Old Photographs Dunardry Scotland

Old photograph of Dunardry near Cairnbaan, Argyll, Scotland. The ancient and unbroken chiefly line of Clan MacTavish are styled MacTavish of Dunardry, the Gaelic Dun-ArdRigh means " fort or castle of the High King ". It is unknown who built the castle of Dunardry, or even when it was built. The castle is marked on a 1634 Timothy Pont map. By 1686 it must have been in the possession of the Earls of Argyll. It was renovated in 1704 by Duncan MacTavish, and according to the 19th century historian G.D. Mathews, it seems likely it was later owned by the MacTavishes. Today nothing exists of the site, as it lies beneath the Crinan Canal seen in the above photograph. After the Battle of Culloden, some Jacobite Highland Chiefs treated their own clansmen very badly, transporting their Clan members off their land and, indeed, from their country. This was the period known as the Highland Clearances. The MacTavish Chiefly line, still seated in Dunardarie with their clansmen, were not involved in the " clearing " of their own kin, and no MacTavishes were put off the lands. After Culloden, a few of the MacTavish started to use the Thompson spelling. The Chiefly line of MacTavish, however, retained the name MacTavish and remained seated at Dunardry. Parish registers and family groups of gravestones in Argyll express the transition of the name from MacTavish to Thomson or Thompson. The photograph above shows Dunardry Locks on the Crinan Canal.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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