Site type CASTLE
Canmore ID 22589
Site Number NM71NE 1
NGR NM 7690 1950
Council ARGYLL AND BUTE
Parish KILBRANDON AND KILCHATTAN
Former Region STRATHCLYDE
Former District ARGYLL AND BUTE
Former County ARGYLL

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Archaeological Notes

NM71NE 1 7690 1950.

(NM 7690 1949) Castle (NR) (Ruin)
OS 6" map, Argyllshire, 2nd ed., (1900)

Ardfad Castle (Macadam 1896) once the home of the Macdougalls of Ardencaple, was a well-built structure of stone and lime, occupying a prominent situation on a crag and tail, not unlike Edinburgh Castle rock. In 1915, it was still fairly well preserved, with the walls standing to some height and two round corner towers, one on the E, and one on the W, sides of the building, and there were the usual arrow slits.
W I Macadam 1896; Argyll County Council 1914.

The remains of Ardfad Castle (name confirmed) measure c. 11.7m NW-SE by 5.0m within walls 0.9m wide and up to 1.5m high. Only the SW round tower now survives. The remains of a wall can be traced around the edge of the NE segment of the crag. Access is up a gradual slope from the SW by a slight cutting on either side of which there are traces of the boulder core of a possibly earlier wall suggesting that the site may have been occupied by an earlier structure than the castle.
There are no arrow-slits now visible.
Surveyed at 1:2500; enlargement at 1:500.
Visited by OS (RD) 22 September 1971.

County Council of Argyll (1914) List of ancient monuments and historic buildings in the county of Argyll, [s.l.]
Page(s): 11 Held at RCAHMS D.11.11.COU

Coventry, M (2001) The castles of Scotland Musselburgh
Page(s): 55 Held at RCAHMS F.5.2.COV

Macadam, W I (1896) 'Notes on ancient structures in the Islands of Seil and Luing, and in the Garbh Island; with preliminary notice of the North Fort of Luing', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol.30
Page(s): 24