Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

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Canadian Livingstone
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Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

I was interested in the story of how Sir Donald Campbell of Airds acquired a substantial portion of lands formerly held by the Baron of Bachuil. I was curious as to an approximate date when this took place.

I cannot find a birth date for Sir Donald but his father Sir John Campbell of Cawdor died about 1591 or 1592. Carmichael mentioned that Sir Donald was considered for a position as a Bishop by the Pope but the last Catholic Bishop had left the Island of Lismore by the time of the reformation in Scotland I thought and I presume that Sir Donald was born in the 1500`s but long after the Bishops of old church had abandoned Lismore.

If I understand Sir Donald's family tree correctly he was the illegitimate son of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor or Calder who died about 1591 or 1592 who in turn was the son of Sir John Cambell d. 1546 who married Muriel Calder and became the first Sir John Campbell of Cawdor of Calder.



Sir Donald Campbell d. 1651 illegimate son of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor was known as Sir Donald Campbell of Ardnamurchan and Airds. In 1627 or 1628 he became Campbell of Ardnamurchan and became Baronet of Nova Scotia.Interestingly it is known that in 1643 he acquired Airds and other estates in the area. Could it have been around this time when Sir Donald took possession of the lands formerly in the possession of the Baron of Bachuil? Was it not also around this same time or some time thereafter when Sir James Livingston of Skirling who had been living on the Isle of Lismore gave up lands granted him by Charles the First to the Campbells? (1648 to be exact to the Marquis of Argyll.)Perhaps it was at this time during the 1640's that the Baron of Bachuil at the time was deprived of ancestral lands in the Appin and Lismore area by Campbell of Airds.

After his death in 1651 the Duke of Argyll received the Ardnamurchan estate and his nephew George Campbell who married Sir Donald's grandaughter received the Airds Estate. George Campbell`s son Sir John Campbell d.1711 became Sir John Campbell of Airds.
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Kyle MacLea
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Re: Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

Post by Kyle MacLea »

Canadian Livingstone wrote:Sir Donald Campbell d. 1651 illegimate son of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor was known as Sir Donald Campbell of Ardnamurchan and Airds. Interestingly it is known that in 1643 he acquired Airds and other estates in the area. Could it have been around this time when Sir Donald took possession of the lands formerly in the possession of the Baron of Bachuil? Was it not also around this same time or some time thereafter when Sir James Livingston of Skirling who had been living on the Isle of Lismore gave up lands granted him by Charles the First to the Campbells? Perhaps it was at this time that the Baron himself deprived of land by Campbell of Airds.
Interesting thoughts, Donald! I wish I knew enough about the history of the area to say, but I think it's an interesting theory!
Anyone with more knowledge like to evaluate Donald's idea?

Kyle=
Kyle S. MacLea
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kyle -dot- maclea -at- gmail -dot- com
Canadian Livingstone
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Re: Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi Kyle,

Prior to his article on the Bachuil Livingstons in the Celtic Review of 1909, Alexander Carmichael also makes mention of the "Black Donald of Airds" and his treatment of a Baron of Bachuil in Carmina Gadelica Volume 2 published in 1900:
"The custodian of the Staff of St. Molaug possessed a freehold estate for his venered services. The estate was of considerable extent but is now a small piece of land through the fraud of Domhnull Dubh nan Ard Black Donald of Airds ... Donald Campbell was a man of great ability but utterly unscrupulous as to the means to attain his ends. His conduct towards Baron Livingstone of Bachuil, Baron Carmichael of Sguran and other proprietors in his neighbourhood shows him to have been a man of extraordinary strategem, duplicity and rapacity."

The story how Sir Donald Campbell of Airds deprived the Baron of Bachuil of his lands is not included in Lord Archibald Campbell`s book Records of Argyll published earlier in 1885, however Lord Campbell did include two versions of the story how Campbell of Lochnell got possession of Achnacree from the Livingstons (Macleas/Maconleas) translated from the original gaelic. According to story that was passed on to Lord Campbell by local Western Argyll storytellers this event between Campbell of Lochnell and the Livingstons took place during the era of Queen Anne but in a foot note this is questioned by Lord Campbell's colleague Campbell of Dunstaffnage who had proof that the Campbells of Lochnell took possession of Achnacree by at least 1643. That would be at the time of John Campbell the fourth laird of Lochnell who later died at the Battle of Inverlochy in 1645 rather than Duncan Campbell of Lochnell who lived at the time of Queen Anne as tale in Archibald Campbell's book suggested.(Interesting that Campbell of Dunstaffage should mention the year 1643, the same year that Campbell of Ardnamurchan and Airds obtained Aird's. Could Sir Donald Campbell d.1651 of Ardnamurchan and Airds also taken possession of Baron of Bachuil lands that same year or around that time period? Or did that event take place before the 1640's.
Canadian Livingstone
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Re: Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi Kyle,

Following his receiving the lands of Ardnamurchan in 1628, Sir Donald received Airds and other estates which had been apparently been annexed by the Crown in 1643. If I understand correctly Airds is in Appin in the Port Appin vicinity. This would be very close to where the old ancient lands of the Bachuil Maconleas would have been or at least not far. Seems plausible that if old Donald was not able to receive the Bachuil lands by way of Charles the First in 1643 he would have made up some excuse to take them anyways as he been given the land in the neighbouring area apparently in 1643. By 1643 Charles the First was pretty much powerless in Scotland I would think and the Campbells were easily the most powerful family in the highlands if not all of Scotland. Regardless of whether the old tale of Black Donald of Airds and the Baron of Bachuil was largely folklore or factually correct, it seems certain that a Baron of Bachuil lost land to Sir Donald Campbell in the 1600's and that Donald Campbell was certainly in a position to make such a land grab in the Scotland of the 1640's.

regards,

Donald
Canadian Livingstone
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Re: Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi Kyle,

Interestingly enough Duncan Livingston of Ohio mentioned in the Celtic Monthly article from the late 1800's that acccording his Morvern Livingstone relatives their ancestors left Achnacree around 1600 for Morvern. It would be interesting to know the reasons for their departure and if it was connected to a Campbell of Lochnell.

regards,

Donald
Canadian Livingstone
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Re: Sir Donald Campbell of Airds d.1651

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

According to the Maclea history from 1743 by Duncan MacLea of Dull, the Lochnell land of Maclea of Lochnell ended up in the hands of John Gorm Campbell (Blue John) who became John Campbell First of Lochnell. It is known that John Gorm Campbell the son of Colin Campbell third Earl of Argyll and his wife Janet Gordon was born about 1505 or 1506 and died May 15, 1568 at the Battle of Langside. I dont know that there is a date for when he took possession of Maclea of Lochnell's land but this at least gives us a possible clue as to an approximate time frame. A son of John Gorm Campbell acquired land of Maclea of Faisnacloich at Stonefield.

Interestingly the 1743 Maclea history offers a different version of the events in which the Macleas of Achnacree lost their land than that of the local folklore in the Archibald Campbell book Records of Argyll,suggesting that the Lochnell Maclea land was taken by force by a group of Campbells and then eventually given by them to the Campbells of Lochnell. Much of what is contained in the 1743 Maclea history by Duncan Maclea of Dull strikes me as being quite likely historically accurate while the some of the folk tales created around historical events probably less so.

And which Campbell of Lochnell did the Macleas of Achnacree loose their lands to? Campbell of Dunstaffnage was certain it was at the very least by 1643,certainly not at the time of Queen Anne as some local story tellers told Archibald Campbell in the 1880's, but could it have been before 1600 with the earliest of Campbells of Lochnell,John Gorm Campbell or a subsequent Campbell of Lochnell? The Macleas of Achnacree are known to have allied themselves in battle with the MacDougalls of Dunollie against the Campbells of Inverawe in the year 1557. Though they were greatly decimated in this battle can we assume up to 1557 they were still occupying their ancestral lands at Achnacree? John Gorm Campbell the First Campbell of Lochnell did not die until a decade later in 1568 and could taken possession of the land of Achnacree Macleas sometime between 1557 and 1568.
If the ancestors of Savary, Morvern Maclea Livingstons including Donald Livingston 1728-1816 left Achnacree around 1600 for Morvern as his kin had stated in the 1800's was this before or after the Campbells of Lochnell had taken possession of Achnacree from Maclea of Achnacree? I suspect it was after and likely the date of 1600 is only an approximate date that was recalled by Donald Livingston's kin years later.
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