Campbell of Cawdor

Gaelic Name: Caimbeul

Clan Crest: A swan, Proper, crowned, Or

Clan Motto: Be Mindful

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

Clan Badge: Wild myrtle, Fir club moss

Lands: Cawdor, Highlands

Clan Chief: Colin Campbell, 7th Earl of Cawdor

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Campbell of Cawdor History

Isabel was pregnant in 1494. Kilravock decided that his new granddaughter should marry his own grandson, her first cousin, in order to keep her inheritance in the Kilravock family.In 1492, John, 7th Thane of Cawdor, married Isabel Rose, the daughter of Kilravock. He passed away.

Cawdor Castle, near Nairn, was originally built by Clan Calder in the 1400s, but passed into the hands of the Campbells in the 16th century, and is now home to the current Earl of Cawdor's stepmother.

However, he was facing theft charges at the time for crimes committed with MacKintosh on the lands of Urquhart of Cromarty.

Archibald, 2nd Earl of Argyll, was the Justice-General, and by 1495, having given Kilravock a smooth ride through the courts, obtained the wardship of Muriel, the infant heiress of Cawdor, from King James IV. She was brought to live in Inveraray in 1499, but not before her mother scarred her with the brand of a glowing hot key and her nursemaid bit off half a little finger in case the Campbells tried to install a surrogate heiress.

In the autumn of that year, Campbell of Inverliver arrived in Inveraray with sixty men, claiming to be on his way to take little Muriel to school in the South. He kidnapped her and was pursued by her uncles, Alexander and Hugh Calder, who challenged him in Daltulich, Strathnairn. Seven of Inverliver's sons were killed in the ensuing fight.

Inverliver was asked if this wasn't too high a price to pay, especially since the child might die. He is remembered for his response, 'The lassie can never die sae lang as there is a red-headed lass on the shores of Loch Awe.'

Muriel married Sir John Campbell, the third son of Argyll, in 1510. From 1524 until his death in 1546, they lived in Cawdor. She died in 1573, having given up her Thanedom to her grandson John.

In 1796, the first Lord Cawdor was John, son of Pryce Campbell, a Member of Parliament.

In 1797, 1200 French troops launched the last ever invasion of Britain. They landed at Fishguard, where Lord Cawdor managed to capture the invaders with only a few soldiers and a force of peasants.

His son John became the 1st Earl of Cawdor.

Campbell of Cawdor 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.

Sir Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde (1792-1863) - pictured top

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

Cawdor Castle, near Nairn, was built sometime in the 15th century, with the first mention of it in 1454, when William Calder, 6th Thane of Cawdor, was granted a 'licence to fortify'. Some parts of the fortress, however, appear to date from the late 1300s.

Muriel Calder, the Calder heiress, married Sir John Campbell in 1510, and the castle passed to the Campbells through marriage. It is still in the Campbell family today.

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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 Cawdor Tartans

Modern Campbell of Cawdor

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Ancient Campbell of Cawdor

Campbell of Cawdor Crest & Coats of Arms

Cawdor Campbell Clan Crest

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

A proper, crowned swan, Or

Coat of Arms of Clan Campbell of Cawdor

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.

CAWDOR, EARL

Quarterly, Or a hart's head caboshed Sable attired Gules, 2nd Gyronny of eight Or and Sable, 3rd Argent a galley Sable, 4th Azure and Gules a cross Or. Second matriculation, Ordinary of Arms, 1722