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Ordnance Survey - Argyll county, OS Name Books - Argyll county - Volume 57 - Parishes found on OS 6-inch map sheets CLIX, CLX, CLXIX, CLXX, CLXXIX, CLXXX and CXC, OS1/2/57

Continued entries/extra info

[Page] 121
Ph. [Parish] of North Knapdale Argyllshire

"The most interesting antiguity in the Ph. [Parish] is Castle Swen
which stands on a rock close to the sea & commands a very
extensive view of the country. The date of its erection is not
known; but is evidently the work of different ages. The walls
display great strength of masonry. They are about 7 feet in
thickness, 35 ft in height & including Macmillan's Tower.
Probably Macmillan's Tower was built much later as its walls
are considerably thinner. Immemorial tradition bears that
the Castle was built by Suine Mac righ Lochlan, Swein or Sweno, Prince of Denmark, - towards the
[beginning of the] 11th Century. This fortress commanded the entrance to Lochswen & was regarded as the key of the Districts
of Knapdale & Glassary, & as such it was deemed a position of the greatest importance In the end of the
13th Century, Knapdale appears in the posession of a certain Sweins de Ergadia, known in tradition
as Swen Ruadh or Swen the Red, Thane of Glassary & Knapdale & from him it is said the Castle
took its name & there are strong grounds for thinking that he was ancestor of the Macneills".
New Stat. [Statistical] Account.

[Well] in G.T. [German Text]
The word "Draw" omitted
for want of room to write it
A. Gwin Srj RE [Alexander Gwin Sergeant Royal Engineers]

Ordnance Survey - Argyll county, OS Name Books - Argyll county - Volume 57 - Parishes found on OS 6-inch map sheets CLIX, CLX, CLXIX, CLXX, CLXXIX, CLXXX and CXC, OS1/2/57

This volume contains information on place names found in the parishes of Kilmichael Glassary, North Knapdale and South Knapdale.

Ordnance Survey - Argyll county

Ordnance Survey was established in the 18th century to create maps, surveys and associated records for the entirety of Great Britain. These records are arranged by county. This entry has been created to enable searching for Ordnance Survey records for the county of Argyll, which is in the west of Scotland. The boundaries of the county were altered by the Boundary Commissioners in 1891.

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