The Ancient Castles of Clan MacAulay

Where did the original clan members live, and do any of the castles survive to this day? Let’s take a look at the castles of Clan MacAuley.

Ardencaple Castle, also known as Ardincaple Castle, was once the seat of Clan MacAulay. It’s roughly 1 mile from Helensburgh and although it was once a grand castle, all that remains today is one tower.

The first record of a castle on this site is recorded in a script of homage to King Edward 1 of England in 1296, which was signed by many scots including Maurice de Ardencaple. The castle remained as the seat of the MacAulays for several centuries until the 18th century.

It’s said that the 8th laird of Ardencaple, called Aulay, was a gambler - but he wasn’t a very successful one, and he amounted masses of debt. That resulted in the castle and surrounding lands being sold off piece by piece to pay off his debts.

The process of repaying debts began in around 1700, instigated by Archibald MacAulay, the 9th laird, and the sales continued after he died in 1752. The 12th laird died in around 1767, and by this time, the roof had fallen in on the castle. It was in such a state of disrepair that he had been forced to stop living there and relocated to nearby Laggarie.

In 1787, the castle was purchased by John Campbell, the 4th Duke of Argyll, and it was owned by the Campbells until the late 19th century. Under the Campbells, changes were made to the castle, with extensive development plans drawn up by Scotland’s leading contemporary architect, Robert Adam. He planned to add a western wing to the castle, facing Gare Loch, but his drawings were altered slightly during the renovation works.

In 1852, the castle was sold by the Duchess Dowager of Argyll to the Colquhouns of Luss, and it was sold on again in 1923 to Mrs Henrietta MacAulay-Stromberg, an American who hoped to once again make it a centre for the MacAulay clan. She restored the castle and lived there until she died in 1931. Unfortunately after her death, the castle fell away from the MacAulay clan once again, being passed to Adelaide Parker Voorheis whose possession it was in until 1935, before being passed to developers in 1935.

These developers constructed a housing estate on what was once the Tower Lawn, and at the outbreak of World War II, the castle was requisitioned by the Royal Navy. The navy demolished the castle in 1957 in order to create housing for those stationed at the nearby Faslane Naval Base.

Only one tower of the castle was left, which became a lighthouse, used for ships on the Clyde as well as submarines returning to Faslane. The tower has become known as Ardencaple Castle Light, and has been a Category B listed building since 1971. There’s a plaque on the tower commemorating it as the home of the Ardincaple MacAulays.

Rhu Parish Kirk

Although it’s not a castle and was never a clan seat, the parish church in the village of Rhu is still a significant place for Clan MacAulay, as it was founded in 1649 by Aulay MacAulay. The village was then known as Row, and MacAulay wished for a separate parish to Rosneath on the other side of Gare Loch. He oversaw the construction of the first kirk in the village and provided the land for the church, the minister’s manse, and the garden.