Loch of Clunie

This entry relates to the tower house on the island only, the older royal castle is listed under Clunie Castle. The old castle was abandoned by the late 14th century and a small residence was on the island at this time or soon afterwards. In the mid 15th century the island was a refuge for outlaws, and this only came to an end when the Bishops of Dunkeld established ownership of the island against rival claimants and erected a tower and chapel here.

The tower was one of a number of residences on the island in the 16th century, but by the mid 17th it was largely abandoned, having become inconvenient. It was briefly brought back into use by Jacobites, and reoccupied by the Ogilvie earls of Airlie, who extended and repaired the tower. A brief period of abandonment followed before a final occupation in the 20th century. In the end an accidental fire burned the place down, and it was never repaired after this. The island may be reached by canoe I guess, but no boat is provided on site.

HES Canmore database entry