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CAMERON
SCOTTISH CLAN CREST
The Largest Creator of Clan Crest Products in the World!
CLAN BURNETT BADGE
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In the wild country of Lochaber, among the hills which surround Loch Lochy, Loch Arkaig and Loch Eil, there grew up a clan which was described by Drummond of Hawthornden in the 17th century as “fiercer than fierceness itself”. They were the Camerons, who were so constantly harassed from without that they were virtually compelled to live by the sword. Holding their own for centuries without a legal title to much of the land they occupied, they earned a reputation for valour which clung to the name even in the great wars of recent times.
Donald dubh, the chief from whom the Camerons of Lochiel derived a Gaelic patronymic, was a formidable warrior who is believed to have led the clan in the army of the Lord of the Isles at Harlaw in 1411. There is a tradition that the family were descended from the marriage of a Mac Martin heiress in Lochaber with one of the Cambruns or Cambrons, who held land in Fife, Perth, Angus and Aberdeenshire When the Lord of the Isles rebelled against James I in 1429, the Camerons supported the crown; and in revenge, when he was restored to power, their lands were granted to others (although some were later returned), and earlier Mackintosh claims to territory occupied by the Camerons were ratified. These remained a subject of bitter dispute for more than two centuries, and the Cameron's survival as a clan is an extra-ordinary instance of tenacity.
After the fall of the island lordship in 1493, James IV confirmed Ewen Cameron in his lands of Loch Eil, and in 1530 they were erected into a barony and he was given “half the bailiary of Lochaber”. He had further charters of lands in Lochaber, including Inverlochy, Torlundy and Letterfinlay, but the Mackintoshes maintained a legal claim to Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig, although they could never establish anything like a lasting occupation. The patriarchal rule of a clan chief inevitably clashed with the feudal rights of a superior, and in 1616 Allan of Lochiel forcibly prevented Mackintosh as superior from holding courts in Lochaber. Sir Ewen of Lochiel, “the Ulysses of the Highlands” as Macaulay called him, became chief in 1647, and was one of the last royalists in the field before the Commonwealth grip on Scotland tightened. Monck’s garrison at Inverlochy, forerunner of Fort William, was established primarily to daunt the Camerons, and Lochiel defended his tenants and estates from Government troops before submitting with his clan on honourable terms.
After the Restoration the Mackintoshes renewed their claims, and with Privy Council backing invaded the Cameron lands. But as a result of negotiations Lochiel was able to purchase Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig in 1665, with Argyll paying the purchase money on condition that Ewen and his successors held the lands as his vassals. The clan was spreading beyond its old bounds; after the call to arms for Dundee’s rising in 1689 they only mustered 240 men at first, 500 more arriving from the outlying districts three days later. Sir Ewen made over his estates to his grandson Donald; this left his son John free to take the clan “out” in 1715, for which he was attainted and went into exile. Donald, the “gentle Lochiel” of the Forty-Five, was a man of peace interested in the welfare of his people and the good of his estates. Although his judgment warned him not to join Prince Charles when he landed without support, his opposition gave way before the prince’s personal appeal, and the Camerons’ initiative which caused others to follow made the early Jacobite successes possible. The clan fought in every major engagement in the campaign, with the chief at their head, and suffered losses estimated at 300 out of a strength of about 800. Lochiel himself was wounded at Culloden, Achnacarry and his tenants’ houses were burned, but the Camerons were “still in the hills with full arms“ six months later. Lochiel went into exile with the prince, and his estates were forfeited, not being restored until 1784.
Many Cameron's joined the Highland regiments which came into being from 1757 onwards, and Allan Cameron of Erracht raised the 79th Highlanders (later Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders) in 1793. The military tradition learned in centuries of fighting has continued ever since, and Cameron's from Lochaber distinguished themselves in the two world wars of the 20th century. The name Cameron comes into the top thirty Scottish surnames.
Some spelling variations & Septs:
Yours Aye
Louis & Karen
Donald dubh, the chief from whom the Camerons of Lochiel derived a Gaelic patronymic, was a formidable warrior who is believed to have led the clan in the army of the Lord of the Isles at Harlaw in 1411. There is a tradition that the family were descended from the marriage of a Mac Martin heiress in Lochaber with one of the Cambruns or Cambrons, who held land in Fife, Perth, Angus and Aberdeenshire When the Lord of the Isles rebelled against James I in 1429, the Camerons supported the crown; and in revenge, when he was restored to power, their lands were granted to others (although some were later returned), and earlier Mackintosh claims to territory occupied by the Camerons were ratified. These remained a subject of bitter dispute for more than two centuries, and the Cameron's survival as a clan is an extra-ordinary instance of tenacity.
After the fall of the island lordship in 1493, James IV confirmed Ewen Cameron in his lands of Loch Eil, and in 1530 they were erected into a barony and he was given “half the bailiary of Lochaber”. He had further charters of lands in Lochaber, including Inverlochy, Torlundy and Letterfinlay, but the Mackintoshes maintained a legal claim to Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig, although they could never establish anything like a lasting occupation. The patriarchal rule of a clan chief inevitably clashed with the feudal rights of a superior, and in 1616 Allan of Lochiel forcibly prevented Mackintosh as superior from holding courts in Lochaber. Sir Ewen of Lochiel, “the Ulysses of the Highlands” as Macaulay called him, became chief in 1647, and was one of the last royalists in the field before the Commonwealth grip on Scotland tightened. Monck’s garrison at Inverlochy, forerunner of Fort William, was established primarily to daunt the Camerons, and Lochiel defended his tenants and estates from Government troops before submitting with his clan on honourable terms.
After the Restoration the Mackintoshes renewed their claims, and with Privy Council backing invaded the Cameron lands. But as a result of negotiations Lochiel was able to purchase Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig in 1665, with Argyll paying the purchase money on condition that Ewen and his successors held the lands as his vassals. The clan was spreading beyond its old bounds; after the call to arms for Dundee’s rising in 1689 they only mustered 240 men at first, 500 more arriving from the outlying districts three days later. Sir Ewen made over his estates to his grandson Donald; this left his son John free to take the clan “out” in 1715, for which he was attainted and went into exile. Donald, the “gentle Lochiel” of the Forty-Five, was a man of peace interested in the welfare of his people and the good of his estates. Although his judgment warned him not to join Prince Charles when he landed without support, his opposition gave way before the prince’s personal appeal, and the Camerons’ initiative which caused others to follow made the early Jacobite successes possible. The clan fought in every major engagement in the campaign, with the chief at their head, and suffered losses estimated at 300 out of a strength of about 800. Lochiel himself was wounded at Culloden, Achnacarry and his tenants’ houses were burned, but the Camerons were “still in the hills with full arms“ six months later. Lochiel went into exile with the prince, and his estates were forfeited, not being restored until 1784.
Many Cameron's joined the Highland regiments which came into being from 1757 onwards, and Allan Cameron of Erracht raised the 79th Highlanders (later Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders) in 1793. The military tradition learned in centuries of fighting has continued ever since, and Cameron's from Lochaber distinguished themselves in the two world wars of the 20th century. The name Cameron comes into the top thirty Scottish surnames.
Some spelling variations & Septs:
Yours Aye
Louis & Karen
