The historic Moy Castle the home of Clan MacLaine

For Moy Castle Restoration update click here

The following is edited from The History of the Clan Maclean and from The Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, 1980, Vol. 3, Mull, Tiree, Coll & Northern Argyll.

Moy Castle stands on a low rock platform at the head of Loch Buie and was built in the 15^th century by Hector MacLean, brother of Maclean of Duart and the founder of the re-named MacLaines of Lochbuie who made it their home.  

It is a 3 storey tower with a garret.  On the centre of the ground floor there is a well with a depth of 1.8m. The well is cut into the solid rock but always has fresh water in it and is at a level much above the outside ground level. There is currently no knowledge of the means of water supply to this well.

The castle was captured from the MacLaines and garrisoned by Campbell followers but later returned to the MacLaines.  It was abandoned as a residence in 1752 when Lochbuie House was built.  

Building materials of the original castle are schistose slabs quarried from nearby Laggan, harled stone, and beach boulders, all laid with lime mortar. Quoins and margins to all openings are a fine-grained sandstone of greenish hue quarried at Carsaig on the Ross of Mull. Large blocks of slate paving for the parapet-walk were probably quarried from Ballachulish or Easdale.

At the main first floor there is an impressive barrel-vaulted chamber which probably served as the main hall in the original arrangement. At the NE end of the hall there appears to be a raised platform or dais. The hall is served by two original mural chambers in the diagonally opposed east and west corners. There is a garderobe and latrine chute still visible on the SW wall. Near the angle formed by the limbs of the chamber is a hatch providing the only access to a well-constructed pit-prison, 3.3 meters in depth and 1.2 meters square at the base with tapering side walls and corbelled at the neck.

Spiral stone stairs and a short lintelled passage lead from the stairs to a long narrow apartment formed within the thickness of the SE wall, perhaps intended as a bed chamber, though some historians claim it was used to hold the dead during funeral obsequies. The second level rooms are reached through a fine original doorway with pointed arched head composed of four voussoirs and the dressed surround uniformly wrought with a broad chamfer. The next two stories had floors of wood, though the walls are 2.2 meters thick.

Externally the most interesting features are the upper works of the tower where the parapet is embattled with broad merlons and crenelles of deep and narrow proportions. Each turret is provided with small windows and smaller square openings, possibly firing apertures. A steeply raked loop with double aperture at the base protects the entrance to the castle.

The entrance door is locked now because of a risk of crumbling masonry.  Renovation is underway in September 2006 to stabilise the interior and external stonework.  Even though access is not permitted to the castle for safety reasons, the castle is still worth a visit as it has a commanding view over Loch Buie. 

Moy Castle Stabilisation Work 2007 - updated January 2008

After working through very difficult conditions during 2006, two phases of the planned work to stabilise Moy Castle have now been completed. The top levels - gables and wall walks - were in a desperate condition, the seriousness of which only became apparent as work got under way. The early stages of work also revealed many other complications but all have now been resolved and fixed and at the close of work in October 2007, all the wall-heads have been 'soft-topped' - topped with clay and turf. It is thought that Moy Castle may have been built around 1450 (it is first mentioned in a royal charter of March 1494) with some later alterations in about 1580. The whole of the upper levels are now consolidated, including the 1580s work which included some minor alterations on the lower levels but substantial changes on the top level. The gables were heightened and a large fireplace created in a kitchen area. It is thought that an entry to a room was opened up to create the fireplace and the chimney was simply 'punched' up through the existing wall-walk.
A small 'garde-robe' attached to the upper floor was also found to be very unstable and in imminent danger of falling off! This has now also be stabilised. Duncan Strachan, the specialist masonry contractor, has done an amazing job under very difficult conditions and architect, Martin Hadlington, is now working on a plan to complete the rest of the building and is in the early stages of new funding applications for this work. In the meantime Moy Castle is still clad with the scaffolding purchased for the project along with protective covering to minimise damage to the work already completed.
The castle was built here at Lochbuie in order to provide means of access by boat to an area which was remote and difficult to access. Moy commands a broad view of the loch on the seaward side and the fertile land to the rear. In the first half of the 15th century the land was acquired by Hector, brother of Lachlan MacLean of Duart, and it may be that the building of Moy Castle was begun by Hector or indeed, his son.
Moy Castle was abandoned as a dwelling house in about 1752 when the new house was built. The castle was inspected by Dr. Samuel Johnson and Mr. James Boswell in October 1773 and a plaque commemorates their visit.
Many MacLeans across the world consider Lochbuie to be their spiritual home and many have contributed to the valuable work to ensure the future of the castle. You can make a donation by visiting www.moycastle.com