Plan of loopholed embrasure in West Curtain at Skipness Castle.

Description Plan of loopholed embrasure in West Curtain at Skipness Castle.

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 370357

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of SC 370269

Scope and Content Plan of arrow-loop embrasure (looking out) in west curtain wall of Skipness Castle, Knapdale, Argyll Skipness Castle was upgraded to a stone fortress by the Stewart Earls of Menteith, probably when, with John MacDougall of Lorn's help, John Menteith held Knapdale against the MacSweens and the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. A bowman could stand under the arch and shoot at attackers in relative safety. At the time, the crosslet style of the arrow-loop would have been very up-to-date. Crosslet, or cross-shaped, arrow-loops were rare in Scottish castles. They first appeared in England in the early 13th century. The horizontal slit was probably intended to give an archer a wider field of vision without exposing him to attackers. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference Inv. fig. 169

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/370357

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap