Castle Stalker served as Castle Aaarrgghh in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Until the Campbell family erected a new home on the mainland in 1800, Castle Stalker was still being used as a habitation.
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One sees a majestic but modest castle out on a lake at the conclusion of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail film. in a tidal islet in Scotland’s Loch Laich, there is a privately owned castle called Castle Stalker. James IV of Scotland is said to have stayed at the castle during his numerous hunting or stalking excursions in the fourteenth century, which is why it was given the name “Stalker.” For all these years, the moniker “Stalker” just seems to have stayed.
When the MacDougall family were the lords of Lorn, it is thought that a fortalice (a small fortified fortification) erected around 1320 stood where Castle Stalker now stands. Following King Bruce’s victory at Brander Pass in 1308, the MacDougalls were stripped of their throne, although they eventually reclaimed it again in 1328. The Stewart family received the Lordship of Lorn, which included Castle Stalker, about 1388.
It was a three story, rectangular tower house that served as the castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Two cellars and a pit jail made up the ground level; they were all barrel vaulted. The upper two levels were made up of two enormous halls, the lower one of which most likely served as a Great Hall and the higher level of which was most likely split into compartments by wooden dividers. On the first floor, into the hall, was the primary entrance to the castle.
An associate of the MacDougalls named Alan MacCoul killed Sir John Stewart in 1463. After him came his son Dugald, who won the Battle of Stalc (1468) on the sands next to Castle Stalker, killing Alan and defeating the MacDougalls. Castle Stalker was given to his son, Duncan, when Dugald was murdered in a battle with the MacDonalds of Keppoch in 1497. He had a close bond with King James IV throughout his reign, who frequently visited the castle to take advantage of the top-notch hunting opportunities nearby. In 1512, Duncan and his younger brother Alan were both killed. He was there when an English force led by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, defeated James IV and other Scottish magnates in the Battle of Flodden (1513). Alan Stewart unexpectedly made it through the confrontation.
Castle Stalker was acquired by the Campbells of Airds in 1620 when Duncan Stewart lost it in a bet. The Stewarts of Appin briefly reclaimed it in 1689 when they backed the first Jacobite uprising in favour of the deposed James VII (II) of England. The Campbells made an effort to seize possession of Castle Stalker after the revolt was put down at the Battle of Killiecrankie (1689). The Campbells ultimately took control of the fortress after a two-month siege.
The Campbell family occupied Castle Stalker with a 59-man army during the Jacobite uprising in 1745–1746. The Stewarts of Appin, who once more backed the Jacobite cause, attempted to take advantage of the rebellion to retake the fortress. They sent 300 warriors to attack Castle Stalker, but they were unsuccessful. The Royal Navy maintained the castle’s garrison while ships cruised between the Campbells’ stronghold at Inverary and Fort William in the north, despite the fact that the rebels controlled most of the region. After the Battle of Culloden (1746) saw the end of the rebellion, Castle Stalker served as one of many regional locations where weapons could be turned up to government forces.
Until the Campbell family erected a new home on the mainland in 1800, Castle Stalker was still being used as a habitation. The castle had lost its roof by 1831 and was falling apart. When Charles Stewart of Achara bought it in 1908, the Stewart family was able to finally reclaim their property. He did not do anything to the building, and neither did his successor, Duncan Stewart. In 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Allward bought the building and started a ten-year restoration effort.
Castle Stalker serves as the model for “Castle Keep” in Susan Cook’s children’s book, The Boggart, and appears as Castle Aaarrgghh in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It also makes a brief appearance in Highlander: End Game. Only a tiny boat leaving from the east can get you to the castle shown in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
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