Caisteal Grugaig

Caisteal Grugaig -(Dun Totaig)  the witch of the north

NG86692508 
Factual details below -- for details of our visit on 27/6/17 skip to visit

Park at Letterfearn - opposite post box or drive further on twards Totaig where there are a few places to park.  The broch is a short walk, along good paths,  from Totaig House at the end of the road.

This is third of the duns/brochs we have visited bearing the same name; Dun Grugaig Skye (witch of the west) and Dun Grugaig Glenelg (witch of the east) 

Caisteal Grugaig, sometimes referred to as Dun Totaig, stands on the hill Faire an Duine, which is Gaelic for watch place of the man.(1)  The hill has excellent views over Loch Alsh, Loch Duich and Loch Long.

Grugaig  means a wretched, gloomy or sullen woman or sometimes a witch.  Please note that the references to witch of the north, west or east are purely my own invention.  

The broch is said to have been the residence of Grugaig the witch, mother of two giants Telve and Todder after whom the Glenelg brochs Telve and Trodden are named.(2)   Another story says Caisteal Grugaig was named after an old woman who could raise storms to wreck ships and cast spells on milk. (3)  On the other hand perhaps it was the same woman!

From AOC report

A description of the "clearing out" of the broch in the 19th century can be found at
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_031//31_086_089.pdf

This is a fascinating document as it also makes reference to a vitrified wall at Eilean Donan, cup marked stones, and road markers for General Wade's roads (together with costing for these roads which indicate  that between £5 and £10,000 per yer was spent on building these roads --sadly the equivalent amount of money is not spent these days!!)

In 2010, AOC archaeology did a laser scan of the broch and the results are available in video format here:  This video is far more informative than any description I could write.

Caisteal Grugaig broch: laser scan survey from AOC Archaeology on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/17634384



There is some evidence of other iron age settlement nearby:  At Òb na Leòbaig,small bay of the flounder (1)  there is a wheelhouse (NG 870 254). A dun is marked on the map south of Letterfearn.  Eilean Donan castle, across the loch,was originally built in 13th century - could it have been built on the site of an earlier structure?


References:

1) translation courtesy of Jake King of Ainman-Àite na h'Alba.
2) http://www.lochalsh.co.uk/caisteal_grugaig.shtml
3) http://www.skye.co.uk/images/resources/lochalsh-leaflet.pdf
http://her.highland.gov.uk/hbsmrgatewayhighland/DataFiles/LibraryLinkFiles/193545.pdf 

Dun Ard an t'sabhail

Dun Ard an t’sabhail

NG318333

Visited 9/5/17

Directions:

We parked beside the road near the large barn at the hairpin bend.  Room for a couple of cars well tucked in, while still allowing for passing traffic.

Our visit was during an unusually long, dry spell – could be quite a boggy trek normally.  To avoid detours and climbing fences (never a good idea – a) there is usually barbed wire in top and b) fencing is very expensive and the more people climb it the more it gets damaged) – take the gate in front and to the right of the large barn and follow the fence line up, through a second gate.  Please ensure gates are closed behind you.  The broch is situated on a high rocky crag best approached from the left.  Follow a break in the cliffs and clamber up the steep grassy slope to the summit.

The broch:

Although the broch is in quite a ruinous state, it still retains sufficient of its structure to merit a visit.  The broch is situated in an easily defended spot on top of a rocky knoll with extensive and beautiful views all around.

First view

Amazing views

David admiring the views

       

   A pile of tumbled stones in the northern sector is said to be the remains of a cairn.

https://canmore.org.uk/site/11076/skye-dun-ard-an-t-sabhail

Guard Cell

 The entrance and one “guard cell” to the left of the entrance are easily identified and traces of a second cell are indicated by a hollow within the walls on the other side of the entrance.





Canmore mentions a scarcement, noted in 1921 but we were unable to find any evidence of this.
 

Meaning of Ard an t'sabhail:

Most Duns or brochs are simply named after the nearest settlement.  Some of today’s names are derived from Gaelic while others are derived from Norse – both languages being rather later than the dates when the duns were constructed. We have no way of knowing what their original names were or if any of the modern names bear any resemblance to the original names.

Forbes suggests Ard an t’sabhail means the height or promontory of the barn. 
He also comments that the name could be derived from Há-fjall – high fell in Norse.  Local Gaelic speakers have informed me that the word Sàbhail can mean salvation or protection

All interesting ideas – Several people have proposed the idea that brochs were used for storing grain (eg.Harrison and Maher) which fits in nicely with the concept of Sabhail being  from Sabhal = barn but the concept of a place of safety or protection (Sàbhail = to save) is fits in with the idea of the broch being a defensive structure and place of refuge.


References

Canmore: https://canmore.org.uk/site/11076/skye-dun-ard-an-t-sabhail

Forbes, Alexander Robert, (1923)  Place names of Skye and Adjacent Islands (digitsed by SMO http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/files/PDFs/00915325_Place_Names_of_Skye.pdf

Harrison, Ramona and Maher, Ruth A. (2014) Human Ecodynamics in the North Atlantic: A Collaborative Model of Humans and Nature through Space and Time,
Lexington Books

The meaning of Broch/Dun names

Most Duns or brochs are simply named after the nearest settlement.  Some of today’s names are derived from Gaelic while others are derived from Norse – both languages being rather later than the dates when the duns were constructed. The Gaelic names could be more recent but they could be older and derived from Brythonic forms of Gaelic. We have no way of knowing what the original names were or if any of the modern names bear any resemblance to the original names.

 Much of the information below comes from 
1) "Place names of Skye and Adjacent Islands " by Alexander Robert Forbes (1923) .  The book is now out of print but has been digitised by SMO.
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/files/PDFs/00915325_Place_Names_of_Skye.pdf.  Also see
See also:
2) W. F. H. Nicolaisen (1969) Norse Settlement in the Northern and Western Isles: Some Place-Name Evidence in ‘The Scottish Historical Review’  Vol. 48

3) http://www.gaelicplacenames.org/index.php

Annait – name always applied to places where monks lived but usually believed to have been earlier pagan holy sites – usually associated with water

Caisteal Grugaig castle of the wretched or sullen woman (see Dun Grugaig).  Interstingly this broch is also called Dun Totaig and is situated on a hill named Faire an Duine

Dun Ard an t'sabhail the height or promontory of the barn. The name could also be derived from Há-fjall – high fell in Norse. Local Gaelic speakers have informed me that the word Sàbhail can mean salvation or protection

Dun Boreraig – Norse – castle bay

Dun Borrafiach The dun of the raven’s borg or burgh or haunt.

Dun Colbost  Norse – cold place/steading
 Dun Fiadhairt – deer enclosure or forest, “ deer ”, or should it be Dun Iadhaird – meaning uncultivated ground, wild field?
Dun Gearymore – Gearradh Mor – big garden or great enclosure
Dun Gerashader Dun Ghearra-Sheader The fort of the little dwelling, or the short mountain-pasture, gearr, short, little, etc., and setr (Norse), out-pasture or dwelling or Sheiling, etc. 
Dun Grugaig .. The wretched woman’s fort or hillock,, extended to mean the dun itself (inhospitable?); see also Caisteal Grugaig
Dun Hallin  The fort of the hall. or Chailin, the girl, the maiden’s fort;
Dun Ringill – no meanings found but ghyll /gill Old Norse for ravine or stream

Dun Sleadale  no explanation found

Dun Suladale (Suledale)  Forbes – fort of the solan goose dale. Solan goose is a northern gannet.  Gannets usually stay pretty close to the coast so I struggle to find a reason to call this broch “fort of the solan goose”, unless the name was a “tribal name”.  It does seem that many ancient tribes  had a animal type name as a “totem”

Dun Totaig  - Dun of the ruin on the bay - Norse origin perhaps  implying the Vikings were aware of the already ruined broch.

Dun Torvaig The fort of the hill of the bay. However, there are hills nearer to the bay!

Dun Feorlig   Norse origin meaning farthing land.

Duns Telve, Troddan (Glenelg) – No meanings found but there are stories about a witch named Grugaig who had two sons, who were giants: Telve and Todder. Hence in Glenelg area there are 3 duns Grugaig, Telve and Troddan

Faire an Duine: (hill on which Casiteal Grugaig stands) watch place of the man

Rubha an Dunain – Headland of the fort or Dùnain may mean either "bird's hill" (Dùn Eòin) or "John's fort" (Dùn Eòin/Dùn Iain).