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Archaeological Investigations at Kinbane Castle, County Antrim and Its Scottish Connections

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Archaeological Investigations at Kinbane Castle, County Antrim and Its Scottish Connections Proc Soc AntiqINVESTIGATIONS Scot 144 (2014), AT311–322 KINBANE CASTLE, CO ANTRIM AND ITS SCOTTISH CONNECTIONS | 311 Archaeological investigations at Kinbane Castle, County Antrim and its Scottish connections Colin Breen* and John Raven† ABSTRACT Kinbane Castle is positioned at the base of steep cliffs on the north Antrim coast, with views northwards to Rathlin Island and Islay and eastwards to Kintyre. Recent investigations have demonstrated that this KHDGODQGZDVIRUWLÀHGLQWKHVE\FHUWDLQ0DF'RQDOGVZKRKDGDUULYHGLQ$QWULPIURP,VOD\ The site was built to act as a bridgehead into Ulster as this family, and its associated mercenaries, attempted to establish themselves as a major force amongst the Gaelic lordships of west Ulster. Its RFFXSDWLRQZDVVKRUWOLYHGVLQFHLWZDVHIIHFWLYHO\DEDQGRQHGLQWKHVIROORZLQJGHIDFHPHQWE\ (QJOLVK IRUFHV DQG WKH UHFRQÀJXUDWLRQ RI 0DF'RQDOG VHWWOHPHQW DFURVV QRUWKHDVW $QWULP DQG WKH Southern Hebrides. INTRODUCTION HISTORICAL CONTEXT In 2008, the authors initiated a research project THE MACDONALD FAMILY examining the character of late medieval By around 1400, the Clan Donald had become settlement and Gaelic lordship in north Ulster the dominant lordship on the west coast of and the Hebrides. Initially, the project focused Scotland, assuming the title of Lord of the on two castle sites, Dunluce and Ballylough, Isles. By the end of the 15th century, however, associated with the MacQuillans and the the lordship increasingly lost its cohesion and MacDonnells in north Ulster (Breen 2012). dominance. As a result of the Lords of the Isles’ Investigations were also subsequently conducted attentions being predominantly focused on at Kinbane Castle, an enigmatic site located in an H[WHQGLQJ WKHLU LQÁXHQFH HDVWZDUGV LQWR 5RVV unusual position at the base of high, steep cliffs and the Scottish heartlands, competing branches and virtually inaccessible by land (illus 1). The of the Clan Donald disputed the headship of site has traditionally been related to a branch of the lordship and competed for ownership of the the MacDonald family and was believed to have clan’s core territories. One of these sub-lineages been constructed in the 1540s (Hill 1873). The was the Clan Iain Mhóir. They had been one site is a scheduled monument, so only limited RI WKH PRVW LQÁXHQWLDO NLQJURXSV XQGHU WKH H[FDYDWLRQV GHVLJQHG WR WHVW VSHFLÀF UHVHDUFK Lordship and perhaps maintained the greatest questions, were proposed and conducted in claim to be the inheritors of the Lordship. During tandem with geophysical and topographic the 15th century, they became increasingly survey. The upstanding architectural remains had focused on Ulster, where they became more also been previously surveyed in 2007, using a FRPPRQO\ NQRZQ DV WKH 0DF'RQQHOOV 7KHLU Cyrax laser scanner, in advance of conservation initial focus had been on the Glens of Antrim, ZRUNDFURVVWKHPRQXPHQW in east Ulster, and, by the mid-1400s, they had * Colin Breen, School of Environmental Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA FSEUHHQ#XOVWHUDFXN † John Raven, Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH. Breen, Colin et al.indd 311 21/11/2015 09:11 312 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 2014 Illus 1 Location map of Kinbane Castle WDNHQRYHUSRVVHVVLRQRIPRVWRIWKH*OHQVIURP viewed as a close ally by the Ulster MacDonnells, the Bissetts. Initially, they retained their primary led by Alexander Carrach, and he provided many power base in Islay, importantly incorporating ÀJKWLQJPHQIRUZDUIDUHLQ,UHODQG+DYLQJEULHÁ\ Dunyvaig Castle. From early in the 15th risen in rebellion in 1529, following the potential century and onwards, the chiefs of the Clan Ian loss of his lands on Islay, Alexander Canochson Mhóir had styled themselves ‘of Dunyvaig (or submitted to King James V of Scotland in 1531 sometimes Islay) and the Glens’. From then on, and the Clan Iain Mhóir regained titles for their an increasing number of the family members lands on Kintyre and, presumably, on Islay appear to have become almost wholly involved in (Caldwell 2008). Part of Alexander’s coming the family’s affairs in Ulster. As the 15th century WR WHUPV ZLWK WKH 6FRWWLVK NLQJ VHHPV WR KDYH progressed, and particularly after the forfeiture resulted in the Clan Iain Mhóir’s fermentation of of the lordship of the Isles in 1493, when their instability throughout the northern part of Ireland position in Islay became increasingly precarious, as a counterpoint to English authority, so much so the Clan Iain MhóiULQWHQVLÀHGLWVLQWHUHVWVRQLWV that in 1532, after 8,000 Hebrideans gathered in holdings in the Glens, consolidated its borders Ulster, the English-dominated council in Dublin DQGEHJDQWRORRNWRH[SDQGHOVHZKHUHLQ8OVWHU famously appealed to Henry VIII for help to (for a fuller account of the Clan Iain Mhóir and contain the number of Scots coming to Ireland Ulster in the 1400s see Kingston 2004, and also under the banner of the Clan Donald (Cal. S.P.Ire. Paterson 2001). 1532). Later genealogies provided Alexander By the 1520s, Alexander Canochson of with the title ‘of Islay, the Glens and the Route’ Dunyvaig does not yet appear to have gained (Gregory 1836: 194). Alexander died in 1536, ascendancy over the Clan Ian Mhóir but was still having assumed headship over the whole Clan Breen, Colin et al.indd 312 21/11/2015 09:11 INVESTIGATIONS AT KINBANE CASTLE, CO ANTRIM AND ITS SCOTTISH CONNECTIONS | 313 Iain Mhóir, his son James Canochson assumed provisions from both places. He then moved his father’s mantle and also claimed the title of RQ DQG WRRN WKH LVODQG VLWHV RU FUDQQRJV RQ /RUG RI WKH ,VOHV &DOGZHOO ² /LNH Loughaverra and Lough Lynch before returning his father before him, both he and his brothers, home. MacQuillan, in response, engaged the &ROODDQG6RUOH\%R\WRRNDQDFWLYHLQWHUHVWLQ services of James and Colla MacDonnell (as the 8OVWHU 7KH\ TXLFNO\ HVWDEOLVKHG WKHPVHOYHV DV IDPLO\EHFDPHNQRZQLQ8OVWHU ZKRWRRNEDFN a formidable mercenary force and subsequently /RXJKDQ,VODQGNLOOLQJ%ULDQ2·&DKDQDQGRWKHUV focused their efforts almost entirely on north ($)0: 1489; AC: 737). O’Cahan then hired the Antrim and Donegal. JDOORZJODVVHVRI5RU\0DF6ZHHQH\DQGDWWDFNHG MacQuillan near the Bann, although on this 1RUWK8OVWHULQWKHV occasion he escaped with his life. This type of The Clan Iain Mhóir’s renewed focus on Ulster in VPDOOVFDOHFRQÁLFWZDVW\SLFDORIWKHSHULRGEXW WKHPLGWKFHQWXU\ZDVVHWDJDLQVWDEDFNJURXQG its relevance here is that it provided the foothold RIDOPRVWLQFHVVDQWLQWHUQHFLQHFRQÁLFWLQ8OVWHU for the Clan Iain Mhóir incursions into this part and the ambitions of the Scottish crown. The of Ulster. The MacQuillans’ invitation to the situation was so unstable that the English Crown MacDonnells to join them in their campaign forces revitalised their efforts to subdue Ulster against the O’Cahans, along with Colla’s and pacify the warring parties. In north Ulster, marriage to Elveen MacQuillan, is generally seen the MacQuillans and O’Cahans, located east and as the basis for subsequent MacDonnell claims west of the River Bann respectively, had been on the Route (following Hamilton 1790: 122). HQJDJHG LQ QHDUFRQWLQXDO FRQÁLFW ZLWK HDFK Following this prolonged period of hostilities, other for decades – while both parties also had a a degree of peace appears to have settled tempestuous relationship with the O’Donnells of DFURVV 8OVWHU SUHVXPDEO\ VWURQJO\ LQÁXHQFHG Donegal. In July 1543, a memorandum was drawn E\ WKH ORRPLQJ SUHVHQFH DQG LQÁXHQFH RI WKH up in an attempt to settle the differences between MacDonnells on the area. They had, by the O’Donnell and MacQuillan (&DO &DUHZ 066 early 1550s, effectively settled in north Antrim 1543: 209). In compensation for MacQuillan’s DQGEHJXQWRÁH[WKHLUPXVFOHDQGLQGRLQJVR aggressions, O’Donnell was to receive 100 cattle. raised increasing concern in Dublin. The Scots 7KLVDWWHPSWHGDJUHHPHQWFOHDUO\GLGQRWZRUNDV from the Isles had always posed a threat to crown O’Donnell led a large force into the MacQuillan control in north Ulster, but their settlement along WHUULWRU\ NQRZQ DV WKH 5RXWH D VWUHWFK RI ODQG the north coast posed an even greater threat. The contained between the rivers Bush and Bann Lord Justice supported an expedition in 1551 LQ $QWULP DQG 'HUU\ +H WRRN WKH 0DF4XLOODQ against them and sent four ships to Rathlin where ‘wooden castle . [of] impregnable fastness’ James and Colla were now based, presumably on Loughan Island, on the Bann and gave it to having withdrawn to the safety of the island from O’Cahan ($)0: 1544). While O’Laverty (1887: Kinbane Castle. The Scots repelled the small UHIHUVWRWZRHDUWKHQIRUWLÀFDWLRQVVXUYLYLQJ armada and exchanged a number of captured on the island in the 19th century, the island is (QJOLVK RIÀFHUV IRU WKH UHOHDVH RI 6RUOH\ %R\ now extensively covered in woodland that serves from imprisonment in Dublin ($)0: 1551). WRPDVNWKHVXUYLYLQJHDUWKZRUNV$GGLWLRQDOO\ 7KRPDV &XVDFN /RUG &KDQFHOORU RI ,UHODQG the Bann drainage scheme deposited large linear ZURWHWRWKH(DUORI:DUZLFNLQ6HSWHPEHU EDQNV RI VHGLPHQW RQ WKH LVODQG WKDW IXUWKHU informing him that the Scots now effectively confuses interpretation of the remains. It does controlled all of the lands from MacQuillan’s DSSHDUWKRXJKWKDWWZRGLVFUHWHHDUWKZRUNVDW house (Dunluce?) to Belfast (Hill 1873: 47–51). either end of the island, represent vestiges of the He also made reference to Colla MacDonnell’s IRUPHU IRUWLÀFDWLRQV 2Q WKH VDPH H[SHGLWLRQ castle at Kinbane, although his assertion that it 2·'RQQHOOWRRNWKHFDVWOHRI%DOO\ORXJKVHL]LQJ was no longer defensible was an exaggeration and weapons,
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