 3ft below the step of the first floor window, indicates a bearer support for the floor. Evidently there have been no vaulted ceilings. The walls are of basalt rubble and are faced externally and internally with squared rubble built to courses of varying heights. At the base of the S wall there is a batten, which varies from 1ft 2 ins - 8ft on the splayed face, according to the irregular contour of the rock. No windows appear in the basement.
Dean Munro (1549) mentions "the castill of Dunna-Kyne, pertaining to MacKynnoun", which is clearly this place. It is marked on Blaeu's (i.e. Pont's) map under this name. In 1616 and 1627 Lauchlan MacKinnon of "Strathordill" had charters of these lands as a barony with the privilege of a ferry boat on the water of Kyleakin.
RCAHMS 1928; D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889; J Blaeu 1654.
Caisteal Maol, as described by RCAHMS, is in ruinous condition.
Visited by OS (A C) 13 June 1961.
No change.
Revised at 1/2500
Visited by OS (R L) 13 June 1961.
'Pine joist end': listed, no details given.
R Miket et al 1991.
Two photographs of Caisteal Maol were submitted by Martin Briscoe in May 2011. <1>
Sources/Archives (10)
- --- SHG1581 Text/Publication/Article: Miket, R {et al.}. 1991. 'Survey', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1991, p.43-5, 46. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 43-5, 46. 46.
- --- SHG1978 Text/Publication/Volume: Blaeu, J. 1654. Theatrum Orbis Terrerum, sive Atlas Novus, Vol.5; Scotice et Hibernia.
- --- SHG19945 Image/Photograph(s): Colour Slide. .
- --- SHG2247 Text/Publication/Monograph: Gifford, J. 1992. Highland and Islands. The Buildings of Scotland. Paper (Original). 542-3.
- --- SHG24259 Image/Photograph(s): Highland Council Archaeology Unit. HCAU Slide Collection Sheet 8. Colour slide. . Digital (scanned). 152.
- --- SHG2442 Text/Publication/Volume: MacGibbon, D and Ross, T. 1887-92. The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries. Hardback. Vol. 3, 172-3.
- --- SHG2516 Text/Publication/Volume: Miket and Roberts, R and D L. 1990. The medieval castles of Skye and Lochalsh. 32-7.
- --- SHG25366 Image/Photograph(s): Taylor, A. 02/2010. A Collection of Highland Buildings and Monuments. Colour. Yes. Digital.
- --- SHG2656 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1928. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Ninth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles. . 207-8, No. 648.
- <1> SHG25923 Image/Photograph(s): Briscoe, J M. 2011. Photographs of Caisteal Maol. Colour digital. Yes. Digital.
Finds (0)
Protected Status/Designation
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Record last edited
Feb 3 2014 10:16AM
