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Introduction
 Dunvegan
has
been the stronghold of the
Chiefs of MacLeod
for over 750 years and is still their home. No
other castle in Scotland has been inhabited by the same family for so many
centuries. Through the years, famous men, clansmen and visitors from
every land have been made welcome as you are made welcome now.
 The
Castle was first opened to the public more than 40 years ago and the number
of visitors has risen from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Despite
such numbers crowding into so small a space, we still try to maintain the
atmosphere of a family home while sharing with you our love for Dunvegan's
unique possessions of beauty and interest. While here, you are invited
to walk around free to look at everything without being hurried. Just
be aware of areas where access is narrow and stairs or floors are uneven.
The
story of the survival of Dunvegan is closely linked to the long and
continuing history of a great Hebridean Clan, the family of Liotr, in
Gaelic, Leod. People all over the world who proudly carry the surname
MacLeod (Son of Leod) are equally a part of this story.
Most
historians agree that Leod was a younger son of Olaf, one of the last Norse
Kings of Man and The North Isles, who died in 1237. Leod inherited
Lewis (then the whole of what is now Lewis and Harris in the Outer Isles)
and part of Skye: by his marriage to the heiress of the Norse "Seneschel"
(Sheriff) of Skye, e inherited Dunvegan. Lands in Glenig came later
through his elder brother, Magnus, last King of Man. At the point in
history when Alexander III, King of Scots, finally crushed Norse claims to
the Western Isles (with the defeat of King Haco of Norway at Largs in 1263)
Leod was possessor of almost half the Hebrides. The blood of the
Viking raiders mingled with that of the Celtic inheritors of the Kingdom of
Alba in a great and powerful community of Clans. At that time the
western clans recognised a superior power among themselves in the Lord of
the Isles, an echo of the old tribal High Kings of Celtic Ireland.
When James IV succeeded in destroying the Lordship of the Isles (1498), the
Royal Authority was not to fall neatly upon the Clans. For 200 years
more, political chaos reigned, feudal overlords plotted and wrangled, while
land and possessions fell to the power of the sword. It is, not
surprisingly perhaps, the best known aspect of Highland history.
Nevertheless, throughout those troubled centuries, the sons of Leod held
their ancestral lands against all comers and the principal symbol of their
power - the Castle on the rock - grew and prospered. Their "birlinns"
(war galleys) came and went freely across the Minch; the "family"
spread and multiplied, for the most part living adequately off the produce
of their own acres; cattle, cereals and later, potatoes. Looking
at the land now, after 150 years of sheep and government neglect, it is hard
to believe that the Hebrides once supported a large, healthy and
self-sufficient population.
The
language
of the Chief and his people was Gaelic - this was the case until towards the
end of the 19th century. The Chief himself was the acknowledged
"Father" of the Clan, judge of all causes, leader in battle and patron of
the Arts. Up to the early 18th century, even beyond, the Chief of
MacLeod retained an entourage including fighting men (until 1746), bards,
musicians, entertainers, doctors and lawyers. From the earliest days,
a Chief might also appoint a Standard-bearer and a Cup-bearer. Great
events called for feasting and lavish hospitality, when the Castle rang with
music and the recitation of past glories.
The
Clan lands of the MacLeods are now confined to the Isle of Skye. The
line of MacLeods of Lewis (those claiming descent from Leod's second son,
Torquil) failed tragically in 1610 after years of feud and political
interference, although a branch of the family held the Island of Raasay
until 1846. Harris was sold in 1779 to pay debts and likewise Glenelg,
in 1811. Yet Dunvegan, with its surrounding lands and the great range
of the Cuillan mountains further to the south of Skye, remains in MacLeod
hands to this day and prospers still. It is the last great castle home
of an island clan chief to have retained its true identity and fabric
through all the centuries of history.
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