It is hard to believe, but we have reached the end of our journey of Clackmannanshire Tower Trail. However, we have saved the grandest of them all for last! Follow us to the majestic Dollar Glen in the Ochil Hills as we step into a castle steeped in history, folklore, myths, and perhaps some of the most spectacular views anywhere in the world – welcome to Castle Campbell!
As we dive into the rich history of the Castle, we first make a little detour into the ‘land’ of folklore. This detour is filled with myths and stories which may even lead us into to the realm of fay (fairies). Let’s hope that we make it back safely! 😉
The reason for the caution, and this detour, stem from the old name of Castle Campbell. You see, prior to year 1490 it was known as Castle Gloom (sometimes also written as Castle Gloume). It is believed the name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word – glom, which means chasm. This makes perfect sense as there are two burns cascading down the gorges- one on each side of the rocky spur that forms the site for the castle. But let’s not let the facts get in the way of a great story! So, gloomy myths here we come.
The original name for the Castle comes from a myth regarding a maiden who did not particularly enjoy the spectacular views of the Ochils and the River Forth valley. There are some variations in the stories about the maiden, with one claiming that she was the daughter of an ancient Scottish King who had angered her father by wanting to marry a man below her “station”. Therefore, she was imprisoned in the castle by her overprotective father. Meanwhile, other versions of the myth refer to her as a French princess who had been married to a Scottish nobility against her wishes, and having never wanted to leave France, she saw her time at the castle as a form of imprisonment.
Either way, the imprisoned and deeply saddened princess decided to let her feelings be known by naming her ‘prison’ – Castle Gloom! But, if that wasn't enough, she also named the two burns (streams) surrounding the castle, ‘Burn of Care’ and ‘Burn of Sorrow’. Lastly, she named the Glen and the town (now called Dollar) at the bottom of it – Dolor (Dolour) – which means pain, anguish, grief, etc. You get the point – she was not a happy camper.
However, her story doesn’t stop there because, according to the legend, the maiden was allowed to leave her shackles and captivity in the old tower once a week to wander north, up the Glen Care towards the Glen Quey. Of course she was escorted by guards, but the reason for the hike was a small natural spring in a dell of the Glen Quey, where she was allowed to go and ‘take on the waters’ and to also get some fresh air. She is said to have been quite keen on the clean and clear, yet very deep natural spring. Ever since, it has been known simply as the “Maiden’s Well” (check out other fascinating post about wells here and here).
Unfortunately, that is also where our heartbroken maiden finally ends up…in the well. Again, there are some different versions of how that comes about. One story says she jumped to her death from the tower of Castle Gloom, after which her remains were whisked away by the fairies, and then taken to the depths of the Maiden’s Well. Another version says she actually managed to escape from her guards’ grasps for long enough to jump into the well, knowing full well that the weight of her shackles would sink her to the depths of the spring.
Either way, the well is still said to be guarded to this very day by a beautiful maiden in shackles. Not only is she potentially guarding the well, but also the hill behind it which is known as Maiden’s Castle. It is a curious looking earth mound to say the least, but there is no record of there ever having been a castle. Well, not in this realm anyway as Maiden’s Castle is believed to be the location of a magical Fairy Castle.
Now, the well and the castle sound fascinating, but be aware that you might be better off not to go looking for them! First of all, the Maiden in the well is said to attract passersby to her watery grave with her charms. One notable story is that of young Edwin, son to the Chieftain of Clan McCallum. According to the legend, he was holding a grand feast for his 21st birthday in Castle Gloom. He ignored the stories of the haunted well and wanted to prove his manhood by taking on the Maiden. He ignored his father’s warnings and headed out to the well with his entourage, while claiming that he did not fear any spirits. Once there, he summoned the Maiden, and she appeared out of the mist. However, when he reached for his sword, he was already paralysed by her powers (and fear) and before any of the other partygoers could react, she vanished to depths of the spring, dragging young Edwin down with her.
The same goes for the Maiden’s Castle- you have been advised to stay clear! Especially, if you are a skilled piper. There is a story of a local man who was travelling over the hills from Glendevon towards Dollar. Night fell as he was still on the hills, and as he made his way into Glen Quey (the site of the Maiden’s Castle), he came upon a beautiful castle that was illuminated with lights and music. As he stared at this castle, baffled, not ever having seen it before, he was snatched by fairies and taken inside. He was told not to be frightened and that he was free to leave if he were to play the bagpipes to the merriment of the fairies. He obliged, and before he you knew it, he let his guard down and began to thoroughly enjoy the festivities. After a while, he started to feel tired and decided to ask if he could leave and be back on his way. The fairies kept their promise, and the man walked out of the castle. As he continued on his journey, he decided to look back fondly at the castle where he had had such a merry time and realised that the castle had vanished!
Baffled once more, the man decided to skip his travel to Dollar, and to just turn back and return to his home in Glendevon. Once he entered his cottage, he immediately noticed that it was not in the same way as he had left it. Worse yet, he found strange people sleeping in his bed! After he woke up and startled the strangers, he was confronted by them, and they asked why he had so brazenly burst into ‘their’ home! After some heated conversations, the new residents in the piper’s home recalled an old family myth about a great uncle of theirs, a skilled piper, who had vanished into the Ochil Hills without a trace- about a hundred years prior! The piper had finally found his way back home, but he had not been gone for just one night. Rather, he had been gone for a whole century! You see, in the realm of the fays (or the sith in Scottish Gaelic), time doesn’t work like in ours. So, please be aware of not only the Maiden’s Well and the spirit that inhabits it, but also don’t go looking for trouble with the fairies of the Maiden’s Castle or anywhere else they may roam!
Alright, I think that it is now a good time to for us to return to our own realm and look at the fascinating history of Castle Campbell as it has been quite an integral part of Scottish history. The rocky ridge that Castle Campbell sits on has some peculiar earthen mounds that point to the possibility of a previous existence of a wooden motte castle that predates the current one. Which, by the way, would be required for the previous myths to even have a leg to stand on, but since we have already spent so much time in the land of the fay, we will now focus on the history that we do know for certain- well, sort of.
The present castle dates to the 15th century, but nobody is absolutely certain as to who built it. However, the most likely candidate is John Stewart, Lord of Lorn. Therefore, the castle started off as a ‘Stewart’ rather than a ‘Campbell’ castle. However, the Stewart reign over this castle did not last very long because John Stewart was murdered in 1463. He did not have a male heir, and all his possessions came into dispute. That is when Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll, astutely manoeuvred to gain the disputed Stewart properties, on the grounds that he was married to the eldest daughter of John Stewart. This angered John’s brother Walter, who in a fit of rage, burned and destroyed most of Castle Gloom. That, however, did not deter the Campbells from restoring and renovating the castle. In fact, over the next generations, the Campbells continued to expand the castle, just as they continued to expand their power and influence within Scotland. However, their lands and possessions were mostly out west. Therefore, they wanted to have another central residence that would grant them quicker and easier access to the kings and queens, whether they’d be in Stirling, Linlithgow, Dunfermline or Falkland.
Beyond the renovations and expansions, the 1st Earl was also responsible for the name change of the castle. Some claim that he was not a fan of the name ‘Gloom’, but I think that he just wanted to install his name onto it as a show of prestige. Either way, he successfully petitioned King James IV to officially change the name to ‘Castle Campbell’ in 1489.
While the access to the monarchs may have been the reason for the Campbells to own this magnificent castle perched in the Dollar Glen, it was also ultimately the reason why the castle was destroyed and then abandoned. The Campbells were a very influential family during the heyday of the castle, but their relationship with the monarchs was quite complicated to say the least. This was mainly due to the constant flip-flopping by the Campbells.
For example, take Colin, the 1st Earl- he was the ringleader in the revolt against King James III. Yet, his son, Archibald, the 2nd Earl, was one the closest allies with King James IV. Archibald and James IV even shared the same builders for their own respective castles. Archibald built the south hall block at Castle Campbell to resemble the King’s Old Building at Stirling Castle (built by James IV). They even went on to die together, side by side, in the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
Skipping ahead a few decades, the Campbells were some of the main forces behind the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. In fact, John Knox resided at Castle Campbell for a short time which put the Campbells at odds with the Catholic Queen, Mary Queen of Scots. However, interestingly, she also visited Castle Campbell in 1563, although it was for a wedding of her kinsman, James Stewart, Lord Doune, to the sister of the 5th Earl (also Archibald) – Margaret Campbell. Just a couple of years later, Archibald was involved in the rebellion against the Queen, and was even involved in a supposed plot to kidnap the Queen’s husband, Lord Darnley. As a result of all of that, the castle was surrendered to the Queen.
Eventually it was returned to the Campbells, and even expanded by the 7th Earl…wait for it…Archibald, who had the East range of the castle built. However, they were not done switching sides. Because the 8th Earl- you guessed it – Archibald- initially a close ally to King Charles I, became the biggest flip-flopper of them all. Even though he was given the title of 1st Marquis of Argyll, by Charles I, in an interesting demonstration of his gratitude, he later became the leader of the Covenanters who pushed for King Charles I to be ousted.
But then, in a strange plot twist, the same Archibald ends up being the person to place the crown on the head of King Charles II, during his coronation at Scone in 1651. However, just as Archibald had previously turned his back on Charles I (beheaded in 1649), he also turned on Charles II. Shortly after the coronation in 1651, Archibald switched his allegiance to Oliver Cromwell, and even proclaimed him to be Lord Protector of Scotland.
This betrayal does not end well for the 8th Earl, or for the castle. First, the castle was destroyed by the Royalist forces in 1654. Secondly, King Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, and he didn’t waste any time in settling the score with Archie who was convicted of treason and executed. However, amazingly, the earldom was still returned to the Campbells – to the 9th Earl…surprise…Archibald! However, it was at this point that the Campbells abandoned the ruined Castle Campbell. The 9th Earl moved their central Scotland residence to the old property of William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling (remember him from the Menstrie Castle post?) and renames it – Argyll’s Lodging.
As for Castle Campbell, it was eventually sold along with the lands in 1805 to their neighbour – Mr. Crawford Tait of Harvieston. After that, some repairs and restorations, as well as archaeological investigations were carried out at the castle during the 19th century. But, by 1948, the castle was entrusted to the care of the state and the National Trust for Scotland. The National Trust for Scotland looks after the lands in the Dollar Glen, and Castle Campbell is now under the protection of Historic Environment Scotland, who have carried out further restorations. That way current and future generations continue to have the opportunity to visit this stunning site and admire the marvellous views, while learning about Scottish history. Now, what could be better than that?!
That brings us to the end of the five-part series on the incredible Clackmannanshire Tower Trail, and we sincerely hope that you have enjoyed this journey with us. We highly recommend that you visit the wee Clacks because, despite it being a small county, it packs a punch in history, remarkable scenery, and has perhaps the kindest people around.
Until next time – Explore & Discover!
