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Clan Campbell of Breadalbane (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Campbell of Breadlebane

Gaelic Name: Caimbeul

Clan Crest: A boar’s head erased, Proper

Clan Motto: Follow Me

Origin of Name: Gaelic Caimbeul, from cam (wry) and beul (mouth)

Clan Badge: Wild myrtle, Fir club moss

Lands: Breadalbane

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Campbell of Breadalbane History

Following the House of Argyll, the Campbells of Breadalbane are the most powerful family.

R.R. McIan's 19th-century depiction of a Campbell of Breadalbane clansman

Sir Duncan Campbell, Knight of Lochow, 1st Lord Campbell, and Lady Marjory Stewart had a son Colin, known as "Black Colin of Glenorchy." Sir Duncan gave Glenorchy to his son after throwing the MacGregors off it. Sir Colin married one of Lord Lorn's daughters.

This marriage netted him a third of the Lorn estate. He was made a Knight of Rhodes for his bravery during a Crusade to Palestine. In 1440, he constructed Kilchurn Castle as the family seat.

The following family was exceptional in their acquisition of land and property, expanding into Finlarig, Glenlyon, and areas of Argyll and Perthshire.

Sir Colin of Glenorchy used foul play and aristocratic influence to have the MacGregor family expelled from Glenstrae in front of Kilchurn in 1603.

'Black Duncan,' 7th of Glenorchy, was made a baronet in 1625, and Sir John, 11th of Glenorchy, who was described as "cunning as a fox, wise as a serpent, and slippery as an eel," was made the 1st Earl of Breadalbane in 1681.

When William of Orange arrived in London as Sovereign in 1688, a Scottish delegation approached him and offered him the throne of Scotland. William swore, with Argyll administering the oath, 'to root out all heretics and enemies to the true worship of God that shall be convicted by the true Kirk of God of the aforesaid crimes, out of the lands and empire of Scotland.'

The Campbells had already planned to slaughter their next-door neighbors, the Catholic MacDonalds of Glencoe. The order was signed by King William after Dalrymple of Stair persuaded him to sign it, and the 1st Earl of Breadalbane was given a purse of public money to buy off the other Highland chiefs, though some coercion was also required. The Earl skillfully concealed his role in the slaughter from the courts, but the Breadalbane line has had bad luck since.

The original family seat is now a ruin, and Taymouth Castle, which was built later, was sold.

Clan Campbell of Breadalbane Places & People

Clan Campbell Individuals

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836-1908)

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 was born in Glasgow to a future Lord Provost. He hyphenated his father's Campbell with his mother's Bannerman to inherit the fortune of a deceased uncle.

He attended Glasgow and Cambridge universities before serving as the liberal MP for Stirling for the rest of his life. Throughout his career, he held a variety of ministerial positions and was knighted in 1895. He was described as a tenacious fighter and supporter of the suffragette movement and Boer self-government.

His cabinet included Winston Churchill, Lloyd George, and Henry Herbert Asquith while he was Prime Minister, but due to deteriorating health, he had to resign from politics and died within a fortnight.

Lord Clyde, Sir Colin Campbell (1792-1863)

According to legend, Colin MacIver adopted his mother's maiden name after the Duke of York advised him that Campbell was a good name for a soldier. Colin Campbell, the son of a Glasgow carpenter, rose through the ranks of the British Army to become Field Marshall in 1862.

He distinguished himself in China and the West Indies, India and the Crimea, where he led the Highland Brigade to victory in the Battle of Alma, and later with 'the Thin Red Line' at Balaclava, opposing the Russian Cavalry. His body is buried in Westminster Abbey, and he is remembered as a military titan of the British Empire in the mid-nineteenth century.

Sir Malcolm Brown Campbell (1848-1935)

The famous Malcolm Campbell grocery chain's founder has a rags to riches story. From his birth in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, to running errands for a greengrocer in Glasgow, he developed fruit and vegetable sales by attempting to bring products from around the world to the high street. He was the man responsible for making bananas available in Scotland. One of the keys to his success was his selection of railway stations as potential locations for his kiosks. In 1922, he was knighted for his achievements.

Angus Campbell (1903-82)

Born in the Isle of Lewis town of Ness and known as Am Puilean, Angus Campbell's poetry and writing drew on his experiences as a child and as a prisoner of war in Poland during WWII. 'Chaff & Wheat', a collection of his Gaelic poetry, was published in 1972. His autobiography 'Touching Many Headlands' was published the following year.

Clan Campbell Locations

The family home had been this stronghold castle that spanned an entire, small island on Loch Awe known as Innis Chonnell. The peaks of Cruachan Beann, the hills from which the Campbells took their war cry, rise behind it.

The ruins of the castle can still be seen among the trees on Innis Chonnell. It was the seat of Sir Colin Campbell, who was killed at the Battle of Red Ford, and it was the Campbells' first stronghold until it was abandoned in the 15th century.

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The 1st Earl of Argyll bought Glowm in Clackmannanshire (later renamed Castle Campbell), which became the Campbell's Lowlands seat from the 15th to the 19th centuries. The Earl's need for court attendance was met by the position of Glown (Castle Campbell).

The 1st Earl of Argyll was instrumental in destabilizing his long-time adversaries, the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles.

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Inveraray has had a castle on these lands since at least the 15th century, and King James V visited it in 1533. The current Inveraray Castle was built between 1743 and 1746 to replace the old fortress. The castle's architectural style is Gothic Revival, and it is one of the world's earliest examples. Since the 18th century, Inveraray Castle has been the seat of the Campbell Dukes of Argyll, and it is now the home of the current chief, Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll.

Campbell of Breadalbane Tartans

The Campbell of Breadalbane tartan first appears as 'Breadalbane' in the Cockburn collection 1810-1820, which was one of the first tartan collections compiled by Sir William Cockburn. It could be older, as it is said to have been copied from a plaid owned by the Captain of Dunstaffnage at Dunstfanage around 1750.

The term 'ancient' refers to dye shades that are typically lighter, whereas'modern' colors are typically darker.

Threadcound K/6 B18 K18 G18 Y4 G18 K/18

Ancient Campbell of Breadalbane

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Breadalbane Modern's Campbell

Clan Campbell of Breadalbane Crest & Coats of Arms

Breadalbane Clan Campbell Crest

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

Properly erased the head of a boar

Coat of Arms of Clan Campbell of Breadalbane

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.

BREADALBANE EARL

Quarterly 1st & 4th gyronny of eight Or and Sable 2nd Argent a galley (CAMPBELL OF GLENORCHY) Sable, a fess chequy Azure and Argent. 1672-7 Ordinary of Arms

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