William Daniell, R.A. 1769-1837

These magnificent paintings show the great castle of Armadale, built in 1815 for Alexander Macdonald, 2nd Lord Macdonald of Sleat, which is situated on the south of the Isle of Skye, overlooking the Sound of Sleat.  The Macdonalds had lived in Skye since the 15th century, and by 1650 there were two farm houses at Armadale.  Flora Macdonald was married there on 6th November 1750.  However, no house of substance was built there until the late 18th Century when the 1st Lord Macdonald built a modest two storey house.  This was later incorporated into a more substantial castellated mansion, designed by James Gillespie Graham.

The new castle was the inspiration of the 2nd Lord Macdonald, who was brought up in England where he served in the army, and who served as M.P. for Saltash between 1796 and 1802.  In 1802 he decided to quit Parliament to devote himself to his Highland Estates, and worked to improve the condition of the local inhabitants.  He exercised considerable power and influence on the island, and when John Spencer Stanhope visited him in 1806 he noted "the more than royal power exercised by one Highland chief", adding that "no King could command the homage, veneration and service which, wherever he trod was his undisputed right".

These paintings stem from Daniell's ambitious scheme, conceived early in 1813, to travel around the entire coastline of Britain, producing an illustrated work of the voyage.  This mammoth work, entitled The Voyage Round Great Britain, took him from 1813 until 1825.  He started with his friend Richard Ayton with whom he travelled in 1813 and 1814, reaching as far as Kirkcudbright.  In 1815 William Daniell continued the journey along from Wigtown, setting off in late May and surveying the entire coast of Scotland as far as Dundee which he reached in October.  Fortunately the weather was fine and he was able to cover an enormous area without difficulty.  He patently admired the Island of Skye and in concluding his series of thirteen plates showing views of the island he felt that he might be criticised for giving it undue attention.  As well as Armadale, he visited the Macdonald Castle of Duntula, the picturesque Dunvegan Castle on the north of the island and the atmospheric lochs of Scavig and Coruisk.  He then went on to visit the islands of Harris and Lewis before returning to the mainland.