Campbells have ever been eminent. Though their origin is wrapped in
obscurity, there are few spots whose history may be more readily
followed within the limits of historic time. Leaving out of notice the
apocryphal tales which many of their bards relate, which would carry
back their origin to a period anterior to the Deluge, it may be found
that in the first half of the 12th century (November 1153), Somerled,
the Thane of Argyll, who is supposed to have been of Norwegian origin,
invaded Scotia in the reign of Malcolm IV., “the Maiden,” and made
his name terrible in the west of Scotland. By dint of energy and
fearless daring, he over-ran the whole tract of country, now known as
Argyllshire, and put to flight the savage aborigines. At length fate
overtook him at Renfrew in 1165, and as he died unmarried he was not
the direct progenitor of the Campbell Clan. He had been associated,
however, with his two nephews, David and John MacHeth, great grandsons
of Malcolm I. (died 1040), and they seem to have carried on the family.
Whether Somerled was really the direct ancestor of the Campbells of
Argyll is a dubious question, and one over which historians still
wrangle. For with that national pride for which the Highlanders are
proverbial, many disputants indignantly disclaim aught save a purely
native origin. And their tale is not an improbable one.
A certain western warrior, whose deeds live now only in his name of
Diarmid O’Duibhne, was in possession of the lands around Loch Awe early
in the 11th century. And from him in the female line, so far as can be
known, this ancient race has sprung--an idea somewhat corroborated by
the fact that the family is still denominated in song _Siol Diarmid_,
the race of Diarmid. The name Campbell was first introduced to the
Clan by the marriage of Eva, daughter of Paul O’Duibhne, surnamed
_Insporran_ because he bore the King’s bag, with Archibald Gillespie
Campbell, the descendant possibly (like the Lyons of Glamis) of some
Roman settler in Britain, whose proud title of Campo-Bello, though
suited for the yellow Tiber, suffered contraction when he came within
the sphere of the Clyde. The lands of Loch Awe were thus transferred to
him, and he became the direct founder of an unfailing race, great alike
in the Council and the Field. And even now Argyllshire is the spot:--
“Where Campbells, sprung of old O’Diubhne’s race,
Old as their hills, still rule their native place.
No ancient chief could like the O’Duibhne wield
The weighty war, or range the embattled field.
Unmoving bear the shock of charging foes,
Pierce throng’d battalions, or their ranks inclose.”
The shadowy shapes of these early characters fade into darkness before
the fame of Sir Colin Campbell of Loch Awe, who was knighted by
Alexander III. in 1280, one year before the King’s daughter, Margaret
of Norway, was married to King Eric of that country. This Sir Colin had
largely increased the possessions of his Clan in Loch Awe district,
as well as gaining a great reputation as a warrior, and so he came
to be distinguished as _Cailean Mor_, Colin the Great (not MacCallum
Mor, which means son of _Malcolm_ the Great, quite a different name).
From this great Chief the numerous Campbell descendants are styled
MacCailean Mor till this day. It was the fate of Colin the Great to be
slain in a conflict with his powerful neighbour MacDougall, Lord of
Lorn, which took place at the String of Cowal in Argyllshire. This Lord
of Lorn was descended from Somerled, Thane of Argyll, to whom reference
has been made as ancestor also of Campbell of Loch Awe (originally
spelled “Lochow ”), and thus a feud was begun between the two families
which lasted for many years.
Sir Niel Campbell, eldest son of Colin the Great, was knighted by
Alexander III. in 1286, and was afterwards concerned in the appointment
of a successor to the Scottish Throne, after the death of Margaret,
the Maid of Norway, in 1290, which left a vacancy. When Edward I. of
England came as Over-lord to Scotland in 1296, he persuaded Sir Niel
to swear fealty to him, and also induced Sir Niel’s three brothers,
Sir Dugald, Arthur and Duncan to join the English ruler. But these
four Campbells did not adhere to their oath to Edward I., for as
the star of Robert Bruce rose in the ascendant they all joined the
Scottish claimant, and remained his faithful supporters during all the
King’s varied career. So highly did King Robert appreciate Sir Niel
that he gave him his sister, Lady Mary Bruce, as his wife, who thus
became ancestress of the Argyll family connected with Royalty. The
King also bestowed upon him and his son, Sir John of Moulin, all the
lands which had been forfeited for treason by David de Strathbogie. As
Sir John fell at the Battle of Halidon Hill, without heirs, the title
and estates reverted back to the Crown. Sir Niel died in 1316 and was
succeeded by his eldest son, Colin.
Sir Colin Campbell of Lochow, received the Governorship of Dunoon
Castle as a reward for his prowess in aiding the Steward of Scotland
in regaining it from the English, and this post remained in the family
until the edifice had fallen into ruins. He died in 1340, and was
succeeded by his son Sir Archibald of Lochow, and afterwards by his
grandson, Sir Duncan of Lochow. The honour of having built the first
Inveraray Castle and completed it is shared by Sir Duncan and his son,
Sir Colin.
By the middle of the 15th century the Campbells had been noted as
munificent Castle-builders. The various heads of branches of the
families sprung from Lochow vied with each other in erecting each one
a more beautiful structure than his near relative. Thus Sir Colin
Campbell built Inveraray Castle about 1450, as well as his own Castle
of Kilchurn on Loch Awe, the Tower of Strathfillan, and the enclosing
walls of the Isle of Tay. The Chapel at Finlarig was also erected by
him, while Colin, the Laird of Balloch, built the Castle there which
was afterwards known as Taymouth Castle. Sir Duncan, known as “Black
Duncan,” erected the Castle of Finlarig and Lochdochart (now a ruin),
as well as the “great house of Barcaldine.” The Campbells by this
time had been making acquaintance with Continental civilization, and
cultivated Latin, French and Italian poetry and literature, as well
as painting and architecture. Meanwhile they had not neglected their
patriotic devotion to the land of their birth, but still remained true
and loyal Scotsmen.
When Prince James of Scotland was despatched by his alarmed father,
Robert III., to France for safety, after the murder of his elder
brother, the Duke of Rothesay, the emissaries of Henry IV. of England
captured him off Flamborough Head, and bore their prize joyfully to the
Court at London. Here he was detained for eighteen years-1406-1424--and
was only liberated on the bond of some of the leading nobles and gentry
of Scotland promising to pay the ransom of their King, which was set
down at forty thousand pounds.
Amongst the list of noblemen there appears the name of Sir Duncan
Campbell, under the title of Lord of Argyll; and as a proof of the
rapid advance of the Clan we may notice that the income at which he is
rated (1500 marks) was not excelled by any of the Scottish nobility,
and only equalled by the Lord of Dalkeith. This proves as conclusively
as possible that the heads of the Clan Campbell had not frittered away
their substance in futile and harmful war, but had devoted much of
their attention to the culture of their lands, since those wild hills,
once barren and unproductive, could at that time rival the fertile
fields of Lothian and Tweeddale.
Nor did the Prince, when he ascended the throne as James I. of
Scotland, forget the Highland Chief who had thus pledged himself to
procure the liberation of his native Prince. Sir Duncan was raised
by James II. to the dignity of a Lord of Parliament, and assumed the
title of Lord Campbell of Argyll. In the Privy Council he held a
prominent place, and was nominated Justiciar of the County in which
his possessions were situated. The connection with the Crown which
the Campbells enjoyed already was rendered still more intimate by his
espousal, first of Mariota Stewart, daughter of the Regent Albany,
and afterwards of Margaret Stewart, daughter of an illegitimate son
of Robert III. It will thus be seen that Lord Campbell was a man of
mark in his generation, and one well-fitted to hand down his name
to posterity. But perhaps the crowning effort of his life was the
transference of the seat of his Clan, which had been located at Loch
Awe for centuries, from their hereditary rendezvous to the shores of
Loch Fyne.
It is no easy task to persuade an ignorant and unreasoning race to
leave the homestead about which all their associations of memory
linger, to abandon the glories which cluster around the ancestral pile,
renowned alike in song and story, and to transfer their affections,
with their Lares and Penates, to new and unfamiliar scenes. But the
Lord of Argyll proved himself equal to the difficulty, and as the new
abode of the head of the Clan gradually rose in all its magnificence
before the astonished Campbells their regret for the past became hope
for the future. Of the mansion of Lochow there are no remains which
could afford data for a comparison, but it may be safely concluded that
it could not compare with the Castle of Inveraray, either in size,
position, or grandeur. And though the chances and changes of time have
laid the latter structure low, and supplied its place by a more modern
erection, the relics which even yet remain indicate somewhat of its
former greatness. An imaginative Scottish historian thus compares the
first and the present Castles of Inveraray:--
“If we may believe a curious old print, the present unsightly pile,
with its clumsy bulk and tawdry decorations, must have displaced a
predecessor which, in the beautiful variety of turrets and decorated
chimneys crowning the massive cluster of square and round towers built
into each other at different ages below, probably excelled Glamis, and
the finest specimens of this peculiar architecture in the north.”
The reasons which would influence Lord Campbell in deciding upon a
removal from Loch Awe to Loch Fyne may be readily understood. Situated
upon an inland Loch, and hemmed in by hills, whose towering peaks
defied the advance of an army, the ancient house of Loch Awe was
secure from attack. But a clan whose strength is ever increasing soon
finds that the bulwarks which were convenient for purposes of defence
become absolute barriers to their own progress. The inland loch is
soon explored, and its shores speedily subjugated; and the resistless
conquerors are athirst for new worlds to encounter. The politic leader
who can “discern the signs of the times,” will look around for an
outlet for the enthusiasm of his followers, lest it grow too much for
him to command. And as Lord Campbell seems to have been a shrewd
student of mankind, he judged wisely in carrying his clansmen to the
shores of an open firth which communicated directly with the Atlantic
Ocean, and thus laid a whole world under tribute to the daring and
adventurous soul who cared to try his fortunes on the great waters.
Nor would the picturesque situation of the new Castle be wholly
without its effect. The existing Castle, which is built but a short
distance from the site of the original structure, sufficiently shows
the prospect as it would appear to the denizens of the older edifice.
And the glorious scene that spreads itself before the view from
this standpoint is not seriously altered by the fact that you look
upon it now through the apertures of a pseudo-Gothic window-frame,
whose affected uncouthness may become a disturbing element to the
sensitive soul; whilst Lord Campbell viewed the same scene from his
Scottish-Baronial tower-light with greater joy than yours. For to him
the panorama thus disclosed must have seemed almost a discovery, a new
Eden brought within the reach of his kinsfolk.
Yonder before you lies Loch Fyne, which, by the peculiar bend it takes
might deceive you into the idea that it was a peaceful inland lake, but
that the rising and falling tides, with their loads of saline weeds,
sufficiently show that it is but a minute portion of the illimitable
ocean. The river Aray, which bestows its name upon the Castle and
township, flows down from the heights above Loch Awe close beside the
building, whilst the Shiray, taking its rise in the mountains farther
north, sweeps down more rapidly towards the Loch, thus forming a kind
of peninsula between the rivers. From the town of Inveraray the shore
circles inwards as a crescent-like bay, at the southern horn of which
stands the little county town, whose importance is more derived than
personal. The houses are few and not particularly elegant, and thus
they add to the imposing effect of the Castle, which is essentially
the point in the scene. The structure is of comparatively recent date,
having been erected during the latter half of the 18th century near the
spot whereon the original Castle stood.
The wooded hill of Duniquoich stands forth in solitary grandeur from
the lesser eminences around, and brings the Castle, which lies at its
base, into bold relief against the dark background thus provided. Had
the stone used been either the white granite of the North of Scotland,
or the marble of Italy, the effect would have been too dazzling by
contrast; but the dull colour of the greenish slate of which it is
built harmonizes exquisitely with the foliage that surrounds it.
The building is quadrangular, with massive towers rising from the
foundations at the corners, and a square pavilion with rectangular
flanking-towers over-topping the whole. Though somewhat pretensious in
its style, the desired effect is produced, for you cannot escape from
the Castle if your eyes once turn in its direction. The design has been
attributed to the famous William Adam, the father of the two famous
architects, Robert and John Adam, who enjoyed a European reputation.
The Castle of Inveraray was begun by the third Duke of Argyll (born
1682, died 1761) in 1744, and William Adam died in 1748, the work of
completing the design having been committed to Robert Morris, a famous
English architect, and finished about the time of the Duke’s death.
The feud which had existed between the Campbells of Loch Awe and the
Lords of Lorne since the time when the “Great Colin” was slain, was
finally tranquillized by the all-powerful influence of Love; and the
sovereignty of the Campbells over Lorne was obtained by the no less
potency of gold. Colin Campbell, grandson of Sir Duncan, first Lord
Campbell, had won the heart of the eldest daughter of John Stewart,
third Lord of Lorne and Innermeath, for the ancient possessors of
this district, the MacDougalls, had failed to provide male heirs to
inherit their dignities, and these had passed into the hands of the
Stewarts. In 1465, the marriage of Colin, Lord Campbell took place, and
the title of Lord Lorne was added to his other dignities, and Castle
Gloom--afterwards named Castle Campbell--near Dollar, became his by
right. He was created first Earl of Argyll in 1457, and filled many
important positions at the Court, as Ambassador frequently, and Lord
High Chancellor of Scotland in 1482. His death took place in 1493,
when he was succeeded by his eldest son, Archibald, the second Earl,
who fell in command of the vanguard at the Battle of Flodden.
This second Earl worked more faithfully for the advancement of his
family than for the welfare of the kingdom. He had taken part with
his father in the struggle betwixt James III. and Prince James
(afterwards James IV.) which ended in the violent death of the former
at Sauchieburn; and was duly rewarded by the new King. The Governorship
of the Castle of Tarbert, and command of the King’s lands in Knapdale
and Kintyre, gave him control of the Campbell lands in that district
of Ayrshire. As disputes had arisen as to the division of the spoil
among the conspirators who had fought for James IV., the Earl of Argyll
and the Earl of Lennox fell to quarrelling together. Ultimately this
dispute was settled by the marriage of Argyll to Elizabeth, daughter of
Lennox. It is possible that the very efforts of the parents to prevent
this union only served to intensify the passion of the enamoured pair,
for, as the old song says:--
“There is no striving
To cross his intent,
There is no contriving
His plots to prevent;
But if once the message greet him
That his true love doth stay,
If Death should come and greet him,
Love will find out the way.”
Their love was finally crowned with success, and the union of the two
powerful families of Argyll and Lennox, whose lands were contiguous,
placed the shores of the Clyde from Glasgow to the sea, and the
mountains, fields, and valleys of the Levenax and Loch Awe beneath the
rule of two competent and friendly leaders. The storm between Scotland
and England, which had been gathering for many years, at length burst
on the fatal field of Flodden, and brought woe and tribulation over the
whole land.
Few Scotsmen care to dwell even now on the story of Flodden, for it
requires all the lustre of Bannockburn to counterbalance its disgrace.
The absolute incompetence of the King for the post of leader, which
he would not resign, despite their entreaties, to more experienced
hands, brought about the climax of the disaster. It must have been
with feelings of amazement and dread that veteran warriors like Angus
and Huntly saw the troops of England dashing unopposed over the narrow
bridge at Twisel, and ranging themselves without hindrance immediately
opposite their own army on the field of Flodden. The obstinacy and
self-confidence of the Stewart race was again to bring calamity on the
Scottish nation.
The order of battle may be briefly explained. The troops on either
side were divided into four companies. Surrey opposed the King, and
was supported by Lord Thomas Howard and his brother, Sir Edmund, on
the right, and Lord Stanley on the left, while Lord Dacre commanded
a reserve of horse. The King had two companies on his left, led by
Crawford and Montrose, and Huntly and Home, whilst his right was
composed of the West Highlanders under Argyll and Lennox, and the
reserve was under the charge of Bothwell. The left wing under Huntly
and Home was the first to encounter the English troops, and their
victory was easy; but when the rude Highlanders under Argyll mingled
in the fray, their ignorance of civilized warfare proved their
ruin. Unused to depend upon aught save personal prowess, the bold
mountaineers rushed precipitately forward upon the steady and immovable
spearmen under Stanley. With unquenchable ardour the clansmen fought,
each man a hero; but their independent valour was misspent:--
“For on the left, unseen the while,
Stanley broke Lennox and Argyll;
Though there the western mountaineer,
Rushed with bare bosom on the spear,
And flung the feeble targe aside
And with both hands the broadsword plied,
’Twas vain.”
The prodigies of valour then performed shall never be adequately
recited. In such a case mere personal valour is often of no avail
against firm discipline and brute force. And this was the fortune of
the right wing at Flodden. As the smoke of the battle rolled away
from the field, and the English spearmen looked round for their foes,
behold! they were not:
“Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,
That host with its banners at sunset was seen;
Like the leaves of the forest when autumn has blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strewn.”
The brave leaders, fellow-champions and companions-in-arms, had not
spared themselves amid the general carnage, but the time was gone.
From that dread onslaught the Earls of Argyll and Lennox returned no
more, and such glory as gilds the soldier’s tomb is theirs by right of
conquest. The romantic mind cannot refrain from turning to that woeful
scene by the banks of the Till, when:--
“Mony were the mudie men
Lay gasping on the green;
And mony were the fair ladies
Lay lemanless at hame.”
The death of the Second Earl of Argyll at Flodden, however mournful as
an incident of war, had the happy effect of bringing the claims of the
family more prominently into notice. The Earl had a family of four sons
and seven daughters; and it was the lot of one of these sons to become
the ancestor of another line of Campbells now represented by the Earl
Cawdor. The story is a romantic one.
Sir John Campbell of Lorne, third son of the second Earl of Argyll,
whilst wandering with a band of his clansmen in the vicinity of
Cawdor Castle, Nairnshire, had the good fortune to encounter the
heiress of Sir John Calder, Thane of that Ilk, then a young girl,
with no protector near save her nurse. There was no feud betwixt the
Campbells and the Calders at this time, so it may be supposed that the
opportunity of “reiving” a wealthy heiress was too great a temptation
for Sir John Campbell to resist. The youthful Muriella was seized and
borne away with speed from her ancestral domain by one portion of the
band, whilst another party lingered behind to form a rearguard in case
of pursuit. By an inexcusable neglect they had overlooked the capture
of the nurse, and she managed to escape to Calder Castle and to raise
an alarm. Then there was hurry and turmoil over the loss of the young
maiden:--
“It’s fy gar ride, and fy gar rin,
And haste ye bring these traitors again,”
and soon a powerful party started in pursuit of the kidnappers who had
stolen away the Chieftain’s daughter.
[Illustration: INVERARAY CASTLE _Valentine & Sons, Ltd._]
Ere they had gone far they overtook the Campbells, and startled them
while halting around their camp-fire, flattering themselves upon the
ease with which they had gained their prize. The sudden descent of the
Calders at once put an end to their self-gratulation, and they found
it necessary to defend at once their captive and their lives. They had
determined in any case to secure the heiress of Calder (now spelled
“Cawdor”), and the ruse by which they accomplished this feat has
been seldom paralleled for bravery. Campbell of Lorne, mounted on his
steed, and bearing the young Muriella in his arms before him, retreated
rapidly, with a few chosen followers, on the road to Inveraray. His
uncle, Campbell of Inverliver, seeing the swift approach of the
Calders, ordered his seven sons to throw over a large camp-kettle which
had been in use, and to gather around it in battle-array so as to
deceive the Calders into the belief that their young lady-heiress was
beneath it. Impelled by their duty both to father and chief the brave
clansmen did as required, and the stratagem succeeded. Never doubting
for a moment that Muriella was below the utensil thus strangely
transformed into a citadel, the pursuers dismounted and attacked the
small body of Campbells on all sides. Undismayed by the onslaught, even
though hopeless of relief, the brave Campbell clansmen made a gallant
defence, and though they knew that certain death awaited them they
resolved to sell their lives dearly. Their opponents, however, were too
powerful for them, and one after the other fell, never to rise more.
With a shout of victory the Calders rushed forward to release their
imprisoned lady; but their exultation was changed into chagrin and
disappointment when they found that their wished-for prize was fled,
and saw that the strategy of the Campbells had duped them into a fatal
and irretrievable blunder. Now they discovered that whilst engaged in
this fierce struggle, and, as they thought, on the point of obtaining
a victory, their young heiress was being borne away swiftly in the arms
of her captors, through the wilds of Inverness-shire and Ross-shire,
and was speeding away in frantic haste to the distant Castle of
Inveraray. Pursuit was hopeless, and they were forced to leave her to
her fate.
And that fate was a peculiar one. Sir John Campbell, who had thus
taken her as a spoil in war, carefully tended her through girlhood
to budding prime, and at length married her, thus bringing the rich
heritage of Cawdor into the Campbell family. A curious story is told
regarding this Muriella, which exhibits some of the queer morality of
the time. When the nurse was set upon at Cawdor she well knew what
the result of the attack would be. To prevent the substitution of a
changeling for the true heiress, she determined to put an indelible
mark upon her. Seizing the child’s hand, she bit off one of the joints
of her little finger, thus brutally maiming for life her foster-child.
And though when Muriella became heiress there was no doubt of her
identity ever suggested, it may readily be supposed that had she died
in infancy the Campbells would have stretched their morality so as to
secure the inheritancy to which she was entitled. Nor was the nurse’s
work altogether a piece of wanton cruelty, for, to judge from their
own words, the Campbells would not have hesitated to serve a stranger
as heiress had aught befallen Muriella in her early years. The only
mark which Nature had bestowed upon her was her auburn hair; and when
some one suggested to Campbell of Auchinbreck that their toil would be
mis-spent should she die in infancy, his reply was:--
“She can never die so long as a red-haired lassie can be found on
either side of Loch Awe.”