RCAHMS Images On Line
From Canmore;
(there are a variety of entries around Castle Sween illustrating occupation since Neolithic times, i've included a couple with the castle entry.
QUOTE
Archaeology Notes
NR77NW 1.00 71235 78829
NR77NW 1.01 7123 7883 Carved Stone Ball; Flint Arrowhead
NR77NW 1.02 7123 7882 Platforms; Kilns; Building
For industrial remains (including kilns and platforms) towards SE corner of curtain-wall enclosure, see NR77NW 1.02.
(NR 7123 7883) Castle Sween (NR)
Macmillan's Tower (NR) Well (NR)
OS 6" map, Argyllshire, 2nd ed., (1924)
Castle Sween, now ruinous, was probably built in the mid-12th century (S Piggott and W D Simpson 1970). The main structure, a quadrangular enclosing wall, 6'-7' thick, measuring 84' x 70' over all, against the inner face of which three main ranges of timber buildings were originally disposed round a small court, is Norman in appearance. The annexe to the W and its round tower - Macmillan's Tower - were probably added in the early 14th century, while the rectangular keep was probably added to the NE corner in the 16th century. There is also a well, doubtless original, in the NE angle of the courtyard.
The castle was beseiged by Robert the Bruce, and was finally destroyed by Sir Alexander Macdonald in 1647.
S Piggott and W D Simpson 1970; W D Simpson 1967; J G Dunbar 1966.
The castle is as described and planned.
Visited by OS (DWR) 6 June 1973
No change to the report of OS (DWR).
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (BS) 25 January 1977
Two small-scale excavations within the E half of the courtyard of this castle revealed a sequence of domestic and service ranges, culminating in an elaborate industrial complex, all of which broadly echoed the succession of families associated with the site. The original simple enclosure castle as occupied by the MacSweens until the mid 13th century may have featured some form of tower-like structure in the NE corner of the enclosure. The site was then extensively remodelled under the Stewart Earls of Menteith, who built two towers outside the W wall of the primary enclosure, and a stone-built N range inside (c.1262 to 1362).
When the site was later occupied by the MacNeills of Gigha on behalf of the Lords of the Isles, a substantial E range with first floor hall, was built within the courtyard, to compliment the new NE or 'Macmillans Tower' during the 15th century. Finally, with the discovery of a series of kiln-like structures and ancillary sheds and compounds, it was evident that up to the end of its active life, under the Earls of Argyll c.1650, the E courtyard was largely cleared of major buildings and the area given over to industrial usage, probably metal working.
Sponsor: SDD HBM
G Ewart 1989a.
Architecture Notes
This site has only been partially upgraded for SCRAN. For full details, please consult the Architecture Catalogues for Argyll and Bute District.
March 1998
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Dunbar, J G (1966 )
The historic architecture of Scotland,
London, 25,
Ewart, G {J} (1989 a)
'Castle Sween (Knapdale parish)',
Discovery Excav Scot, 1989, 56,
MacGibbon and Ross, D and T (1887-92 )
The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries,
5v, Edinburgh, vol III, p58, p60,
Piggott and Simpson, S and W D (1970 )
Illustrated guide to ancient monuments: volume vi Scotland,
Edinburgh, 53, 6th
Ritchie and Harman, J N G and M (1985 )
Exploring Scotland's heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles,
Exploring Scotland's heritage series, Edinburgh, 75, no. 21,
Ritchie and Harman, [J N] G and M (1996 )
Argyll and the Western Isles,
Exploring Scotland's Heritage series, ed. by Anne Ritchie, Edinburgh, 84,89-90, 2nd
Simpson, W D (1967 a)
'Castle Sween',
Trans Glasgow Archaeol Soc, New, 15, 1967, 3-14,
Walker, F A (2000 )
Argyll and Bute,
The buildings of Scotland series, London, 184-7,
Archaeology Notes
NR77NW 13 7175 7940
(Name: NR 7172 7937). Dun Beag: Citadel 51' x 45' overall, massive outer face and tumble, no clear inner face. Probable terrace at least 2/3 of circumference.
M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964.
NR 7176 7941. A near circular dun situated on the end of a wooded ridge. The remains are 14.5m in diameter over a wall consisting of an outer face up to three courses high and rubble core up to 2.5m wide. No definite entrance is visible.
Inside the wall on the S is a short stretch of double-faced wall, 1.5m wide. Its purpose is uncertain.
The surrounding terraces are natural and bear no structure.
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (DWR) 6 June 1973.
No change to the report of 6 June 1973.
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (BS) 26 January 1977.
This dun occupies the summit of the low rocky boss that forms the NE end of an elongated coastal ridge some 750m NE of Castle Sween (NR77NW 1.00) (Campbell and Sandeman 1964). The flanks of the ridge present steep rock-studded faces, but access to the dun along the spine from NE and SW is relatively easy.
The dun is subcircular on plan, measuring about 10m in diameter within a drystone wall, whose thickness at the one point where it may still be measured is only 1.65m. The wall nevertheless appears to have been carefully constructed, with many of its facing-stones of regular cuboidal shape. Several of them survive in position, and, although only a short stretch of the iner face can now be seen, the line of the outer face may be followed, or estimated, for most of its circuit; the best-preserved portion of that face lies on the SW, where it stands 0.7m high in three courses. The position of the entrance is probably indicated by the conspicuous dip in the wall-debris on the N. The interior is choked with stony debris, some of which may represent the ruins of minor enclosures of no great age.
There appear to be no outworks, the stone-founded walls which abut the dun on the S and W being comparatively recent field boundaries.
Visited May 1983
RCAHMS 1988
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Campbell and Sandeman, M and M (1964 )
'Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 95, 1961-2, 48, No. 327,
RCAHMS (1988 a)
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 6: Mid-Argyll and Cowal, prehistoric and early historic monuments,
Edinburgh, 184-5, No.300,
Archaeology Notes
NR77NW 1.01 7123 7883
A Neolithic 6-knobbed stone ball, 2 7/8" in diameter, found between the SW wall of the courtyard of Castle Sween and the square W tower, during excavations by the Ministy of Works, and three medieval brooches and implements are in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland [NMAS] (Accession nos: AS 191, HX 236 - 241).
A barbed-and-tanged arrowhead, from below the gate on the outer side, was reported sent to Ministry of Works [MoW], Stirling ? c. 1927.
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1940; M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Campbell and Sandeman, M and M (1964 )
'Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 95, 1961-2, 114-15, No. 18a, b,
Marshall, D N (1979 a)
'Carved stone balls',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 108, 1976-7, 60, 66,
PSAS (1940 )
'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 74, 1939-40, 147,
NR77NW 1.00 71235 78829
NR77NW 1.01 7123 7883 Carved Stone Ball; Flint Arrowhead
NR77NW 1.02 7123 7882 Platforms; Kilns; Building
For industrial remains (including kilns and platforms) towards SE corner of curtain-wall enclosure, see NR77NW 1.02.
(NR 7123 7883) Castle Sween (NR)
Macmillan's Tower (NR) Well (NR)
OS 6" map, Argyllshire, 2nd ed., (1924)
Castle Sween, now ruinous, was probably built in the mid-12th century (S Piggott and W D Simpson 1970). The main structure, a quadrangular enclosing wall, 6'-7' thick, measuring 84' x 70' over all, against the inner face of which three main ranges of timber buildings were originally disposed round a small court, is Norman in appearance. The annexe to the W and its round tower - Macmillan's Tower - were probably added in the early 14th century, while the rectangular keep was probably added to the NE corner in the 16th century. There is also a well, doubtless original, in the NE angle of the courtyard.
The castle was beseiged by Robert the Bruce, and was finally destroyed by Sir Alexander Macdonald in 1647.
S Piggott and W D Simpson 1970; W D Simpson 1967; J G Dunbar 1966.
The castle is as described and planned.
Visited by OS (DWR) 6 June 1973
No change to the report of OS (DWR).
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (BS) 25 January 1977
Two small-scale excavations within the E half of the courtyard of this castle revealed a sequence of domestic and service ranges, culminating in an elaborate industrial complex, all of which broadly echoed the succession of families associated with the site. The original simple enclosure castle as occupied by the MacSweens until the mid 13th century may have featured some form of tower-like structure in the NE corner of the enclosure. The site was then extensively remodelled under the Stewart Earls of Menteith, who built two towers outside the W wall of the primary enclosure, and a stone-built N range inside (c.1262 to 1362).
When the site was later occupied by the MacNeills of Gigha on behalf of the Lords of the Isles, a substantial E range with first floor hall, was built within the courtyard, to compliment the new NE or 'Macmillans Tower' during the 15th century. Finally, with the discovery of a series of kiln-like structures and ancillary sheds and compounds, it was evident that up to the end of its active life, under the Earls of Argyll c.1650, the E courtyard was largely cleared of major buildings and the area given over to industrial usage, probably metal working.
Sponsor: SDD HBM
G Ewart 1989a.
Architecture Notes
This site has only been partially upgraded for SCRAN. For full details, please consult the Architecture Catalogues for Argyll and Bute District.
March 1998
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Dunbar, J G (1966 )
The historic architecture of Scotland,
London, 25,
Ewart, G {J} (1989 a)
'Castle Sween (Knapdale parish)',
Discovery Excav Scot, 1989, 56,
MacGibbon and Ross, D and T (1887-92 )
The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries,
5v, Edinburgh, vol III, p58, p60,
Piggott and Simpson, S and W D (1970 )
Illustrated guide to ancient monuments: volume vi Scotland,
Edinburgh, 53, 6th
Ritchie and Harman, J N G and M (1985 )
Exploring Scotland's heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles,
Exploring Scotland's heritage series, Edinburgh, 75, no. 21,
Ritchie and Harman, [J N] G and M (1996 )
Argyll and the Western Isles,
Exploring Scotland's Heritage series, ed. by Anne Ritchie, Edinburgh, 84,89-90, 2nd
Simpson, W D (1967 a)
'Castle Sween',
Trans Glasgow Archaeol Soc, New, 15, 1967, 3-14,
Walker, F A (2000 )
Argyll and Bute,
The buildings of Scotland series, London, 184-7,
Archaeology Notes
NR77NW 13 7175 7940
(Name: NR 7172 7937). Dun Beag: Citadel 51' x 45' overall, massive outer face and tumble, no clear inner face. Probable terrace at least 2/3 of circumference.
M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964.
NR 7176 7941. A near circular dun situated on the end of a wooded ridge. The remains are 14.5m in diameter over a wall consisting of an outer face up to three courses high and rubble core up to 2.5m wide. No definite entrance is visible.
Inside the wall on the S is a short stretch of double-faced wall, 1.5m wide. Its purpose is uncertain.
The surrounding terraces are natural and bear no structure.
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (DWR) 6 June 1973.
No change to the report of 6 June 1973.
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (BS) 26 January 1977.
This dun occupies the summit of the low rocky boss that forms the NE end of an elongated coastal ridge some 750m NE of Castle Sween (NR77NW 1.00) (Campbell and Sandeman 1964). The flanks of the ridge present steep rock-studded faces, but access to the dun along the spine from NE and SW is relatively easy.
The dun is subcircular on plan, measuring about 10m in diameter within a drystone wall, whose thickness at the one point where it may still be measured is only 1.65m. The wall nevertheless appears to have been carefully constructed, with many of its facing-stones of regular cuboidal shape. Several of them survive in position, and, although only a short stretch of the iner face can now be seen, the line of the outer face may be followed, or estimated, for most of its circuit; the best-preserved portion of that face lies on the SW, where it stands 0.7m high in three courses. The position of the entrance is probably indicated by the conspicuous dip in the wall-debris on the N. The interior is choked with stony debris, some of which may represent the ruins of minor enclosures of no great age.
There appear to be no outworks, the stone-founded walls which abut the dun on the S and W being comparatively recent field boundaries.
Visited May 1983
RCAHMS 1988
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Campbell and Sandeman, M and M (1964 )
'Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 95, 1961-2, 48, No. 327,
RCAHMS (1988 a)
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 6: Mid-Argyll and Cowal, prehistoric and early historic monuments,
Edinburgh, 184-5, No.300,
Archaeology Notes
NR77NW 1.01 7123 7883
A Neolithic 6-knobbed stone ball, 2 7/8" in diameter, found between the SW wall of the courtyard of Castle Sween and the square W tower, during excavations by the Ministy of Works, and three medieval brooches and implements are in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland [NMAS] (Accession nos: AS 191, HX 236 - 241).
A barbed-and-tanged arrowhead, from below the gate on the outer side, was reported sent to Ministry of Works [MoW], Stirling ? c. 1927.
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1940; M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Campbell and Sandeman, M and M (1964 )
'Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 95, 1961-2, 114-15, No. 18a, b,
Marshall, D N (1979 a)
'Carved stone balls',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 108, 1976-7, 60, 66,
PSAS (1940 )
'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library',
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 74, 1939-40, 147,