Eilean Da Ghallagain, West Loch Tarbert
Building(S) (Period Unassigned), Fort (Period Unassigned)(Possible)
Site Name Eilean Da Ghallagain, West Loch Tarbert
Classification Building(S) (Period Unassigned), Fort (Period Unassigned)(Possible)
Canmore ID 39336
Site Number NR86NW 3
NGR NR 8345 6587
NGR Description From NR 8345 6587 to NR 8347 6579
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/39336
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish South Knapdale
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Argyll And Bute
- Former County Argyll
NR86NW 3 8345 6587 to 8347 6579.
(NR 835 658) Mitchell records a fort on Eilean da Ghallagain. Though there is no suitable site for a fort, there are sub-oval huts:
i: In flat ground between the ridge and the W shore, 38' x 15'6" - 13'6" internally, walls of two rows of boulders, 3' wide x 1'-2' high. Possible door at NW corner of long wall.
ii: On SE of island near shore, 23' x 16' externally; earthcore walls 4' thick, probable entrance at centre of N lang wall.
John, Lord of the Isles dated a charter from here in 1455. It is hard to believe that either of these huts housed him; perhaps he lived aboard ship and these were cook-houses - or later fisherman's huts.
D Mitchell 1908; M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964.
There is no trace of any fortification on the island. The two rectangular buildings at NR 8345 6587 (i) NR 8347 6579 (ii) are as described. Their purpose and date are uncertain.
Visited by OS (DWR) 28 June 1973.
Field Visit (May 1984)
This island, 3ha in extent, is situated about 2.8km from the head of West Loch Tarbert and 100m from the NW or Knapdale, shore of the loch. It has been convincingly identified with the 'Cleandaghallagan in Knapadal' where John, Lord of the Isles, granted a charter to Paisley Abbey in 1455 (en.1). Much of the island consists of rocky ridges aligned NNE-SSW, but there are some sheltered level areas, heavily overgrown with bracken. Towards the S end of the island (NR834567) there is the outline of a sub-rectangular building, 7.5m by 4.5m over 1m walls, which appears to be of no great age. Some 40m from the NW shore, however, there are the remains of a more massive structure.
This building spans the saddle between two rock-outcrops, from which there is a gentle slope N to a shingly bay. It measures 12.8m from NW to SE by 6.8m in maximum width over walls which vary from 1.1m to 1.5m in thickness and stand to a height of 0.6m. The masonry, which appears to be unmortared, incorporates many large orthostatic facing blocks. The NE wall and the SE end-wall are both noticeably bowed on plan. Towards the SE end of the side-walls, but not opposite each other, there are doorways incorporating orthostatic side-slabs. Both in plan and construction this building is not typical of pre-improvement settlements in Mid Argyll, and it is unexpectedly substantial in relation to the agricultural capacity of the island. Its plan may be compared with those of two buildings near the boat-landing at Dun Chonaill Castle in the Garvellachs (en.2), and building D on the crannog in Loch Ballygrant, Islay (en.3), all of which are probably of late medieval date. Possibly, as has been suggested, this was ashore base used in connection with the nearby anchorages (en.4*).
RCAHMS 1992, visited May 1984
