Mingary Castle: Coin Dated

Friday 5 July 2013

Coin Dated

The coin which was found in the west range, thought to be the castle kitchens, back in May has now been dated. It's a halfpenny of George III, dating from 1770-1775. It was given to Nick Holmes, the coin specialist at the National Museum of Scotland who identified it.

Ross Cameron, of Addyman Archaeology, says, "This date is very helpful at it fits in perfectly with the phasing we are developing for the kitchen area. The deposits on top of the cobbles which were being cleaning off yesterday were presumed to be 19th century and this is still likely to be the case."

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The Mingary Castle Preservation and Restoration Trust

"The most intact thirteenth century castle in Scotland" is how archaeologist Tom Addyman describes Mingary Castle. Seat of Clan MacIain, commanding the sea route through the Sound of Mull, Mingary dates back to the thirteenth century and may be much older - there is some evidence, not least from the name, that the Vikings fortified the site. However, since it was last inhabited in the mid-nineteenth century, the castle has been deteriorating. A recent survey showed that, unless urgent restoration work was carried out, the castle was in danger of collapse.

The Mingary Castle Preservation and Restoration Trust, which is Scottish registered charity SC043705, was set up in 2013 to address this problem. Work started on the site in April 2013, and it is hoped to have the building fully restored to its mediaeval grandeur by the end of 2014.

Mingary Castle stands on Ardnamurchan Estate land, near the village of Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Donald Houston, who owns the Estate and is responsible for the upcoming work on the castle, is determined that the many written records that are being prepared as part of the work should be fully available to the public on-line. This will be done through the main Mingary Castle website, of which this blog will be a part.

Businesses Involved in the Project