Excavations at Achanduin Castle, Lismore, Argyll, 1970–5

findings and commentary

Abstract

Excavations were undertaken at Achanduin Castle, Lismore, Argyll (NGR: NM 8043 3927), over six seasons from 1970 to 1975 under the direction of the late Dennis John Turner (1932–2013), henceforward referred to as DJT. Publication of a full report as a SAIR, assembled from the papers of DJT, has now been achieved by the other two authors of this paper, neither of whom were directly involved in the excavations. They have undertaken this task because of their friendship with DJT and their realisation of the importance of his work at Achanduin, the results of which are distilled and discussed here. Achanduin is a small rectangular enclosure castle, built about the very end of the 13th century or early in the 14th century. Although it was occupied intermittently by bishops of Argyll, perhaps as late as the 1680s, DJT has made a case for it being constructed for either Alexander MacDougall, lord of Argyll, or his son John.