Joseph Mallord William Turner

At the foot of the page with the sketchbook inverted is a sketch of a ruin on a headland inscribed ‘Knock’. David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan made the connection with Knock Castle (also called Castle Camus) on Skye in an unpublished article,1 although the authors later doubted their identification, crossing it out on the manuscript. The confusion seems to have arisen owing to the mis-identification of other sketches of Finlaggan as Knock (e.g. folio 70a; D26575), but the present sketch is clearly the latter, as seen from the Broadford Road to the south. There is a similar sketch, also inscribed ‘Knock’ on folio 83 (D26599), and further sketches of the castle on folios 78, 92 verso, and probably 86 (D26590, D26618, D26605).

At the head of the page and continuing on folio 90 verso (D26614) is a sketch that may have been made at the same time as the Knock Castle sketch. It shows the view east from the same position looking towards Knock Bay (without the castle this time) and across the Sound of Sleat to the mountainous mainland.