Scheduled Monument

Invergarry CastleSM5481

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
09/12/1992
Type
Secular: castle
Local Authority
Highland
Parish
Kilmonivaig
NGR
NH 31500 611
Coordinates
231500, 800611

Description

The monument consists of the remains of the late seventeenth-century castle of Invergarry which was the seat of the Macdonnel Clan until it was attacked and burnt by the Duke of Cumberland in 1746. The building is situated at Invergarry, on the W bank of Loch Oich. The L-plan castle, five storeys in height, its long elevations lying SE and SW, has a rectangular stair-tower in the re-entering angle and a round stair-tower at the NE angle of the main block. The W wing is greatly reduced but the rest of the walls survive almost to wallhead level. The castle measures 18.7m NE-SW by 17.4m NW-SE overall.

The walls, constructed in a rough-hewn fine grained gneiss, vary in thickness from 0.6 to 1.5m. Most of the ashlar dressings have been robbed. The entrance doorway with its architrave moulding is in N wall of the W wing. Opposite the entrance a right angle stairway led to the first floor. The two floors above were reached by a square staircase in the re-entrant angle tower. This tower was six storeys in all, its two upper-most floors being entered from a circular projecting stair-turret (now fragmentary). The precise internal arrangements are not able to be ascertained due to the building's advanced state of decay.

The kitchen was probably located in the unvaulted ground floor, the hall was on the first floor of the main block. It is likely the N staircase gave access to private apartments above the hall. The only vaulted areas are small cellars under the stairway and rectangular tower. The entrance and cellars are provided with shot-holes. The area to be scheduled is rectilinear, measuring approximately 30m NE-SW by 25m NW-SE, and is defined as the area within the modern security fence, but excluding the fence itself, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it is a good example, albeit ruinous, of a site of defensive occupation dating from the seventeenth century which preserves evidence which, through a combination of archaeological excavation and historical research, is capable of contributing to our understanding of building design and construction and domestic and social aspects of late medieval/early modern life and culture in Scotland.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NH 30 SW 2.

MacGibbon, D. and Ross, T. (1887-92) 'The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland' Vol. 3, 620-22, Edinburgh.

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 28/03/2024 23:23