On the machair at the south-west tip of Benbecula, in the Western Isles, the ruined shell of a three-storey tower house stands with its north wall almost entirely gone. Known as Borve Castle, and also as Castle Wearie or Caisteal Bhuirgh in Gaelic, the tower was designated a Scheduled Monument (designated under law as an archaeological site of national importance) in 1993 in recognition of its surviving fabric.
On the machair at the south-west tip of Benbecula, in the Western Isles, the ruined shell of a three-storey tower house stands with its north wall almost entirely gone. Known as Borve Castle, and also as Castle Wearie or Caisteal Bhuirgh in Gaelic, the tower was designated a Scheduled Monument in 1993 in recognition of its surviving fabric.
MacGibbon and Ross attributed its construction to Amie mac Ruari, wife of John of Islay, dating the build to between 1344 and 1363. It went on to serve as a stronghold of the Macdonalds of Benbecula, who held it until the early 17th century.
The surviving rubble-built tower measures 18.9 by 11.3 metres and rises to 9 metres, with an entrance that opened not at ground level but into the first storey through a projecting wing on the south wall. Archaeological investigations in 2018 showed the building had grown in three distinct phases, its eastern and western walls added as later reinforcements in contrasting styles — the east coursed and windowless, the west informal and pierced with many windows.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
MacGibbon and Ross attributed the building of the tower to Amie mac Ruari, wife of John of Islay, dating its construction to between 1344 and 1363. Following its construction the tower passed into the hands of the Macdonalds of Benbecula, who occupied it until the early 17th century. The castle was designated as a Scheduled Monument in 1993, formally recognising the surviving structure. In 2018 archaeological investigations were carried out at the site, establishing that the tower had been built and altered in three distinct phases over its history.
People
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Amie mac Ruari
Wife of John of Islay; traditionally credited by MacGibbon and Ross with building the tower between 1344 and 1363.
Cultural influences
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Hebridean lordship
The tower’s association with Amie mac Ruari and later occupation by the Macdonalds of Benbecula places it within the changing medieval lordship of the Hebrides.
Connections
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Borve Castle, Sutherland
A separate castle of the same name, belonging to Clan Mackay in Sutherland.
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Macdonalds of Benbecula
Occupied Borve Castle from its construction until the early 17th century.
Discovery & excavation
Archaeological investigations carried out in 2018 established that the tower was built in three distinct phases. The earliest phase consisted of a structure with narrow masonry walls built in a formal style, with regular coursing and sandstone quoins. The eastern side was then reinforced with very wide walls of a moderately formal style, using large stones with intermittent coursing to form an outer skin without windows around the existing structure. A comparable reinforcement was later carried out on the western side, though in a more informal manner without coursing, and the resulting western wall was pierced with many windows.
What to look for
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The tower's dimensions
The ruined rubble-built tower measures 18.9 metres by 11.3 metres and stands up to 9 metres high, with walls averaging 2.75 metres thick that narrow internally at first- and second-storey level.
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The collapsed north wall
The tower's north wall has almost entirely collapsed, leaving the surviving structure open on that side.
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The south entrance
The original entrance was through a projecting wing at the centre of the south wall, which opened into the first storey rather than the ground floor.
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Two building phases in the walling
The eastern and western walls show visibly different construction styles from the later reinforcement phases: the east built with large, intermittently coursed stones and no windows, the west added afterwards in an informal, uncoursed style pierced with many windows.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 57.4305°N · 7.3772°W
- Time needed
- About 30 minutes
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The setting
Near Borve Castle, Benbecula, about 92 metres away.
Photo: Fæ / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Near Borve Castle, Benbecula, about 102 metres away.
Photo: Tom Parnell from Scottish Borders, Scotland / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Near Borve Castle, Benbecula, about 102 metres away.
Photo: Fæ / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions people ask
- What is Borve Castle also known as?
- It is also known as Castle Wearie, and as Caisteal Bhuirgh in Scottish Gaelic.
- When was Borve Castle built?
- MacGibbon and Ross dated its construction to between 1344 and 1363, attributing the building to Amie mac Ruari, wife of John of Islay.
- Who occupied Borve Castle?
- It was occupied by the Macdonalds of Benbecula until the early 17th century.
- How large is the tower?
- The ruined three-storey tower measures 18.9 metres by 11.3 metres and stands up to 9 metres high, with walls averaging 2.75 metres thick.
- What did the 2018 archaeological investigations find?
- They found that the tower had been built in three distinct phases, with the eastern and western walls added as later reinforcements in differing styles.
Sources
- Borve Castle, Benbecula - Wikipedia
- Borve Castle, Benbecula - Wikidata
- MacGibbon and Ross, The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland
Explore more: Fortified places · Medieval · Outer Hebrides
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