Tor Castle is a ruined castle, about 3 miles (5 kilometres) north east of Fort William, Highland, Scotland, west of the River Lochy and east of the Caledonian Canal, near Torlundy. [1]
Tor Castle is a ruined castle, about 3 miles (5 kilometres) north east of Fort William, Highland, Scotland, west of the River Lochy and east of the Caledonian Canal, near Torlundy. [1]
An Iron Age fort previously occupied the site. According to tradition, the fort once belonged to Banquo, the Thane of Lochaber, who features in the play Macbeth. [2] The Ordnance Survey Name Books of Kilmallie in 1872 makes an interesting comment of the site:
"The old Castle of Tor-Castle is by the natives of the place Tigh Bhanco i.e. ‘Banquo’s house’. There is a walk by the Lochyside to the North of Tor Castle known as Sràid Bhanco, i.e. ‘Banquo’s Walk’; and the small green field close by the Castle is called Dail a’ Chait i.e. ‘The field of the Cats’ where Banquo is said to have gone through a mode of ‘Divination’ by means of placing a cat on an iron spit & torturing the Taing of the Cats’ – a powerful spirit, who came forward, and on condition of getting his subject released revealed the future to the questioner."
The site was erroneously styled ‘Togarma’ by Sir Walter Scott in a note to the Lady of the Lake. The correct designation is Tigh-ghairm nan Cat; i.e. ‘The House of Invocation of the Cats. [3] [4]
There has been a castle at the site since at least the eleventh century. Donald B. MacCulloch (1939) writes in his book, Romantic Lochaber, that Tor Castle was built on top of an earlier site in the 11th century by Gillicattan Mor, early chief of Clan Chattan. [5] By 1291 a splendid match was arranged for Angus Mackintosh, chief of the Clan Mackintosh, when he married Eva, the only daughter of Dougal Dal, 6th chief of the Clan Chattan, which brought Angus the lands of Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig. [6] Angus and Eva lived on the lands of Clan Chattan at Tor Castle but they later withdrew to Rothiemurchus. [6] The reason for the withdrawal was apparently a dispute with Aonghus Óg of Islay, chief of Clan Donald, who was Angus's maternal uncle. [7]
MacCulloch (1939) then writes that the lands around Tor Castle were given by John, the 1st Lord of the Isles, to Alastair Carrach (1380-1440), progenitor of the Keppoch branch of the Macdonalds, who built an early keep. Alastair Carrach later was given Lordship of the Isles and the Camerons, as his vassals at the time, did not object to Alastair residing there. During the Battle of Inverlochy, Alastair gathered forces and launched a attack with Donald Balloch against King James I forces. [8] [9]
This battle also changed the allegiances of Clan Cameron and Clan Chattan, who were now loyal to the King instead of the Lord of the Isles. [10] The castle was then seized by Clan Cameron, who built a massive tower house and courtyard. [2] The Camerons initially used the castle as a refuge from attacks by the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch. [2] A feud therefore arose as Clan Cameron considered the lands and castle abandoned by Clan Mackintosh/Chattan. [11] By 1528, the old Clan Chattan lands at Lochaber were legally ceded to the Camerons, in a land charter by King James V. [5] Ewen Mor Cameron of Lochiel, 13th chief of Clan Cameron rebuilt the castle in 1530. [12] By 1665, Scotland’s Privy Council ordered the chief’s of Cameron and Mackintosh to appear before them and finally resolve the dispute and make both of them bound by its decision. The Council ordered Cameron to pay Mackintosh 72,000 merks. Mackintosh did not appear satisfied with this outcome and was arrested and bound to keep the peace. As soon as he was released, he called on the Chattan Confederation to launch an expedition into Lochaber. See Stand-off at the Fords of Arkaig. After the stand off, the Cameron Chief crossed the river to meet his former enemy at the House of Clunes and to sign a contract for the formal sale of Loch Arkaig and Glen Loy, with Cameron and six friends paying in three instalments over two years. The Camerons considered it something of a Pyrrhic victory, as the pursuit of their claim to Glen Loy and Arkaig over the years had cost them lands worth four times as much. Cameron had problems raising the money, and was offered a loan by the Earl of Atholl in an attempt to curb the power of the Earl of Argyll, but Argyll offered a similar loan at lower interest. However, there were strings attached, Cameron had to pay £100 Scots in feu-duty and to acknowledge Argyll as superior of the lands. The Camerons were still paying rent to Argyll's factor in 1749. Tor Castle remained the seat of Clan Cameron until a new residence at Achnacarry was built after 1665. Tor Castle appears finally abandoned after the Jacobite rising of 1745. [5]
The castle consists of a very ruinous tower house. [2] [13]
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) site record of 1961 describes the site as "Tor Castle, a tower house in a rather poor condition, measuring internally 8,2 m by 4,9m, with walls standing to a maximum height of 4,0m and averaging 2,2m in thickness. It is constructed of mortared random rubble and shows some evidence of repair or rebuilding. On the north side of the tower are two fragments of old walling, probably the remains of a former barmkin, and the old scrapings and platforms of the earlier Tor Castle can still be traced. A deep ditch, now water filled, isolates the site from the remainder of the ridge on which it stands.” A archeology survey of 2015 describes the site as "Tor Castle (SM5471), survives predominantly as two prominent standing walls and a number of smaller sections of built wall, some of which are now turf covered." [14]
Tor Castle is listed with National Record of the Historic Environment as 23706 and registered as a Scheduled Monument (SM5471) [15] [16]
Lochaber is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation of Quoad Sacra parishes in the 19th century. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a district called Nether Lochaber, to beyond Spean Bridge and Roybridge, which area is known as Brae Lochaber or Braigh Loch Abar in Gaelic. Lochaber is now also used to refer to a much wider area, one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region. The main town of Lochaber is Fort William.
Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was a Scottish soldier and the 17th Chief of Clan Cameron. He fought as a Cavalier during the Civil War and was one the principal Jacobite leaders during the 1689 Rising. He is regarded as one of the most formidable Scottish clan chiefs of all time. Lord Macaulay praised him as the "Ulysses of the Highlands" and further wrote, "Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was in personal qualities unrivalled among the Celtic Princes. He was a gracious master, a trusty ally, a terrible enemy." An incident demonstrating Lochiel's strength and ferocity in single combat, when he bit out the throat of an enemy, is used by Sir Walter Scott in Lady of the Lake.
Clan Shaw is a Highland Scottish clan and is a member of the Chattan Confederation.
Clan Chattan is a unique confederation of Highland clans. The clan is distinctive in highland clan history in that it was acknowledged to be a community or confederation, of twelve separate Scottish clans, who each had their own clan chief recognized under Scottish law, but who were united under and bound to a superior chief of the confederation for mutual solidarity, sustenance and protection in the Middle Ages and early modern period in the Scottish Highlands.
Clan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The chiefs of the clan are the Mackintoshes of Mackintosh. Another branch of the clan, the Mackintoshes of Torcastle, are the chiefs of Clan Chattan, a historic confederation of clans.
Clan Macpherson is a Highland Scottish clan and a member of the Chattan Confederation.
Achnacarry is a hamlet, private estate, and a castle in the Lochaber region of the Highlands, Scotland. It occupies a strategic position on an isthmus between Loch Lochy to the east, and Loch Arkaig to the west.
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Chief of the clan is customarily referred to as simply "Lochiel".
The Battle of Mulroy was a Scottish clan battle fought in August 1688 in the Lochaber district of Scotland. It was fought between the Clan Mackintosh who were supported by government troops under Kenneth Mackenzie of Suddie against the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch who were supported by the Clan Cameron over disputed lands in the Braes of Lochaber. The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, also known as Clan MacDonellof Keppoch or Clan Ranald of Lochaber, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The progenitor of the clan is Alistair Carrach MacDonald, 4th great-grandson of the warrior Somerled. The clan chief is traditionally designated as the "Son of Ranald's son".
The Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh was a Scottish family and a branch of the larger Clan Donald.
Inverlochy Castle is a ruined, 13th-century castle near Inverlochy and Fort William, Highland, Scotland. The site of two battles, the castle remains largely unchanged since its construction. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
Kilmallie is a civil parish in Lochaber, in the west highlands of Scotland. It is centered on the village of Caol, near Fort William and extends to Banavie and Corpach. It gives its name to the local shinty club, Kilmallie Shinty Club as well as two local churches, Kilmallie Free Church of Scotland and Kilmallie Parish Church of Scotland.
Donald Cameron, known as Black Taylor of the Axe was a famed warrior of the Scottish Highlands during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Born illegitimate, his father was Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, 14th chief of Clan Cameron, and his mother was the daughter of the chief of Clan MacDougall. Donald Cameron is claimed as the eponymous ancestor of the Taylor sept of Clan Cameron. He is alluded to in the coat of arms of the chief of Clan Cameron, as a likeness of him appears as the supporters holding a Lochaber axe.
The Battle of Invernahavon was a Scottish clan battle between the Clan Cameron and the confederation of Clan Chattan that consisted of the Clan Mackintosh, Clan Macpherson, and Clan Davidson amongst others. Some sources give the date as 1386, others as 1370.
The Battle of Lochaber was fought in 1429, in the Scottish Highlands, between the forces of Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald against the Royalist army of King James I of Scotland.
The Stand-off at the Ford of Arkaig occurred in September 1665 at Achnacarry, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Fort William, Scotland. The Chattan Confederation led by the Clan Mackintosh assembled an army to challenge Clan Cameron in a 360-year-old dispute over the lands around Loch Arkaig. After a week of stalemate, the long-running feud was ended by a deal in which the Camerons bought the land from the Mackintoshes.
The Battle of Inverlochy (1431) was fought after Alexander of Islay, Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross, had been imprisoned by King James I. A force of Highlanders led by Donald Balloch, Alexander's cousin, defeated Royalist forces led by the Earls of Mar and Caithness at Inverlochy, near present-day Fort William. Over 1000 men were supposedly killed, among them the Earl of Caithness. Balloch then went on to ravage the country of Clan Cameron and Clan Chattan, clans who had been disloyal to Alexander. King James himself soon after led an army into the Highlands, and Highland forces left off.
Clan Cumming, also known as Clan Comyn, is a Scottish clan from the central Highlands that played a major role in the history of 13th-century Scotland and in the Wars of Scottish Independence. The Clan Comyn was once the most powerful family in 13th-century Scotland, until they were defeated in civil war by their rival to the Scottish throne, Robert the Bruce.
The Battle of Craig Cailloch was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1441 between the Clan Cameron and Clan Mackintosh. The two clans had defected from Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross during his war with James I of Scotland. Alexander lost the war but was subsequently appointed Justiciar of Scotia by James and became reconciled to the Chattans. Alexander encouraged the Chattans to invade the lands of the Camerons which resulted in a battle on Craig Cailloch in 1441. The battle was bloody and several leading Chattan men were killed. Afterwards Malcolm Mackintosh led further raids into Cameron territory to avenge the deaths. Donald Dubh, leader of the Camerons was later forced into exile in Ireland.
