Dunollie: The 1745 House

For the past two Tuesdays, I posted part 1 and part 2 of Dunollie Castle in Argyll, Scotland. Now I want to show you some of the nearby 1745 House.

View of a small farm road or walking trail and the field.

 The 1745 House sits down the hill from Dunollie Castle and is a part of the MacDougall estate. The house as a whole consists of at least four sections from different time periods. The single story Laich Biggin (Low House) was built around 1617. (You can see it to the left, below.) The museum store and the Hope MacDougall Collection are situated there now. One room used to be a dairy and another one was the laundry. The Laird's house was built onto this starting in 1745 so the family could leave the castle. The 23^rd Chief of Clan MacDougall, Alexander MacDougall, had the house built for his wife Mary and their fifteen children. The estate had been forfeited due to Alexander's father, Iain Ciar's active role in the 1715 Jacobite uprising. Alexander and his family had been living in Edinburgh when the estate was returned to him and the clan in August 1745. Instead of supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie in the '45 uprising, they built a new house. At this point, Dunollie Castle was practically a ruin anyway.

The 1745 House (and a piper.)

The above photo shows where the 3 structures join, the one story Laich Biggin or Low House, the 1745 House to the right and a newer addition at the top center or back. Below you can see the front of it.

Around 1780, Alexander extended the house by adding the North Wing. In 1836, Alexander's grandson, John MacDougall, completed the main house, what is now called Dunollie House. The 1745 portion of the house became the servants' quarters. People still live in the newest portion of the house (Dunollie House), while the older parts (the 1745 House and the Low House) serve as a museum and tourist areas.

The other side of the house, showing a newer addition.

The items in the exhibitions throughout the 1745 House are drawn from the collection of the MacDougall Chiefs.

 We somehow missed the Hope MacDougall Collection housed in the Laich Biggin (Low House). The collection is historically significant and consists of 5000 objects collected by Miss Hope MacDougall, the daughter, sister and aunt to three successive MacDougall clan chiefs. She grew up at Dunollie House. Some of the items are displayed in the old sitting room of the 1745 House.

Items in the kitchen.

The kitchen.

This targe (shield) is one of a pair found in the Dunollie dairy disguised as butter-churn lids. Weapons such as these were outlawed after 1745. The targe is made of oak and leather. It is brass-studded with green cloth on the back. It was made around 1715.

Detail on the targe.

The basket-hilt sword or claymore is dated around 1715. The lock plate and key are from Dunollie Castle and dated to the 18^th century. They were discovered in the Old Kitchen of the house during the renovation work not long ago.

The object lying in front is a socket candlestick from Dunollie Castle. It is from the 14^th century and is made of copper zinc alloy with a residue of gold at the base joint.

 The piece of cloth with the beautiful flower and vine embroidery is a fragment of a dress, made of linen around 1620. It has silver gilt and silk embroidery. The 30^th Chief, Coline, said that the family was aghast when it was cut up for cushion covers. I would be too! Can you imagine how much work and time went into this?

This fabric (Jacobean crewel work fern pattern) is part of the bed hangings from the castle. It is the pelmet from around the top of a four poster bed. Made of wool and linen, mid 17^th century. The complete set is preserved. The family Bible sits next to it. The pot is a preserving pan brought from the castle when the 1745 House was built.

Click to enlarge.

The first MacDougall tartan.

Click to enlarge and read more history.

Alexander, the MacDougal Chief's timeline. Click to enlarge.

I have a large amount of photos from the 1745 House. I'll share more of them next time. Thanks for checking out my post!!
Vonda

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Great news! My Notorious Highlander won the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence!!

Chief Torrin MacLeod vows to possess and wed the spirited lady who stole his heart the previous winter. But Lady Jessie MacKay wants naught to do with the dangerous warrior, no matter how devilishly handsome and charming he is. When Torrin arrives unexpectedly at Jessie's home, along with Gregor MacBain, a man Jessie was formerly handfasted to, she is thrown off-kilter. She never wanted to see either man again, but now they are vying for her hand. Torrin promises to protect her from the devious MacBain, but how can she trust Torrin when she has witnessed how lethal he is?

The more time Torrin spends with the strong and independent Jessie, the more determined he is to win her heart. Once she allows him a kiss, he feels her passion flame as hot as his own. After she knows Torrin better, Jessie finds herself falling for the fearsome Highlander. But the odds are stacked against them. The sinister MacBain is bent on kidnapping Jessie, making her his bride and killing Torrin, while Jessie's conniving younger brother, Haldane, is determined to use Jessie to take over the castle in his older brother's absence. Jessie fears she can never be with the man she loves, while Torrin will do everything in his power to ensure they are together forever. In his heart, she is the only lady for him.  

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