Castle Stalker

1901 20/04/2018 16
Rate this post

Castle Stalker

United Kingdom Castle Stalker is a renowned Scottish landmark, the name originating from the Gaelic “Stalcaire” which means hunter or falconer. Originally a fortified building dating from 1320 and belonging to the MacDougalls, the castle was a stronghold of the Stewarts of Appin for many years. King James IV, who was a cousin of the Stewarts, made frequent hunting trips to the castle around the end of the 15th Century. In 1620, the castle passed into the hands of the Campbells as the result of a drunken wager by the Stewart Chief in exchange for an eight-oared wherry (a boat). The castle was abandoned by the Campbells around 1800, and it wasn’t until the 1960’s that it was restored by Lt.Col. D.R. Stewart Allward with the help of his friends and family.Motorists passing along the A828 between Creagan and Ballachulish, on the rocky coast of Argyll and Bute, cannot fail to notice the romantic outline of Castle Stalker, situated on a small islet in Loch Laich. The castle dates to the early 14th century and was begun by the MacDougalls, Lords of Lorn. The lordship of Lorn later passed to the Stewart family, and it was Sir John Stewart who built the current Castle Stalker sometime around 1446. The name 'Stalker' loosely translates from the Gaelic as Hunter, or Falconer. From the start the Stewart lordship of Castle Stalker was wrapped in violence and intrigue. In 1463 Lord Stewart was murdered at his wedding at Dunstaffnage by Alan MacCoul, of the MacDougalls. Stewart survived long enough to complete the marriage and legitimise his son, Dugald. Dugald thus became the first Chief of Appin. Just 5 years later the combined forces of Stewart and MacLaren defeated the MacDougalls at the Battle of Stalc, just and Dugald himself killed his father's murderer.