Editing Inveraray (section)

=== The Old Town ===
The original town of Inveraray was situated on the estuary of the [[River Aray]], at the intersection of the trading route through Glen Aray and the estuary where ships were able to anchor. The town grew up in the shadow of the first [[Inveraray Castle]], home of the [[Earl of Argyll]] from the early 15<sup>th</sup> century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Fraser |first=Alexander |title=The Royal Burgh of Inveraray |date=1977 |publisher=The Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh |isbn=978-0715203545 |location=Edinburgh |language=English}}</ref>

To encourage trade there were various proposals for burgh status, with the 1<sup>st</sup> Earl of Argyll being successful in 1474 when [[James III of Scotland|King James III]] established it as a [[burgh of barony]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Inveraray, Old Village {{!}} Canmore |url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/23347/inveraray-old-village |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=canmore.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> This allowed a weekly market on Saturdays and two annual fairs: the feast of [[Brendan the Navigator|St Brandan]] on 16 May and the feast of [[Michael (archangel)|Michael the Archange]]<nowiki/>l on 29 September.

During the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], the [[James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose|Marquis of Montrose]], and his army of [[Royalist]] supporters advanced into Argyll. Montrose's army burned and sacked Inverarary and the surrounding territory between December 1644 and January 1645.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Historic Environment Scotland |title=Battle of Inverlochy II |url=https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,BTL24}}</ref> On 14 January 1645, Montrose left Inveraray and headed north where they would fight in the [[Battle of Inverlochy (1645)|Battle of Inverlochy]] on 2 February 1645.  

Inveraray became a [[Royal burgh|Royal Burgh]] on 28 January 1648 following incorporation by King Charles I.  Records from 1690 and 1706 recorded about fifty properties in the town.<ref name=":1" /> 

In 1746 a “summons of removal” was served on the people of the town, in order for the 3<sup>rd</sup> Duke of Argyll’s vision for a new town to be built, half a mile away from where his new castle was being built.  There were delays in work actually starting on the new town, with most of the houses in the old town not being demolished until 1771 to 1776, although some had been demolished in 1758 to allow for the construction of the military road.<ref name=":1" />