Dingwall Castle was a medieval fort and royal castle in the town of Dingwall, eastern Ross-shire, Scotland.
The castle is believed to have been established by Norse settlers in the area in the 11th century. [1]
During the Wars of Scottish Independence the castle was garrisoned by the forces of king Edward I of England. However it was later captured by Scottish forces for king Robert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce) led by Uilleam II, Earl of Ross. [1]
From the castle, the Earl of Ross (chief of Clan Ross) led the men of Ross to fight against the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. As a reward in 1321 King Robert granted Dingwall Castle with the town and lands of Dingwall to the Earl of Ross. [1]
In 1370 a feud arose between William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (chief of Clan Sutherland) and Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver (chief of Clan Mackay). A meeting was arranged for them to meet at Dingwall Castle to resolve their issues. [2] However, Iye Mackay and his son Donald Mackay were both murdered in the castle while they were asleep by Nicholas Sutherland, 1st of Duffus, brother of the Earl of Sutherland. [2] See page: Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver for a detailed explanation of the feud.
Sometime at the beginning of the 15th century a duel is said to have taken place between the governor of the castle, who had been appointed by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany and Thomas Munro, brother of Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis (chief of Clan Munro). The two met at the village of Maryburgh and after an argument dirks were pulled and a duel took place in which Thomas Munro killed the governor of Dingwall Castle. [3] The Scottish Castles Association states that the new governor of the castle was "assassinated" by one of the Munroes and replaced by a Mackay. [4]
In 1411 Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles (chief of Clan Donald) captured Dingwall Castle as part of his pursuit of his claim to the earldom of Ross by right of his wife, Mariota Leslie. This took place shortly before the Battle of Harlaw. [5]
In 1438 the next successive Clan Donald chief, Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross was officially recognized as the Earl of Ross and took up his residence at Dingwall Castle. His son, John of Islay, Earl of Ross was not as successful; the Earldom of Ross was confiscated and the castle became a royal possession once more in 1475. [1] John Munro, 11th Baron of Foulis was then made governor of the castle, who in turn was succeeded by Andrew Munro, 2nd of Milntown. [4] The next governor in 1488 was Sir James Dunbar. [4]
In 1507 Andrew Stewart, Bishop of Caithness carried out improvements after the castle had been assaulted by the MacDonalds and Mackenzies. [4] Later governors were John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl (1516 - 1522), John Earl of Moray - brother of king James V of Scotland, David Sinclair - until 1550, George Munro, 4th of Milntown also known as "of Docharty" in 1561, Sir Andrew Keith, (Lord Dingwall), in 1584, Sir John Preston Earl of Desmond in 1605. [4]
The Crown abandoned Dingwall Castle in about 1600 and it eventually fell into a ruin. The castle ceased to be maintained after the death of king James VI of Scotland in 1625. [4] It was used as a quarry until 1817 when it was finally levelled and only a few fragments remain. [1] The remains are protected as a scheduled monument. [6]
A tunnel still exists that runs from the site of Dingwall Castle to the basement of nearby Tulloch Castle. The tunnel has now collapsed, but it is possible to view this passageway through an air vent on the front lawn of Tulloch Castle's grounds. [7] [8] [9]
Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once-powerful Highland Scottish clan from the far North of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old Kingdom of Moray. They supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. In the centuries that followed they were anti-Jacobite. The territory of the Clan Mackay consisted of the parishes of Farr, Tongue, Durness and Eddrachillis, and was known as Strathnaver, in the north-west of the county of Sutherland. However, it was not until 1829 that Strathnaver was considered part of Sutherland when the chief sold his lands to the Earls of Sutherland and the Highland Clearances then had dire consequences for the clan. In the 17th century the Mackay chief's territory had extended to the east to include the parish of Reay in the west of the neighbouring county of Caithness. The chief of the clan is Lord Reay and the lands of Strathnaver later became known as the Reay Country.
Clan Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland, however in the early 16th century this title passed through marriage to a younger son of the chief of Clan Gordon. The current chief is Alistair Sutherland who holds the title Earl of Sutherland.
The Munros of Milntown were a family cadet branch of the Highland Clan Munro. As the earliest recorded cadet branch of the Munro chiefs, the Munros of Milntown were the 'senior' cadet branch of the clan, and spawned many cadet branches. They were frequently recorded as 'Monro' as well as Munro. The Munros of Milntown are notable for being involved in events concerning the history of the late Middle Ages in the Scottish Highlands.
The Battle of Bealach nam Broig was a battle fought between Scottish clans from the lands of north-west Ross, against north-eastern clans of Ross who supported the Earl of Ross. The actual date of the battle is debated, it probably occurred in 1452 but the Conflicts of the Clans suggests a date as early as 1299.
The Battle of Dingwall was a Scottish clan battle said to have taken place in the year 1411, in Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between the Clan Mackay and the Clan Donald.
The Battle of Aldy Charrish was a Scottish clan battle that took place on 11 July 1487. The Clan Mackay and possibly the Clan Sutherland defeated the Clan Ross and their allies in the Scottish Highlands, probably on the south side of Strathoykel.
The Battle of Alltan-Beath also known as the Battle of Ailtan-Beath was a Scottish clan battle said to have taken place in the year 1542 in the village of Knockarthur, in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between men of the Clan Mackay and men of the Clan Sutherland whose chiefs were the Gordon, Earls of Sutherland.
William de Moravia was the 5th Earl of Sutherland and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. William, 5th Earl of Sutherland was a loyal supporter of David II of Scotland in the wars against England.
John Munro of Foulis was a Scottish clan chief of the highland Clan Munro in Rosshire, Scotland. He is by tradition the 11th Baron of Foulis and 14th overall chief of the clan. However, he is actually only the 4th chief of the Clan Munro who can be proved by contemporary evidence.
Clan Munro is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and settled in Scotland in the eleventh century, though its true founder may have lived much later. It is also a strong tradition that the Munro chiefs supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The first proven clan chief on record however is Robert de Munro who died in 1369; his father is mentioned but not named in a number of charters. The clan chiefs originally held land principally at Findon on the Black Isle but exchanged it in 1350 for Estirfowlys. Robert's son Hugh who died in 1425 was the first of the family to be styled "of Foulis", despite which clan genealogies describe him as 9th baron.
Angus Du Mackay, 7th of Strathnaver was the seventh chief of the Clan Mackay, a Highland Scottish clan. He is recorded in the 15th-century Scottish chronicle, Scotichronicon, as Enneas-en-Imprissi meaning Angus the Absolute due to his power of commanding 4000 men.
Iye Du Mackay, 12th of Strathnaver, was the chief of the Clan Mackay, a Highland Scottish clan, from 1550 to 1572.
The Mackays of Scoury were a minor noble Scottish family and a branch of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Highland Scottish clan. They were seated at Scourie Castle, in Scourie, in the parish of Eddrachillis, county of Sutherland. However, Scourie was part of the Mackay chief's province of “Strathnaver” until it was sold to the Earl of Sutherland in 1829.
Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver was the chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. He was murdered along with his eldest son Donald at Dingwall Castle during a feud with the Earl of Sutherland, chief of the Clan Sutherland.
Donald Mackay, 5th of Strathnaver, was the fifth chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Angus Mackay, 6th of Strathnaver was the sixth chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Angus Roy Mackay, 9th of Strathnaver, was the ninth chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Iye Roy Mackay, 10th of Strathnaver, was the tenth chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, was the eleventh chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
Quoting: Gordon, Sir Robert (1813). A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland. p. 58.
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