Fort On Island In Loch An Sgoltaire On History Visit To Island Of Colonsay Inner Hebrides Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video clip, with Scottish music, of a fort and Summer house on an island in Loch An Sgoltaire, meaning Loch of the Cleaver, on ancestry, genealogy, history visit to Island Of Colonsay, Inner Hebrides. This small loch provides the Isle of Colonsay's water supply. The site is well suited to the type of island refuge that evidently prevailed in this region during the later medieval and post medieval periods, but the surviving remains probably date substantially from the period of Sir James MacDonald's rebellion in 1615. A report of 26 June of that year recorded that upon his arrival on Colonsay a few days earlier Sir James " maid ane strenth in it upon ane fresch wattir loch in ane eylanne ", the design and construction of the fortification being similar to that erected in Loch Gorm, at about the same time. Sir James MacDonald, 9th of Dunnyveg, Scottish Gaelic: Séamus Mac Dòmhnuill, died 1626, was the last chief of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg or Clan Donald South. He was a son of Angus MacDonald, 8th of Dunnyveg. He was a hostage and imprisoned a number of times in his lifetime. He was knighted Sir James of Knockrinsay. At the Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart on the Isle of Islay in 1598, he led forces against Sir Lachlan Mor MacLean, 14th Chief of Duart. James was wounded in battle but his forces killed MacLean. He then fought Hector Og Maclean, 15th Chief who sought revenge for the death of his father in the Battle of Benbigrie. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor, without issue. He fled to Spain and after returning from exile, he was given a pension from King James VI of Scotland and lived in London, never visiting Scotland again and died in London in 1626. He was buried in St. Martins Church, London, England. The island with the Victorian era summer house on it was once the site of a sixteenth century fort. The origins are not known, but it was re-fortified in 1615 and again used as a place of refuge in 1701. The loch is a stretch of water that is surrounded by low hills and lies within easy reach of the North West coast of Colonsay at Uragaig. The surviving remains of the fort were modified and added to during the course of the 19th century when the island was used as a retreat by the owners of nearby Colonsay House, the most obvious result of this activity having been the erection of a small summer-house or arbour within the inner enclosure. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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