Duke Murdoch's Castle (remains of)

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DUKE MURDOCH'S CASTLE, LOCH AED, PERTHSHIRE. BY DAVID
CHRISTISON, M.D., LL.D., VICE-PRESIDENT.
Nothing authentic seems to be known of the origin of the name of
this ruin, but, writing from notes taken in 1794, the Rev. Dr Patrick
Graham states that the castle "was said to have been built by
Murdoch, Duke of Albany, uncle of James I. of Scotland." He adds,
" It is said that he designed this as a place of retreat when he appre-
hended a prosecution on account of his ambitious attempts, for which,
indeed, he was afterwards beheaded."
Mr Hutchison says that this strong building "is locally called Murdoch's
Castle," and that "it was built by this Duke of Albany as a residence."
He goes on to say, "It seems, however, too small for that purpose; but
it may have been a hunting-seat, or tower of refuge, for some of the
earlier Earls of Menteith. There were earlier Murdochs among them."
Other "local traditions," he adds, "differ as to the scene of Duke
Murdoch's capture. One places it at a sput still called by the name of
Murdoch's Ford, on the old road between Doune and Dunblane, where
a small stream is crossed by the road not far from the farm of Anchors Cross, and about a mile from the town of Dunblane; while a second
legend affirms that he was taken from his castle on Dundochill, a small
island on Loch Ard."
All that we can safely conclude is that, probably enough, this rock
fastness was constructed by the Duke of Albany in question, or possibly by one of his Menteith ancestors who bore the name of Murdoch, and
also that it was known as Dundochill.
The site of the castle is on the largest, highest, and most easterly
of a chain of six rocky islets, running east and west, close to the southern
shore of Loch Ard, 3 miles west of the village of Aberfoyle, and
1degree east of the upper end of the loch. The channel between the islet
and the land is 90 feet wide, 10 feet deep in the middle, and 9 feet deep close to the rock, so that the castle was well protected from attack
before the days of artillery.
The islet consists of a main part and a "tail" running eastward,
separated by an isthmus 7 yards in length and 3 in width, which is
covered when the loch is flooded.
The "tail," 50 feet in length, is comparatively low and narrow; but
the main rock rises pretty steeply from either end to a nearly level top,
20 feet high, 60 feet long, and 24 wide, on which the castle was built.
The landing-place is on the south side of the isthmus, and from it a rude
stair leads up to the castle.
Until three or four years ago the castle stood to a considerable height
above the rock, but a great fall then took place, and little masonry
remains except the under-building, constructed in alignment with the
mural cliff that rises directly out of the water, on the south side of the
islet. Even of this a considerable part is in ruins, but a portion 8J feet in height and
5 feet 3 inches in width still survives. The masonry is carefully built
throughout, but not in courses, and is arranged without any regard to the
size of the stones. It is cemented with lime much mixed with gravel,
and apparently apt to decay.
As far as can be judged from its present condition, the building has
been a simple rectangle, without flanking towers, enclosing a space of
about 45 x 20 feet. A wide mound, about 3 feet in height, divides the space into two compartments, the one to the east,
or nearest the entrance, having been probably a square of 20 feet, and the
other a rectangle of 15x20 feet, supposing that the mound conceals a
transverse wall 5 or 6 feet thick and no other building.
Duke Murdoch's Castle seems to be of a somewhat unusual type, and
a small amount of excavation might suffice to give a better idea of its
ground-plan, and to afford some indication of its date.

NB Wikimapia polygon shows approximate boundary of this ruin due to limitations of aerial photo resolution.