Dunstaffnage Castle 

‘The boat from Carradale moored in Dunstaffnage Bay. As they were rowed to the jetty, Claudius thought he saw Leonora. He was excited by the prospect of meeting her again. On arrival, he was shown to the gatehouse. The guard had been moved out and everything was arranged for the guests. Claudius was to share a room with other male guests on the lower floor. The castle’s store of hair mattresses had been laid out like a monk’s dormitory.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). 

More about Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Dunstaffnage is one of the oldest stone castles in Scotland. It was built in the 13th century, by the MacDougall clan, and stands on a rocky promontory overlooking Loch Etive and its sea routes. In the late 13th century, Dunstaffnage Castle came under the control of the Scottish Crown when it was seized by King Robert the Bruce. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was used as a royal prison. In the late 15th century, the Campbells acquired Dunstaffnage Castle through marriage. The castle became one of the principal seats of the Campbell chiefs, who held the title of Earls and Dukes of Argyll. Dunstaffnage served as an important stronghold for the Campbell clan, strategically located in their ancestral lands in Argyll. The Earls and later Dukes of Argyll held the title of Captain of Dunstaffnage Castle, along with their other titles and responsibilities.

In 1463 John Stewart married his mistress at Dunstaffnage but the grandson of a previous owner (John MacDougall) sought to prevent the wedding and advance his own claim to being named Lord of Lorn. He took a party of MacDougalls to ambush the wedding party on its 150m walk from the castle to the chapel. After the murder they ate the wedding feast.

'Dunstaffnage' means 'the Fort of the Headland'. Over the course of its long history Dunstaffnage Castle has been a 13th-century fortress commanding Loch Etive, a Campbell clan stronghold and a royal prison. It is now a tourist attraction near Oban.