Dunsinane Hill
Encyclopedia
Dunsinane Hill is near the village of Collace in Perthshire
, Scotland
. It is mentioned in Shakespeare's play Macbeth
.
It has the remains of two early forts. This is believed to be the site of a battle where Malcolm Canmore
defeated Macbeth
in 1054. In reality this was only a limited defeat for Macbeth
, who was not fully defeated and killed by Malcolm Canmore
until 1057, at Lumphannan near Aberdeen
.
The pronunciation called for in Shakespeare's play has the accent on the first or third syllable, with a long 'a'. However the correct pronunciation has the accent on the second syllable, with a short 'a'. The correct spelling of the name is Dunsinnan, Gaelic
dùn, 'fort, hill-fort', + 'Sinnan', perhaps a personal name
The best access to Dunsinane Hill is from the rear of the Perthshire
village of Collace on the Northern side of Dunsinane Hill, between the village and the quarry. There is a small parking area there suitable for 4 or 5 cars from which a clearly defined path leads directly to the summit.
The impressive ramparts are still very obvious, though the interior was much disturbed in the 19th century by antiquarians attracted to the site by its Shakespearean connection. Unfortunately, little of value was learned about the history of the monument from these unscientific excavations.
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is mentioned in Shakespeare's play Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
.
It has the remains of two early forts. This is believed to be the site of a battle where Malcolm Canmore
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
defeated Macbeth
Macbeth of Scotland
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
in 1054. In reality this was only a limited defeat for Macbeth
Macbeth of Scotland
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
, who was not fully defeated and killed by Malcolm Canmore
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
until 1057, at Lumphannan near Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
.
The pronunciation called for in Shakespeare's play has the accent on the first or third syllable, with a long 'a'. However the correct pronunciation has the accent on the second syllable, with a short 'a'. The correct spelling of the name is Dunsinnan, Gaelic
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels", including language and culture. As a noun, it may refer to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually.-Gaelic languages:...
dùn, 'fort, hill-fort', + 'Sinnan', perhaps a personal name
The best access to Dunsinane Hill is from the rear of the Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
village of Collace on the Northern side of Dunsinane Hill, between the village and the quarry. There is a small parking area there suitable for 4 or 5 cars from which a clearly defined path leads directly to the summit.
The impressive ramparts are still very obvious, though the interior was much disturbed in the 19th century by antiquarians attracted to the site by its Shakespearean connection. Unfortunately, little of value was learned about the history of the monument from these unscientific excavations.