Carnasserie Castle
Only traces of outbuildings remain on the hillside, bits of stone under the blanket of green grass. From the top of the tower you can look out over the grounds and if the sun is right, you can pick out the shapes of things.
from the top of the tower, older foundations can be seen
Ownership
The lands here originally belonged to the Earl of Argyll, and were sold to John Carswell in 1559.
The owner of the first castle here was John Carswell -- publisher of the first Gaelic book in 1567 (when Gaelic was considered a coarse and barbaric tongue, not worth preserving). He was the first protestant Bishop of the Isles in 1566. The castle passed to the Campbells of Auchinbreck in 1643, and the Campbell family added the gateway (dated 1681).
The castle was attacked and burned by the Macleans and Maclachlans in 1685, and the ruins were not repaired.
The estate was sold to the Malcoms of Poltalloch in the 19th century and eventually turned over the to the state. It is managed by Historic Scotland.
The archstone in the walled courtyard
looking along the back wall of the courtyard