Early history The Isle of Mull has probably been inhabited since shortly after the end of the
last Ice Age, around 11,000 years ago. This is evidenced by radiocarbon dating done in a
Mesolithic hut at Crieth Dubh on the northwest coast of the island. Later,
Bronze Age and
Iron Age inhabitants built
brochs at Dun Nan Gall and An Sean Chaisteal, and a
stone circle at Lochbuie along with numerous burial cairns. Two
crannogs there have been dated to the Iron Age. In the 6th century AD, Irish migrants invaded Mull and the surrounding coast and established the
Gaelic kingdom of
Dál Riata. The kingdom was divided into a number of regions, each controlled by a different kinship group. One of these, the
Cenél Loairn, controlled Mull and the adjacent mainland to the east. Dál Riata was a springboard for the Christianisation of the mainland; the pivotal point was in AD 563, when
Columba, an Irish missionary, arrived on the island of
Iona – just off the southwest point of Mull – and founded a monastery there from which to start evangelising the local population.
Norse period In the 9th century, Viking invasions led to the destruction of Dál Riata and its replacement by the
Norse Kingdom of the Isles, which became
part of the kingdom of Norway following Norwegian unification around 872. The Kingdom of the Isles was much more extensive than Dál Riata, encompassing also the
Outer Hebrides and
Skye. The island kingdom became known as the
Suðreyjar, meaning
southern isles in Old Norse. The former lands of Dál Riata acquired the geographic description "Argyle" (now "Argyll"): the
Gaelic coast. In the late 11th century,
Magnus Barefoot, the Norwegian king, launched a military campaign which in 1098 led
the king of Scotland to
quitclaim to Magnus all claim of sovereign authority over the territory of the Kingdom of the Isles. However, a coup some 60 years later, led by a
Norse-Gael named
Somerled, detached the whole of the Suðreyjar from Norway and transformed it into an independent kingdom. After Somerled's death in 1164, nominal Norwegian authority was established, but practical control of the realm was divided between Somerled's sons and the heirs of Somerled's brother-in-law, the
Crovan dynasty. His son
Dougall received the former territory of the Cenél Loairn, now known as
Lorn, of which Mull formed part. Meanwhile, the Crovan dynasty had retained the title "king of the Isles" and control of
Lewis,
Harris, and the
Isle of Man. After a few decades, they acknowledged the English kings as their overlords, so Dougall's heirs (the
MacDougalls) complained to
Haakon, the Norwegian king, and in 1237 were rewarded by the kingship being split; rule of the Hebrides was transferred to the MacDougall line, and they were made the "kings of the Hebrides". They established the twin castles of
Aros (in Mull) and
Ardtornish (on the mainland, opposite), which together controlled the
Sound of Mull. Throughout the early 13th century, the king of Scots,
Alexander II, had aggressively tried to expand his realm into the Suðreyjar, despite Edgar's earlier quitclaim. This led to hostility between Norway and Scotland, which continued under
Alexander III. King
Haakon IV of Norway died shortly after the indecisive
Battle of Largs. In 1266, his more peaceable successor ceded his nominal authority over the Suðreyjar to Alexander III by the
Treaty of Perth in return for a very large sum of money. Alexander generally acknowledged the semi-independent authority of Somerled's heirs; the former Suðreyjar had become Scottish crown dependencies rather than parts of Scotland.
Lords of the Isles At the end of the 13th century, a violent dispute arose over the Scottish kingship between King
John Balliol and
Robert de Bruys. By then, Somerled's descendants had formed into three families: as well as Dougall's heirs (the MacDougalls), there were also the heirs of his nephew
Donald (the
MacDonalds) and those of
Donald's brother (the
MacRory or MacRuairi); the MacDougalls backed Balliol, while the MacDonalds and MacRory backed de Bruys. When Robert I defeated his Scots enemies, including the Comyns and MacDougalls, he declared their lands forfeit, dividing them between his friend, Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, and Christina MacRory, King Robert's kinswoman. The latter acquired Lorn and some of the smaller Isles, but Angus Og, who fought beside King Robert at Bannockburn, was given the lion's share: The Isles of Islay, Jura, Gigha, Colonsay and Mull, and the mainland territories of Duror, Glencoe, Ardnamurchan, Lochaber, Morvern and Kintyre. After Bannockburn, Alexander Macdonald, Angus Og's eldest son, then still alive, was granted Mull and Tiree. Angus Og's younger son
John of Islay, became Lord of the Isles after his father's and his elder brother's deaths. He first married
Amy MacRuairi of Garmoran, the heiress of the MacRory family, thereby consolidating the remains of Somerled's realm. In 1354, though in exile and without control of his ancestral lands,
John, the MacDougall heir, quitclaimed any rights he had over Mull to the Lord of the Isles. When Robert's son
David II became king, he spent some time in English captivity; after his release, in 1357, he restored MacDougall authority over Lorn, effectively cancelling Robert's grant to the MacRory. The 1354 quitclaim, which seems to have been an attempt to ensure peace in just such an eventuality, took automatic effect, splitting Mull from Lorn and making it subject to the Lordship of the Isles. In 1437, the Lordship was substantially expanded when
Alexander, the Lord of the Isles, inherited the rule of
Ross maternally. The expansion led the MacDonalds to move their centre of power from
Islay to the twin castles of Aros and Ardtornish. In 1462, the most ambitious of the Lords of the Isles,
John MacDonald,
struck an alliance with
Edward IV of England to conquer Scotland.
Civil war in England prevented this from taking effect and from being discovered until 1475, when the English court voluntarily revealed its existence. Calls for forfeiture of the Lordship naturally followed, but they were calmed when John quitclaimed most of his mainland territories. However, John's nephew launched a severe
raid on Ross, but it ultimately failed. Within two years of the raid, in 1493,
James IV of Scotland declared the Lordship of the Isles forfeit, transforming the realm into an intrinsic part of Scotland rather than a dependency.
MacLeans on the Isle of Mull probably dates back to the 13th century. It has been used in various movies/television productions, including the movie
Entrapment starring
Sean Connery, who is a member of
Clan Maclean. Throughout this time, the descendants of the Cenél Loairn retained their identity; they were now the
MacLeans. Now that John MacDonald was exiled, James IV restored the authority of the MacLeans over Mull. An earlier chief of the MacLeans had married the daughter of the first Lord of the Isles and received
Duart Castle as the dowry; this now became the stronghold of MacLean control of Mull. The cadet branch of the family constructed
a tower house at Moy on the southern side of Mull, while the senior branch retained Duart Castle. Legend has it that the wreck of a Spanish galleon, laden with gold, lies somewhere in the mud at the bottom of Tobermory Bay. By some accounts, the
Florencia (or
Florida or
San Francisco), a ship of the defeated
Spanish Armada fleeing the English fleet in 1588, anchored in Tobermory to take on provisions. After a dispute over payment, the ship caught fire and the gunpowder magazine exploded, sinking the vessel. In her hold, reputedly, was £300,000 in
gold bullion. Other sources claim the vessel was the
San Juan de Sicilia (or
San Juan de Baptista), which carried troops, not treasure. According to that account, the island's chief,
Lachlan Mor Maclean, struck a deal with the Spanish commander to re-provision and refit the ship in return for military intervention on the side of the MacLeans in their feud with enemies on nearby islands. There have been numerous searches for the wreck and its rumoured treasure from the mid-17th century to the end of the 20th century. No significant treasure has been recovered in Tobermory Bay. Following the
Scottish Reformation, the MacLeans became supporters of Protestantism. By the mid-17th century, they had become promoters of
conventicles, opposed to king
Charles II's
repudiation of the
Solemn League and Covenant and supporting acts of
civil disobedience. Though personally opposed to persecution of such people,
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, was specifically ordered by the Scottish
privy council to suppress conventicles within his lands, which included Lorn. The atmosphere of hostility soon spread to Mull, where opponents of the conventicles felt emboldened, leading to outbreaks of violence between the two religious factions. In 1678, Campbell was specifically instructed to seize Mull and suppress both the violence and conventicles. It took Clan Campbell until 1681 to gain possession of the whole island. Campbell took charge of Duart Castle and ejected the MacLean leadership from Mull; they moved to
Cairnburgh Castle in the Treshnish Islands off the north-west of Mull. Campbell's own position was somewhat undermined when he instigated
Argyll's Rising against the reign of
James VII. The loyalty of subsequent Campbell leaders ensured the Campbells retained possession of Duart (it was only after the Campbells sold it, and it had spent a century under other owners, that the MacLeans were able to recover it by purchase). Under Campbell pressure,
shrieval authority was established under the
sheriff of Argyll, which they controlled.
Later history Following
Jacobite insurrections, the
Heritable Jurisdictions Act abolished
comital authority in Mull and Campbell control of the Argyll sheriffdom; the Campbells could now only assert influence as landlords. Many castles that had been in the hands of the MacLeans (such as Moy) had been
slighted by the Campbells or fallen into disrepair, but more comfortable homes were built nearby. During the 18th century, the island was home to a Gaelic
Bard, whom Father Charles MacDonald describes only as "The Mull Satirist." The Satirist is said to have been a vocal enemy of the Jacobite Bard
Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair and to have attacked the latter in many poems that have survived. When the Jacobite poet converted from the
Calvinist Church of Scotland to the
Roman Catholic Church, the Mull Satirist accused him of doing so, not out of serious conviction, but to curry favour with the exiled
House of Stuart. In 1773 the island was visited by
Samuel Johnson and
James Boswell during their tour of the Western Islands. Farming, fishing, and burning seaweed for
kelp ash (used in the manufacture of soap and glass) were the main economic activities on the island until the 19th century.
Tobermory was built by the
British Fisheries Society in 1788 as a planned settlement to support the fishing industry. The
Highland Clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries resulted in people being evicted to make space for sheep; and the
Highland Potato Famine (1846–1847) encouraged mass emigration. These factors caused the population to decline from 10,000 to less than 4,000 and then to 3,000 by the 20th century; this had a serious impact on the economy. Despite this, several grand houses were built on Mull in the period, including
Torosay Castle. In 1889, counties were formally created in Scotland on shrieval boundaries by
a dedicated Local Government Act; Mull became part of the newly created
County of Argyll. The whole island became a Restricted Area during
World War II. The bay at Tobermory became a naval base commanded from
HMS Western Isles. The base and the Restricted Area were under Commodore (later Vice Admiral)
Sir Gilbert Stephenson, whose strict discipline and ferocious temper earned him the nickname "The Terror of Tobermory". The base was used to train
Escort Groups in anti-submarine warfare. 911 ships passed through the base between 1940 and 1945. Following late 20th century reforms, Mull is now part of the wider area of
Argyll and Bute. According to a July 2020 article in
Country Life, "The Benmore Estate occupies 32,000 acres of the Isle of Mull" and includes Knock House, a Victorian hunting lodge where tourists can stay. Guests can book rides on the estate boat, the Benmore Lady. Much of the lodge was built by the ninth Duke of Argyll for his wife, one of the daughters of
Queen Victoria; they married in 1871. Reports indicate that the Queen stayed there, as did others including Wordsworth, Keats, JM Barrie and Sir Walter Scott. == Demographics ==