25-545: Dunollie may refer to: Dunollie Castle , a castle in Scotland Dunollie, New Zealand , a town in the West Coast Region Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Dunollie . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
50-521: A hill north of the town of Oban , on the west coast of Scotland in Argyll and Bute . The site enjoys views over towards the island of Kerrera and a view of the town, harbour, and outlying isles. The castle is open to the public as part of the Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds. There was a fortification on this high promontory in the early Middle Ages , when Dunollie was the royal centre of
75-596: A letter to King Edward that he was recovering from an illness, observed his dispositions from a galley on Loch Awe. His men were hidden in the hillside, overlooking the narrow path through the pass. If they looked for a repetition of the Battle of Dalrigh they were to be disappointed, for Bruce had now learned enough of guerrilla warfare and had enough men to sidestep such a trap. A party of loyal Scottish archers commanded by Sir James Douglas climbed even higher up Ben Cruachan and – completely unobserved – positioned themselves in
100-519: The Battle of Inverurie in May 1308. Bruce was now at liberty to turn his full attention back to unfinished business in the west. Alexander MacDougall, too old and sick to take part in the fighting, lay in his castle at Dunstaffnage so throughout the period his eldest son, John Bacach, was the main war leader of the MacDougalls. In the summer of 1308, possibly late August, his army took up position in
125-580: The Cenél Loairn within the kingdom of Dál Riata . The Irish annals record that "Dun Ollaigh" was attacked or burned down three times, in 686, 698, and in 701. It was subsequently rebuilt in 714 by Selbach mac Ferchair (died 730), the King of Dál Riata credited with destroying the site in 701. Excavations in the 1970s suggest that this early fortification was abandoned some time in the 10th century. The area around Dunollie subsequently became part of
150-670: The Comyns , sided with the Balliols against the interests of Robert the Bruce . John MacDougall's army defeated the Bruce at the Battle of Dalrigh in 1306, but Bruce returned in 1308 and crushed the MacDougalls at the Battle of the Pass of Brander . The MacDougall lands of Lorne were subsequently forfeit and were given to the Campbells, though Dunollie and other estates were regained later in
175-425: The 14th century. The existing castle ruins date largely from the 15th century. The Marquis of Argyll captured the castle in 1644, but it was returned to the MacDougalls in 1661. In 1746, the MacDougalls abandoned Dunollie Castle and built Dunollie House just downhill from the castle ruins. In recent years, a charitable trust was formed titled The MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust, who are responsible for
200-527: The Highlands was supported by a fleet of galleys sailing up Loch Linnhe . John Bacach , acting for his elderly father, asked for a truce, unable to face the full force of this combined onslaught. Bruce then wheeled to the north-east to settle manners with his principal enemy, the Red Comyn's cousin and namesake, John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan . This campaign lasted through the winter season, climaxing at
225-692: The MacDougalls and Macanns. Here the fighting was so fierce that the local peasantry took refuge over the border in Cumberland . The chief men in Galloway appealed in vain to Edward for help and were then forced to pay tribute to Bruce in return for a truce. With this out of the way the king turned his attention to the north, breaking through the English-held Lowlands and heading for the Red Comyn's old stronghold in Lochaber. His march into
250-513: The Red Comyn, who had been killed by Bruce and his adherents at Dumfries in 1306. The sources do not allow us to determine the date of the battle with any degree of precision: various dates between 1308 and 1309 have been suggested, though the late summer of 1308 would seem to be the most likely. Traquair dates it to August 1308. The slaying of John Comyn was a decisive act in Scottish political history. Soon after this Bruce had been crowned with
275-639: The Scottish border in July 1307. His son, the far less capable Edward II , turned his attention towards English domestic politics, leaving his Scottish allies to manage as best they could. Bruce, who was convinced that the English were bound to return in the summer of 1308, decided to act with speed and thoroughness. The first attack came in September 1307 in Galloway, the hereditary home of the Balliols, against
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#1732798567545300-520: The care of the historic buildings and collections held in this an ancestral site. Today, the Dunollie Preservation Trust operates Dunollie Museum, Castle & Grounds - a visitor attractions and social enterprise. Through the running of this organisation, all funds raised contribute to ongoing conservation and development efforts as well as education and learning. Remains of a historical herb garden have recently been discovered in
325-536: The castle grounds. Battle of the Pass of Brander The Battle of the Pass of Brander in Scotland forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence , and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlapping conflict. It was a victory for King Robert the Bruce over the MacDougalls of Argyll , kinsmen of John Comyn , also known as
350-622: The date there continues to be some uncertainty over the exact location of the Brander battle. R. A. MacDonald in his 1997 book, The Kingdom of the Isles , argued that the traditional site of the battle is wrong, and that it took place further north on the shores of Loch Etive . From this he concludes that the fight should be more correctly known as the Battle of Ben Cruachan. However, a fight by Loch Etive could only have taken place if Bruce, coming from
375-422: The east, had first cleared the Pass of Brander, although this was the obvious place for an ambush. An advance along the difficult shores of Loch Etive north of Ben Cruachan in the full view of the enemy galleys would have been military suicide. The author further contends that John's escape after the battle would have been possible only on Loch Etive, a sea loch, and not on Loch Awe, an inland loch, which, in any case
400-703: The enemy's rear. As the MacDougalls attacked, they were caught in a vice, with King Robert coming from below and the Black Douglas from above. The men of Argyll wavered and then broke. They were chased westwards across the River Awe back to Dunstaffnage, while John escaped down the Loch in his galley, eventually taking refuge in England, like the Earl of Buchan. The Lord of Argyll surrendered and did homage to Bruce, but
425-564: The following year he joined his son in exile, dying in 1310 in the service of Edward II. The campaign of 1307 and 1308 ended the internal threat to the Scottish king. All of his Comyn enemies had been destroyed or exiled and their lands lost. The survivors no longer had a power base in Scotland, and were only able to continue the fight as volunteers in the English army. Nevertheless, a legacy of bitterness remained, eventually to return to Scotland in 1332, under very different circumstances. Like
450-549: The full support of the Scottish Church, which effectively set aside a papal interdict, although he still faced some formidable obstacles. The balance of power in Scotland shifted firmly in favour of the English. The chief weakness of the campaigns of Edward I of England , virtually from the outset, was that he was unable to build a lasting alliance with the Scottish nobility, a traditional power base on which his rule depended: friends at one moment were liable to be enemies at
475-431: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dunollie&oldid=932803352 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Dunollie Castle Dunollie Castle ( Scottish Gaelic : Caisteal Dhùn Ollaigh) is a small ruined castle located on
500-435: The king made a remarkable recovery from these disasters, descending on Ayrshire in the spring of 1307 to begin a guerrilla war, it was by no means certain in these early days that he would be able to prevail against the combination of English military power and internal resistance. Soon after his Ayrshire campaign began he was favoured by a major stroke of good fortune: Edward I, on his way north with an army, died just short of
525-407: The late 12th century. The builder may have been Dougall, or his son Duncan . Ewan MacDougall , great-grandson of Somerled and the third chief of the MacDougalls, switched the clan's allegiance in the mid 13th century: initially allied with Haakon IV of Norway , from the 1250s Ewan remained loyal to the kings of Scotland. In the 14th century Ewan's grandson John MacDougall , along with his kinsmen
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#1732798567545550-464: The narrow Pass of Brander, where the River Awe slices through the southern slope of Ben Cruachan on its way down from Loch Awe . However, only Barbour's poem "The Brus" (late 14th century) places the battle; it does not mention the pass by name but the description fits. The large number of cairns around the Bridge of Awe may give some support to the location. John Bacach, who gave as an excuse in
575-513: The next. With the murder of John Comyn, his extensive network of family and kinsmen, long in the forefront of the national struggle, were guaranteed to fight on the side of the English against Robert Bruce, whom they now considered to be the greater evil. Bruce's Scottish enemies controlled large and strategically important lands throughout the realm, in Galloway , Lochaber , Atholl , Ross , Buchan , and Badenoch and Strathspey . Much of Argyll
600-468: The semi-independent Kingdom of the Isles , ruled over by Somerled in the 12th century. On his death the MacDougalls became Lords of Lorne . Dougall , Somerled's son, held most of Argyll and also the islands of Mull , Lismore , Jura , Tiree , Coll and many others in the 12th century. Excavations show that Dunollie was refortified with an earthwork castle in the 13th century or potentially
625-508: Was under the control of Alexander MacDougall , the Lord of Lorne, who had been related to John Comyn by marriage. Soon after Bruce was defeated by the English at the Battle of Methven , what was left of his army was mauled by Alexander's son, John of Lorne, also known as Iain 'Bacach'-'the Lame'-at the Battle of Dalrigh near Tyndrum . Bruce, who narrowly escaped capture, took to hiding. Although
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