Monument record 1434 - KISIMUL CASTLE, BARRA

NL69NE 3 6651 9791.

(NL 6651 9791) Kiessimul Castle (NR) (Remains of).
OS 6" map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

Kiessimul Castle stands on a low rock rising a few feet above high water mark, 200 yds. from the shore of Castle Bay.
The Commission (RCAHMS 1928) dates the tower and curtain wall to the 15th c. with later buildings of the 17th and 18th c. MacGibbon and Ross (D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889), however, date the original buildings to the 13th c. and are supported by Toy (S Toy 1966), who points out that "since there is no note of its existence before the early part of the fifteenth century it has been assumed that it belongs to that period, despite its obviously more ancient character", He notes the ommission of the prow on the south side of the keep from the commission plan and draws attention to the addition of a fourth storey at a later period. Cruden (S Cruden 1960) says the south "wall face is perfectly flat" and disagrees with Toy (S Toy 1966) that there is a prow.
RCAHMS 1928; D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889; S Toy 1966; S Cruden 1960.

Generally as described above. According to Mr Robins (Schoolmaster, Castlebay, Barra) the original buildings are 13th. century with later additions from 15th to 18th c. Toy's assertion (S Toy 1966) that there is a prow on the S wall of the keep is incorrect, and hence the plan supplied by the commission (RCAHMS 1928) (which agrees with Cruden {S Cruden 1960}) is accurate. The castle has been, and is in the process of being restored. It is occupied by The MacNeil of Barra.
Visited by OS (N K B) 24 May 1965.

20. Castle Bay (K4)
Site type: castle
Kiessimul Castle...
Branigan and Grattan 1998, 24

Also in Branigan and Foster 2000, 23

The monument known as Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Barra, stands on a rock in Castle Bay, at the south end of Barra. Its form is similar to that of other West Highland castles of the period with a rectangular tower-house set to one side of an irregular enclosure containing other buildings. The original entrance, with presumed portcullis, was on the east but it was moved closer to the tower when the watchman's house was enlarged. Just outside the gate lie the remains of the building that may have housed the crew who rowed the lord's galley, as well as a fish trap or perhaps a galley berth. The area to be scheduled is irregular with maximum dimensions of about 82m NW-SE by 78m transversely, to include the Castle, its external features, and an area around in which associated remains may survive. All clearly identifiable 20th Century fabric is specifically excluded from the scheduling. The monument, which lies in the Parish of Barra and the County of Inverness ... is hereby included in the Schedule of Monuments...
HS scheduling document, 17.1.2001

NL 6651 9791 An integrated programme of archaeological work, documentary research and a building survey were undertaken with the aim of informing Historic Scotland's future conservation and management of the newly acquired monument.
Twelve test trenches were excavated by hand in the courtyard, the basement of the tower and the pit prison revealing, in places, up to 1.2m of sediments. In the W part of the couryard a series of medieval/post-medieval levelling deposits containing bone, shsell and construction debris were encountered. In the tower and around the Gockman's house, floor surfaces and other deposits associated with their use and abandonment survived. Evidence for metalworking was found associated with the later phases of the Gockman's house, and a part-waterlogged floor deposit survived in the basement of the tower. A decorated gold object, thought to be a lace tag from the early 12th century, was recovered from this deposit.
The test trenches also revealed evidence for extensive prehistoric occupation which includes pottery, flint and cereal remains. The finds were associated with buried soils and are consistent with a Bronze Age or Neolithic presence on the island. The exact nature and duration of this occupation is unclear at present.
The building survey indicated that the initial phase of buidling included a great hall for public ceremony and a tower reserved for more private life, but there is very little evidence in the fabric of the building that provides an indication of the date of foundation. However, both negative and positive documentary evidence points to the establishment of the MacNeill's control of Barra, and the construction of the castle, in the first half of the 15th century. The glazed wares recovered from the excavations include nothing obviously earlier than the 15th centruy and therefore support this date.
Sponsor: HS
j Morrison 2001, 99

N Tranter, The Fortified House in Scotland, vol. 5, 108 (Bibliographic reference). SWE5126.

D & T MacGibbon & Ross, 1896, The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian Times to the17th Century, 51-6 fig. 14-16 (Bibliographic reference). SWE4321.

RCAHMS, 1928, The RCAHMCS 9th Report & Inventory: Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles, 126-8, No. 439 fig. 181-5 (Bibliographic reference). SWE5587.

S Cruden, 1960a, The Scottish Castle, 42 fig. 4 (Bibliographic reference). SWE2328.

H B and J Millar and Kirkhope, 1965d, Discovery and Excavation, Scotland, 21-2 (Bibliographic reference). SWE33334.

S Toy, 1966, The Castles of Great Britain, 130-2 plan (Bibliographic reference). SWE11904.

D J and J G Turner and Dunbar, 1969-70, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 174, 177 (Bibliographic reference). SWE8375.

J G Dunbar, 1978a, Glasgow Archaeol J, 25-43 (Bibliographic reference). SWE1561.

J N G and M Ritchie and Harman, 1985, Exploring Scotland's Heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles, 83, no. 29 (Bibliographic reference). SWE6206.

Council for Scottish Archaeology, 2001, Discovery and Escavation in Scotland (Bibliographic reference). SWE41185.

Kirkdale Archaeology, 2012, Kisimul Castle (Unpublished document). SWE41345.