Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

DUN
411
DUN
with a southern exposure, is a fine mansion, and
has been recently enlarged and improved. Wil-
liarr Nairne, Esq., a younger son of the Dunsinnan
family, toward the close of last century, and during
nine years of the present, adorned the situations of
senator of the College of Justice, and member of the
High court of Justiciary, bearing the title of Lord
Dunsinnan.
DUNSKERRY, a small island of Sutherland, 4
miles north of the promontory of Farouthead.
DUNSTAFFNAGE,* an ancient castle in Mid
Lorn, Argyleshire, remarkable for being one of the
first seats of the Scottish princes. It is situated on
a promontory, almost insulated in that beautiful
arm of the sea called Loch-Etive; and if romantic
and magnificent scenery, and the pleasing interchange
of mountain and valley, — wood and water, — sea and
land, — island and continent, — conjoined with all
those recollections, borrowed from the earliest ages
of our history, which are most gratifying to national
feeling, — be viewed as inducements in selecting the
site of a royal residence, it might well be questioned
whether Scotland could present one more desirable
than the vicinity of Dunstaffnage. On the west, Dun-
staffnage fronts that beautiful and fertile island, fitly
denominated Lismore, or Leasmore, — 'the Great
garden,' — beyond which towers the bleak and rocky
Mull. The prospect terminates, towards the north,
with the lofty mountains of Morvern; while the
view is enriched with a cluster of small islands scat-
tered in various directions. Behind it lies that for-
tress, celebrated in our ancient chronicles under the
name of Berigonium, and also the ruined priory of
Ardchattan: See these articles. "The builder of
this castle," says Grose, "and time of its construc-
tion are unknown. It is certainly of great anti-
quity, and was once the seat of the Pictish and
Scottish princes. Here, for a long time, was pre-
served the famous stone, the Palladium of Scotland,
brought, as the legend has it, from Spain. It was
afterwards removed by Kenneth II. to Scone, and is
now in Westminster abbey, brought thither by King
Edward L On it was the following inscription:
Ni fallat fatmn, Scoti quocunque Incafum
Invenient lapldem, regnare tenenlur ibidem."
Our venerable Wyntoun has thus rendered this
ancient national prophecy :
* The form of this name has been considerably varied by dif-
ferent writers, Bv Boece, and his ancient translator, Bellen-
den, it is written Dounstafage, or Douustaphage; by Fordun,
or rather his continuatnr Bower, Dunstatineh. In Bleau's
map it is Dunstafage. There has not been less variety in re-
gard to the etymon given of this name. Camden, having said
that Dunstafage was "anciently 44 royal residence," explains
the term as signifying 'Stephen's mount.' This idea appears
to have been borrowed from our Boece, — the father of so many
fables in the history of Scotland. Speaking' of a king whom he
calls Evenus, he says : " Arcem baud procul a Berigonin loco
Itatiira invictissimo a?dificavit, Evoniuoi dixit, a alio nomine,
nunc, Dounstafage voluo, id estcastrum Stephani, appellatum."
[Hist. Fol. ill a.] For it is to be observed, that, according to
our writers, this palace bad both a vulgar and a royal designa-
tion. Belleoden has thus rendered the passage : " Kyng Ewin
flight ane castell, ndcht far fra Berigon, oallit Mian [then]
Ewin, efter his name, now callit Dounstafage." It is observ-
able, that Belleuden leaves out the explanation of the vulgar
name, which had been given by Boece, as apparently not satis-
tied that it was well-founded. He bad, indeed, good reason for
hesitation; as there is no evidence that it is any thing more
than a monkish dream, like the origin assigned to the name of
the town of Montrose, — Mons rosarum t — 'the Mount of roses,'
— the least appropriate designation that fancy could possibly
devise for a dry, barren isthmus of sand, apparently forced up
by the action of the waves, — a mount on which a rose never
grew but by the diligence of horticulture. As Stephen is a
iiame scarcely known in Gaelic nomenclature, DuiistatfiiRge
has been rendered, by those who seem best acquainted with
the language, Dun agus (pronounced in) tu inish, as signifying
Mhe Fortified hill with two islands,' descriptive of tlie local
eituation, the place having been denominated Irom t,vo islands
which lie north from the castle. With this account Bower's
orthography of Dunstuunch most closely agrees.
But ffyf Werdys falyhand be,t
Quhare-evyr that stane yhe segyt se,
Thare sail the Scottis he regnand
And lordys haleoure all that land.
CttONYKIL, B. iii. c. 9.
Boece has given the same legendary prediction.
According to Wyntoun, Fergus, the son of Ere.
brought this " stone of power" with him from Ire-
land into Scotland; but, before it reached Dunstafl-
nage, it had visited Icolmkill in its way. He, in-
deed, altogether omits the mention of this palace in
the history of its peregrinations, which might almost
vie with those of the cottage of " our Lady of Lo-
retto." For, according to his account, Fergus
Broucht this stane wytht-in Scotland
Fyrst quhen he come and wane that land,
And fyrst it set in Ikkolmkil,
And Skune thare-eftir it wes broucht tyle
And tbare it wes syne mony day,
Qhyll Edward gert have it away, &c.
Leslie asserts that it was brought from Argyle to
Scone by Kenneth Macalpine.f " This castle," Pen-
nant has observed, " is fabled to have been founded
by Ewin, a Pictish monarch, cotemporary with
Julius Caesar, naming it after himself, Evonium."
Grose has said, " According to vulgar tradition, this
castle was founded by Edwin, a Pictish monarch."
It is probable that the name has assumed this form
by an error of the press. But this good-humoured
writer has undoubtedly fallen into an error, when
he speaks of this as " a vulgar tradition :" for, as far
as we can learn, there is not a vestige of the name
Evonium among the natives. It seems to have no
other authority than that of Boece, who acknow-
ledges that the intention of the monarch, in desig-
nating the fortress which he erected from his own
name, was in fact frustrated by the predominance of
the vulgar designation. Although the so-called
Evonium lies on the bay of Oban, even fancy can
afford no aid from any supposed similarity; for the
term Oban is explained 'the White bay;' whence
the name of the modern town of Oban, at the dis-
tance of 3 miles from the palace. The castle is of
a square form, 87 feet within walls, having round
towers at three of the angles. The average height
of the walls is 66 feet; 9 in thickness. The exter-
nal measurement of the walls amounts to 270 feet.
The circumference of the rock, on which it stands,
is 300. It has its entrance from the sea by a stair-
ease ; but it is supposed that, in former ages, this
was by means of a drawbridge. Only part of the
building is habitable, the rest of it being in ruins.
The masonry is considered as very ancient. At the
distance of about 400 feet from the castle are the
remains of a chapel formerly appropriated to the
religious services of its inmates. This, in length, is
+ " Unless the Destinies fail," or " be defective."
t " In the Wardrobe Account of Edward, for March, 1S99,
there is the following entry of a paymeut to ' Walter the
painter, for a step to the foot of the New Chair, in which the
Stone of Scotland was placed, near the altar, before the shrine
of St. Edward, in Westminster abbey, and to the carpenten
and painters painting the said step; and the gold and colours
to paint it with; and making a case to cover the said chair,
£1 Ills. Id.' [Remarks on the Wardrobe Account, p. xli.] W.il-
smgham t-ays, that the use Edward put it to, was to serve as a
chair for the celebrating priests at Westminster. In the treaty
of peace between Robert Bruce and Edward III, there is a
particular stipulation for the restoration of this Stone. The
Londoners, however, had taken a fancy to it, and excited a
commotion to prevent its removal ; and Robert had no difficulty
to persuade his people to waive the performance of the agree-
ment. Indeed, so deep-rooted has been the belief of the Scols
in the augury attached to it, that manv looked upon the acces-
sion of James to the British throne as 'the fulfilment of the pre-
diction. Even in the present day, when there is so much
anxiety evinced for the recovery of objects held in national
estimation, we do not hear of any application being made to
his majesty for the restoration of the Liu-faile. There is no
doubt but many of those who witnessed the original aggres-
sion, would console themselves with the reflection, that the
lang-shanked Southerone had caught a Tartar."— Cumek'i
Life 0/ H'ullace.