Before Scotland was taken over by Great Britain in 1707 it was based on a patriarchal form of government where the people were split into clans based on each particular extended family, and one was the chief of the patriarchal clan. As the chieftain was the head, he was expected to have a larger type of house. Not for the sake of showing of wealth, but for the sake of being able to entertain everyone from the clan. In that way, his house, or castle did not belong to him, but to the entire clan.
Eventually the chief did own all of the land that the entire clan lived on as the Scottish Privy Council recognized a need for co-operation between clans. The Chief was also looked to as the head, and protector. All chieftains and their clans were under the high reining king of the time. However, whatever the chief decided was the final word for the clan, thus there were many ongoing disagreements between the clans and the high king.
The castles were built for protection for the clans, as there were many wars over the years. The chief was expected to protect his clan, and therefore had to build a structure that not only would house his family, and be able to hold the clan in festive events, but would also be able to protect, house, and feed them during an attack.
In 1746 the Act of Proscription was passed, which disallowed the clans’ ability to carry arms, wear traditional dress, and it even restricted music. The final straw was the Heritable Jurisdictions Act which removed the feudal authority that the chiefs had previously held. With this collapse in addition to the financial difficulties in the country at the time, the chiefs slowly had to sell of their lands to provide for the clan. Eventually it became clear that the new British landlords were not as forgiving, and loving to their tenants as the chief had been, and as a result the chiefs sold off their final lands, including the castles to try to repair the damage that had been done, and enable a mass migration to America.
The castles that are left are the standing remains of the patriarchal clans, and a reminder of a unusual, but very dear form of government. They are a reminder of the kind and loving chiefs, who were willing to do anything to protect and care for their family, no matter how lowly any of them were.
