Glensanda

Last updated

Glensanda
Lochaber UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Glensanda
Location within the Lochaber area
•  Edinburgh 190 mi or 310 km (road)
(149 mi or 240 km via Corran Ferry)
•  London 567 mi or 912 km (road)
(526 mi or 847 km via Corran Ferry)
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Dialling code 01631
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°33′47″N5°32′35″W / 56.563°N 5.543°W / 56.563; -5.543
Glensanda from Glas Dhruim on Lismore, with Loch Linnhe in the foreground, looking WSW. Glensanda from Glas Dhruim on Lismore - geograph.org.uk - 1588525.jpg
Glensanda from Glas Dhruim on Lismore, with Loch Linnhe in the foreground, looking WSW.

Glensanda (Old Norse, the glen of the sandy river) was a Viking settlement at the mouth of Glen Sanda [1] on the Morvern peninsula within south west Lochaber, overlooking the island of Lismore and Loch Linnhe in the western Highlands of Scotland.

Contents

Glensanda Castle (Caisteal Na Gruagaich (Maiden's Castle); [1] overlooks the mouth of the Glensanda River which tumbles down 400 metres along its 5-mile (8-kilometre) course from 'Caol Bheinn' into Loch Linnhe. The castle was the main base of the Macleans of Kingairloch (Kingerloch) since the 15th century, but the population fell from 500 to zero after 1812 when they emigrated to Pictou, Nova Scotia. [2] [3] [4]

The remoteness of the Glensanda settlement is such that there are no road, rail, or marked footway links across the granite mountain, moor, heather and peat bog of the private Glensanda estate. The only practical access is by boat from the shores of Loch Linnhe.

Since 1982 the 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) Glensanda Estate has been the home of the Glensanda Superquarry created by Foster Yeoman, since acquired by the Aggregate Industries group, which mines the Meall na h-Easaiche mountain, [5] shipping up to 6,000,000 tons of granite aggregates all over the world annually, and with reserves for up to 100 years. To minimise visual impact from the coast the quarry is sited 1 mi (2 km) inland, and cut down into the mountain 1,600 ft (500 m) above sea level. Granite is extracted via a "Glory Hole" and conveyor belt, a pioneering development in alternative quarrying technology. [2]

History

River Sanda and footpath to Ardtornish River Sanda and footpath to Ardtornish - geograph.org.uk - 1498281.jpg
River Sanda and footpath to Ardtornish

Little is known of the glen before the Viking age when it was part of Dál Riata, a Gaelic over-kingdom of the western seaboard of Scotland, in the late 6th and early 7th century. [6] According to Professor William J. Watson the Morvern district was formerly known as Kinelvadon, from the Cenél Báetáin, a subdivision of the Cenél Loairn. [7]

Glensanda was a Viking settlement at the mouth of Glen Sanda [1] The Vikings are thought to have led their first raids on what is now modern Scotland by the early 8th century AD. Their first known attack was on the holy island of Iona in 794, 40 mi (60 km) west. The end of the Viking Age proper in Scotland is generally considered to be in 1266.

Glensanda Castle is variously known as Caisteal Na Gruagaich (Maiden's castle), [1] Castle Na'gair, [1] Castle-en-Coer, [1] Castle Mearnaig [1] . It was built in the late 15th century by Ewen MacLean, 5th of Kingairloch, who was born circa 1450. [1] Glensanda, a part of Ardgour, has formed part of the territory of the Clan MacLean ever since the Clan MacMaster was removed from the territory in the 15th century. The castle was the main base of the Clan Maclean of Kingairloch (Kingerloch), and supported a thriving community of circa 500 people until around 1780 when they seem to have moved 5 mi (8 km) north to Connach (Kingairloch), at the head of Loch a' Choire (Loch Corry).

In the late 17th century the massacre of the MacDonald clansmen marked the point when the fortunes of the MacLean clan began to wane, and by 1691 the Campbells had gained possession of most of the MacLean estates. Clan Maclean participated in the Jacobite risings of 1745 to 1746, supporting the House of Stuart and the Jacobite cause. Many members of the clan were killed fighting at the Battle of Culloden. [8] Many MacLeans dispersed to other countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1812 Sir Hector Maclean (the 7th Baronet of Morvern and 23rd Chief of the Clan Maclean) emigrated with almost the entire population of 500 to Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada. [2] [3] [4] Thus, the Macleans appear not to have been involved in Highland Clearances. [9] Sir Hector is buried in the cemetery at Pictou. [9] [4]

English landowner, James Forbes (1753–1829), [10] of Hutton Hall, Essex, [11] [12] bought the estate from Sir Hector Maclean in 1812 and subsequently had the existing house at Connach extended to become the first Kingairloch House. James Forbes daughter Charlotte married Major-General Sir Charles Bruce, KCB to become Lady Bruce, and was the mother of Charlotte (1836–1906) the wife of Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. [13]

In 1888 (or 1881 [14] ) the estate was purchased by John Bell Sherriff, Esquire of Carronvale, a distiller and industrialist from Glasgow and Falkirk for £30,140.} [14] [15]

In 1902 George Herbert Strutt (1854–1928), a 5th generation cotton tycoon from Belper, Derbyshire, and descendant of Jedediah Strutt, bought the Glensanda and Kingairloch estates. [16] In 1930 Arthur Strutt (1908–1977) married Patricia Kebbell (20 October 1911 – July 2000), [17] daughter of a New Zealand sheep farmer, and granddaughter of John Cameron a Scottish cattle drover from Corrychoillie, Spean Bridge having been introduced by his sisters who were attending the same Swiss finishing school. [16] [17] Arthur Strutt died on the estate in 1977 although his body was not found for five years. Mrs Strutt was a renowned stag hunter, having shot circa 2,000 between 1930 and her death, more than any other woman in Great Britain. [16] [17]

The final solitary resident of Glensanda died around the 1950s. [2] By the 1980s Glensanda comprised the ruined tower of the 15th-century castle, a couple of derelict cottages, and a wrecked cattle shed. It was known as "the Larder of Lorne" to poachers of red deer and salmon. [2]

John Yeoman and his wife Angela of Foster Yeoman bought the Glensanda estate from Mrs Strutt in 1982, and the Kingairloch estate in 1989, but she retained the hunting rights of both estates. [16]

In 2006 Foster Yeoman was wholly acquired by the Holcim Group and is now part of its Aggregate Industries subsidiary and is no longer family owned. [18]

Glensanda Super Quarry

Glensanda quarry jetty, Loch Linnhe Glensanda quarry jetty, Loch Linnhe - geograph.org.uk - 242642.jpg
Glensanda quarry jetty, Loch Linnhe
The quarry Glensanda and quarry.jpg
The quarry
Top of the Gloryhole Kreiselbrecher.JPG
Top of the Gloryhole

In 1976 the UK Government commissioned Sir Ralph Verney to analyse the shortage of aggregates for building. The resulting "Verney report" led John Yeoman, Chairman of Foster Yeoman, to the idea of a super-quarry situated in a remote location from which stone could be exported by sea. To this end in 1982 he bought the 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) Glensanda estate in Argyll [19] from Mrs Patricia Strutt who also owned the Kingairloch estate which she also sold to Foster Yeoman in 1989. [20] Glensanda went into operation in 1986 when the first shipload of granite left for Houston, Texas, USA. In June 1989, extractions began using the "glory hole" and conveyor belt method. [2] [21]

To minimise visual impact from the coast the quarry is sited 1 mi (1.6 km) inland, and cut down into the mountain 1,600 ft (500 m) above sea level. Each explosive blast dislodges about 70,000 tons of granite, which is transported by dump truck to the primary crusher, which reduces it to lumps no bigger than nine inches in diameter. [2] It is then transferred by conveyor belt to a heap that covers the "glory hole", a 1,000 ft (300 m) vertical shaft 10 ft (3 m) in diameter, which is permanently full of rocks. At the base of the glory hole, deep inside the mountain, rocks are transferred to a horizontal conveyor and moved through a 1-mile-long (1.6 km) tunnel to the second crusher on the shore, where oceangoing ships are loaded in the deep-water docks at the rate of 6,000 tons per hour. [2]

In 1998 there were approximately 160 employees either living on site or commuting by boat from Barcaldine, near Oban. Exports at that point were going to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Rostock and Świnoujście, in Poland, as well as the Isle of Grain in the Thames Estuary. [2]

Reserves of granite are estimated to last at least until the year 2100, when the excavation will have created a new corrie 1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) square and 400 ft (120 m) deep. [2]

Closest islands, cities, towns and villages

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pictou</span> Town in Nova Scotia, Canada

Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll</span> Historic county and registration county of western Scotland

Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord of the Isles</span> Title of Scottish nobility

Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles (Scottish Gaelic: Triath nan Eilean or Rìgh Innse Gall; Latin: Dominus Insularum) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was held by a series of his descendants, the Norse-Gaelic rulers of the Isle of Man and Argyll and the islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. They wielded sea-power with fleets of galleys (birlinns). Although they were, at times, nominal vassals of the kings of Norway, Ireland, or Scotland, the island chiefs remained functionally independent for many centuries. Their territory included much of Argyll, the Isles of Arran, Bute, Islay, the Isle of Man, Hebrides, Knoydart, Ardnamurchan, and the Kintyre peninsula. At their height they were the greatest landowners and most powerful lords after the kings of England and Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duart Castle</span> Castle in Scotland

Duart Castle, or Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is the seat of Clan MacLean. One source states that the castle was "brought back from ruin in 1911". The regimental colours of the WW1 Canadian Expeditionary Force 236th Battalion, CEF are laid up in the Great Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Maclean</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Maclean is a Highlands Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early MacLeans became famous for their honour, strength and courage in battle. They were involved in clan skirmishes with the Mackinnons, Camerons, MacDonalds and Campbells, as well as all of the Jacobite risings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie</span>

Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie is a Scottish Clan that inhabited lands on the southern end of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of the western Scottish Highlands. "Maclaine" is an alternate spelling for "MacLean." Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie and Clan Maclean of Duart are two separate clans. However, the two clans share a strong family connection. The 26th clan chief is Lorne Gillean Ian Maclaine of Lochbuie, Baron of Moy. The clan is recognised by both the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs and the Lord Lyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardgour</span> Scottish parish and area of Scotland

Ardgour is an area of the Scottish Highlands on the western shore of Loch Linnhe. It lies north of the district of Morvern and east of the district of Sunart. Administratively it is now part of the ward management area of Lochaber, in Highland council area. It forms part of the traditional shire and current registration county of Argyll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appin</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Appin is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by Loch Linnhe, to the south by Loch Creran, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast to southwest, and measures 23 by 11 kilometres. The name, meaning "abbey land", in reference to Lismore Abbey, is derived from the Middle Irish apdaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morvern</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Morvern, historically also spelt Morven, is a peninsula and traditional district in the Highlands, on the west coast of Scotland. It lies south of the districts of Ardgour and Sunart, and is bounded on the north by Loch Sunart and Glen Tarbert, on the south east by Loch Linnhe and on the south west by the Sound of Mull. The highest point is the summit of the Corbett Creach Bheinn which reaches 853 metres (2,799 ft) in elevation.

Foster Yeoman Limited, based near Frome, Somerset, England, was one of Europe's largest independent quarrying and asphalt companies. It was sold to Aggregate Industries in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardtornish Castle</span> Medieval castle in Morvern, Scotland

Ardtornish Castle is a castle situated in the grounds of the Ardtornish estate in Morvern, on the west coast of Scotland. It stands at the seaward end of a promontory which extends in a southerly direction into the Sound of Mull, about 1 mile south-east of the village of Lochaline, Highland. It is protected as a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardtornish</span> Building in Scotland, UK

Ardtornish is a Highland estate in Scotland located in Morvern, Lochaber. Ardtornish House is famous for its gardens and the estate is the location of the ruined Ardtornish Castle and the still-inhabited Kinlochaline Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 10th Baronet</span> 26th Chief of Clan Maclean (1835–1936)

Colonel Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, 10th Baronet of Morvern, KCB, DL was a Scottish officer who served as the 26th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1883 to 1936, for fifty-three years. He lived to be 101 years old. He bought and restored Duart Castle in 1911 as the seat of the Maclean clan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet</span> Scottish clan chief

Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet of Duart and Morvern (1670–1716) was the 20th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1674 to 1716. He was the 16th and last Laird of Duart, when in 1691 he lost Castle Duart to Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll. The castle wasn't recovered by Clan Maclean until 1912 until it was purchased by Fitzroy Donald Maclean, 221 years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Allan Maclean, 3rd Baronet</span> Scottish clan chief

Sir Allan Maclean, 3rd Baronet of Morvern (1645–1674) was the 19th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1651 to 1674. He married then had as his son: Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Hector Maclean, 2nd Baronet</span> Scottish clan chief

Sir Hector Maclean, 2nd Baronet of Morvern was the 18th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1649 to 1651. He died without leaving a son as an heir.

John Dubh Maclean, or Iain Dubh mac Gilliemore in Scottish Gaelic, or John Maclean the Black was the 4th Chief of Clan MacLean.

Lachlan Catanach Maclean was the 11th Clan Chief of Clan MacLean from 1515 until his murder in 1523.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lachlan Mor Maclean</span>

Sir Lachlan Mór Maclean or Big Lachlan Maclean, was the 14th Clan Chief of Clan MacLean from late 1573 or early 1574 until 1598. Mór or Mor translates as big in English, or magnus in Latin, when added to a name in Scottish Gaelic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Herbert Strutt</span>

George Herbert Strutt, was a cotton mill owner and philanthropist from Belper in Derbyshire. Strutt became a High Sheriff. He was a descendant of Jedediah Strutt. The Strutt family made themselves, and Britain, rich with their cotton business. Strutt bought the Scottish Glensanda estate where his son was lost and was found as a clothed skeleton five years later.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Glensanda Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Secrets of a mountain of wealth" Archived 7 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Independent, 7 November 1998, County and Garden, Duff Hart-Davis
  3. 1 2 Manuscripts - MacLean Sinclair 1899: p282 Cambridge University
  4. 1 2 3 A History of the Clan Maclean from its first settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the present period including a genealogical account of some of the principal Families together with their Heraldry, Legends, Superstitions etc. by J. P. MacLean, 1889, p. 263.
  5. ↑ "Scotlands Places, Meall na h-Easaiche and Glensanda Quarry". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Oxford Companion to Scottish History p. 161 162, edited by Michael Lynch, Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-923482-0
  7. ↑ Watson, Celtic Place-names of Scotland, p. 122.
  8. ↑ James Noël MacKenzie MacLean (1971). The Macleans of Sweden. The Ampersand. ISBN   0-900161-00-0.
  9. 1 2 "Why MacLeans Live on Six Continents Instead of One Island" Archived 15 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Clan Maclean, The Clearances,, Mary McLean Hoff
  10. ↑ Seax Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Essex Archives Online
  11. ↑ Kingairloch House Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
  12. ↑ "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide" Archived 1 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine , by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press
  13. ↑ Kingairloch House Archived 20 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine University of Edinburgh, Gazetteer for Scotland
  14. 1 2 Kingairloch Archived 26 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine University of Edinburgh, Gazetteer for Scotland
  15. ↑ Carronvale House Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Falkirk Local History Society
  16. 1 2 3 4 "The killer lady of Kingairloch" The Independent, 5 July 2000
  17. 1 2 3 Patricia Strutt Archived 17 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine Daily Telegraph, Obituaries, 6 July 2000
  18. ↑ "Foster Yeoman founding family agrees £300m Swiss takeover" Archived 12 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Times
  19. ↑ "New Ship Loader Cabin for Foster Yeoman at Glensanda" Archived 22 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Hub-4, News,
  20. ↑ "Kingairloch History, A brief recent history of Kingairloch Estate". Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  21. ↑ McCallum, Andrew (6 October 1989). "Glensanda disappearing down the glory hole". The Glasgow Herald . p. 15. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.