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Duart Castle facts for kids

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Duart Castle, known as Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scottish Gaelic, is a historic castle located on the Isle of Mull. This island is off the west coast of Scotland, in the area called Argyll and Bute. The castle was built way back in the 13th century. It is the home of the Clan MacLean, a famous Scottish clan. The castle was once in ruins but was brought back to life in 1911.

History of Duart Castle

Duart Castle was likely built by the Clan MacDougall in the 1200s. It seems to have been taken over by the Clan MacLean in the 1300s.

Around 1350, Lachlan Lubanach Maclean of Duart, who was the 5th Chief of Clan MacLean, married a woman named Mary. She was the daughter of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles. Duart Castle became part of her dowry, which is like a special gift of property given when someone gets married.

In 1647, Duart Castle faced an attack. Government troops from the Clan Campbell tried to take it over. But the MacLean clan's Royalist troops fought them off and won.

In September 1653, a group of six ships from Oliver Cromwell's army arrived near the castle. However, the MacLeans had already left for Tiree island. A big storm hit on September 13th, and three ships were lost. One of them was the HMS Swan. Today, north of the castle, there's a special Historic Marine Protected Area. This area protects the remains of a 17th-century warship, which people believe is the Swan.

In 1678, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, from the Campbell clan, successfully took over the MacLean lands on the Isle of Mull. Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet, the clan chief, had to leave Duart Castle. He went to Cairnbulg Castle and then to Kintail for safety.

In 1691, Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet, gave up Duart Castle to Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll. The Campbell clan then tore down the castle. Its stones were scattered. Donald Maclean, 5th Laird of Torloisk, even used some of the stones to build a small house for his family nearby.

By 1751, the castle was completely empty and left as ruins.

The people who inherited the castle from Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll sold it in 1801. It was bought and sold a few times. Eventually, on September 11, 1911, the ruined castle was bought by Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean. He was the 26th Chief of the Clan MacLean. He worked hard to restore the castle and bring it back to its former glory.

By 2012, the castle needed more repairs. A special fund was started to collect donations for this work. In 2020, the seventh phase of this restoration project was underway.

Lairds of Duart

A Laird is like the owner of a large estate or land. Here are some of the Lairds of Duart:

Restoration Efforts

In 2012, which was 100 years after the 1912 restoration, the Chief of Clan MacLean announced something important. His family found it very difficult to pay for the castle's upkeep. This was especially true because of the high cost of major repairs. In the winter of 2013–2014, the castle lost four ceilings. This happened because water leaked through the chimneys. In July 2014, a special appeal was launched to raise money for more restoration work.

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