Morvern, General

MORVERN

(A' Mhorbhairne) Sea-girt and penetrated by fjord-like lochs, the axe head peninsula of Morvern lies at the foot of the Great Glen rift, flanking the Sound of Mull. This rugged headland claimed strategic supremacy in seafaring times, with a gauntlet of defences, ranging from Iron Age forts to medieval castles, punctuating the coastline; today, all but one lie ruinous. The greater part of Morvern was granted to Lachlan Maclean in 13 90 by Donald, Lord of the Isles; by the later 15th century the Macleans controlled the Sound of Mull from their castles of Duart and Aros on Mull, andArdtornish, Kinlochaline and Drimnin in Morvern. In 1674, two-thirds of Morvern became part of the vast Campbell estates, forming, together with Ardnamurchan, the northern territory of old Argyll. During this time the Camerons of Glendessary (a branch of the Lochiel Camerons) rose to positions of influence over much of the region. In 1755 they were still living 'in the old fashion' in a creel house at Acharn of oak beams, 'wattled like a Basket' but most neatly finished into several commodious appartments'. Morvern suffered severe reprisals after the '45. In 1754 agricultural reforms were initiated under the 3rd Duke of Argyll and the old tacksmen were replaced. Argyll's tenants were now "obliged to build their Houses with Stone" (Richard Neilson, 1755). The Argyll sales of 1819-25 heralded great changes for Morvern: between 1813 and 1838 every property in the parish changed hands. The population was much reduced by emigration and evictions to make way for incoming sheep farmers, such as the notorious Patrick Sellar (1780-1851). Later in the century, large tracts of land became the property of a new breed of landowner. The Smiths of Ardtornish captured the spirit of the romanticised Highlands, and a fascinating document of their Highland sporting estate exists in Philip Gaskell's detailed study of the parish, Morvern Transformed (1968). Over the past century, land-use and buildings have diversified: a silica sand mine, hydroelectric scheme, commercial forestry, fish farms, regenerating oak woods, a nature reserve and holiday cottages can now be found here. But Ardtornish survives, nonetheless, remarkably intact.

Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk