Carrick Castle (15)
Carrick Castle has long been believed to sit on the site of a former Royal hunting lodge, used by the Kings of Scots. The castle that replaced the hunting lodge was built in the 1400s (15th century). Various websites give earlier dates than this - which would appear to be wrong! In general, all major Scottish castles are found in records pertaining to the period of the wars with England in the 14th century and Carrick does not appear in these records, which suggests that whatever building was here prior to 1368, was of little or no military significance.
I have found two entirely different versions of the early history of the castle. Nigel Tranter states that it was the Lamonts, who originally owned much of the Cowal peninsula (until the Campbells took it off them by either fair means or foul) and who built this castle. In this instance he tells us, the Campells appear to have obtained Carrick by fair means (presumably by marriage) in the early 16th century, when it passed to the Campbells of Ardkinglas. The Campbells were certainly resident here by 1511, when Robert Campbell of Carrick is recorded as a witness to a grant made by his chief, Archibald Earl of Argyll.
Tranter is not entirely correct in saying that ownership passed to the Campbells of Ardkinglas. The Earl of Argyll became the owner and the Campbells of Ardkinglas became the Hereditary Captains of the castle.
The second version, by a no less reputable source - namely the team of archaeologists that excavated the site in the 1990s, is that the castle was indeed built in the late 14th century, but by the Campbells of Loch Awe themselves, later the Earls of Argyll.
In my view, Tranter for once is probably wrong and that while the Lamonts may once have owned or held the lands of Carrick, they no longer did when the castle was built. What is more, there is evidence to suggest that it was not the Lamonts that the Campbells obtained Carrick from anyway, but the Stewarts.
The Stewart powerbase until the mid 14th century was based around Bute, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Cowal, but when King David Bruce died childless in 1371 and John Stewart changed his name to Robert and became King Robert II (by virtue of his mother being King Robert Bruce's daughter Marjorie), the Stewarts at once had far more important matters to attend to than the mountains and bogs of Argyll. The Campbell rise to prominence was greatly aided by the Stewart's elevation to the crown. The Stewarts relied heavily on the Campbells and other local supporters to maintain their authority in their former territories, so it would seem likely that the Stewarts may have granted Cowal to the Campbells.
Either way, in 1532, Duncan Campbell is recorded as Captain of Carrick, and 1562 John Campbell was likewise. In 1685, John Campbell of Carrick was summoned to Edinburgh on account of the young Earl of Argyll's invasion of that year. In the laird's absence, his great lands were harried by the opposition, and it is reported that they took away 119 horses, 330 cattle, and 188 sheep. In 1715, Sir John Campbell of Carrick was one of the signatories to 'The Resolve', at Inverary, which 'resolved' to defend King George's person and government from the Jacobites. The property later passed to the Murrays, Earls of Dunmore.
Carrick Castle (15)
Carrick Castle has long been believed to sit on the site of a former Royal hunting lodge, used by the Kings of Scots. The castle that replaced the hunting lodge was built in the 1400s (15th century). Various websites give earlier dates than this - which would appear to be wrong! In general, all major Scottish castles are found in records pertaining to the period of the wars with England in the 14th century and Carrick does not appear in these records, which suggests that whatever building was here prior to 1368, was of little or no military significance.
I have found two entirely different versions of the early history of the castle. Nigel Tranter states that it was the Lamonts, who originally owned much of the Cowal peninsula (until the Campbells took it off them by either fair means or foul) and who built this castle. In this instance he tells us, the Campells appear to have obtained Carrick by fair means (presumably by marriage) in the early 16th century, when it passed to the Campbells of Ardkinglas. The Campbells were certainly resident here by 1511, when Robert Campbell of Carrick is recorded as a witness to a grant made by his chief, Archibald Earl of Argyll.
Tranter is not entirely correct in saying that ownership passed to the Campbells of Ardkinglas. The Earl of Argyll became the owner and the Campbells of Ardkinglas became the Hereditary Captains of the castle.
The second version, by a no less reputable source - namely the team of archaeologists that excavated the site in the 1990s, is that the castle was indeed built in the late 14th century, but by the Campbells of Loch Awe themselves, later the Earls of Argyll.
In my view, Tranter for once is probably wrong and that while the Lamonts may once have owned or held the lands of Carrick, they no longer did when the castle was built. What is more, there is evidence to suggest that it was not the Lamonts that the Campbells obtained Carrick from anyway, but the Stewarts.
The Stewart powerbase until the mid 14th century was based around Bute, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Cowal, but when King David Bruce died childless in 1371 and John Stewart changed his name to Robert and became King Robert II (by virtue of his mother being King Robert Bruce's daughter Marjorie), the Stewarts at once had far more important matters to attend to than the mountains and bogs of Argyll. The Campbell rise to prominence was greatly aided by the Stewart's elevation to the crown. The Stewarts relied heavily on the Campbells and other local supporters to maintain their authority in their former territories, so it would seem likely that the Stewarts may have granted Cowal to the Campbells.
Either way, in 1532, Duncan Campbell is recorded as Captain of Carrick, and 1562 John Campbell was likewise. In 1685, John Campbell of Carrick was summoned to Edinburgh on account of the young Earl of Argyll's invasion of that year. In the laird's absence, his great lands were harried by the opposition, and it is reported that they took away 119 horses, 330 cattle, and 188 sheep. In 1715, Sir John Campbell of Carrick was one of the signatories to 'The Resolve', at Inverary, which 'resolved' to defend King George's person and government from the Jacobites. The property later passed to the Murrays, Earls of Dunmore.