Castle Campbell -
Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland (HS)
Whether approaching on foot via a long winding icy path from below or
driving up to the Castle's own car park, the appearance of Castle Campbell is sudden and
forbidding.Its sits isolated, high in the hills above Dollar and no more than 10 miles
from Stirling. Ravines on either side made by the Burn of Care and the Burn of Sorrow make
excellent natural defences against attack and the romantic names add to the atmospheric
despondency of the place.
The grassy mound on which it is built suggests that the site was used as a
fortification from as early as the twelfth century, with perhaps a Norman style wooden
palisade and defensive ditches protecting the residence on the hill-top. For several
centuries the lands were known as "ecclesiastical lands of Dollar and Glume",
belonging to the bishops of Dunkeld. However, the earliest documentary mention of the
building dates from a Papal Bull of 1466, ordering Church action against Walter Stewart of
Lorne for his destruction of "a certain manor with a tower of the place of
Glowm situated in the territory of Dolar". The church retained an interest in the
land until the late seventeenth century.
Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the present tower house was built, replacing
the presumably fortified manor house destroyed by Walter Stewart. The then owner, Colin
Campbell, first Earl of Argyll, renamed the castle as Castle Campbell in 1489-90, after
permission from King James IV was granted. As an experienced politician who had acted as
King James III's Ambassador to France, he had moved the principal family seat here from
Invararay, so as to be closer to the movers and shakers at the royal castles of Stirling and Edinburgh.
Distinguished guests to visit the Castle include Mary Queen of Scots in 1563, to
celebrate the wedding of the fifth Earl's sister to James Stewart, Lord Doune and John
Knox in 1566, where he preached and taught the new Protestant religion, having a most
notable convert in the Earl .
In 1645 the town of Dollar below the Castle was burned, probably by the
Macleans, who
had a long-standing feud with the Campbells. This was part of the widespread unrest
between the Royalists, loyal to King Charles I and the Protestant Covenanters. The
Castle escaped this time, but its end came in 1654 when, following the defeat of the Scots
at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell's army, it was burned by those in
Scotland who saw the part Argyll (created first Marquis in 1641) played in the
proclamation of Cromwell as Lord Protector of Scotland as treachery. During excavations at
the Castle in 1982, charred floorboards of the hall in the south range were uncovered as
tangible evidence for the events of the Civil War.
In the nineteenth century, George Campbell, the sixth Duke of Argyll, sold the Castle
and it fell further into ruin, until it came under the protection of the National Trust
for Scotland in 1948.
Castle Campbell ~ Argyll Scotland
As one of the main residences of the powerful Campbell family, Castle
Campbell had to be impressive enough to display their position and wealth, while retaining
effective defences and providing enough accommodation for the Earl's retinue of perhaps
over fifty people. There is a thick courtyard wall, with gun-holes to protect the entrance
and the tower was built without openings on the north side, other than at the top. The
tower house was independently secure with a great hall for important or large gatherings
and a kitchen on one side. In the east range was additional accommodation and there were
two gardens, one formal garden for pleasure and one kitchen garden for the table. There
are four floors , three of which were stone vaulted and latrines were built into the
private chambers. A parapet walk was supported by stone corbels.
Along the south side of the courtyard was the Hall Range, much altered
during its use and now sadly ruined. Connecting this range to the Tower house is the East
Range, a sophisticated design dating from around 1600. The furnishings would have been
sparse, but richly coloured wall-hangings and paintings would have brightened the dark
stone walls. Grasses strewn with scented herbs would have covered the floors and in its
heyday, Castle Campbell would have been a comfortable and prestigious place to stay.
