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Coat of Arms: Quarterly, 1st & 4th, Gyronny Of 8 Gold and
Sable
Crest: A boar's head fessways erased gold, armed argent,
langued Gules.
Motto: Ne Obliviscaris (Do not forget)
Supporters: Two rampant guardant Gules
Plant Badge: bog myrtle
Traditional genealogies place the origin of this clan among
the ancient Britons of Strathclyde, but the first Campbell in
written records is Gillespie, in 1263. Early grants of land to
him and his relations were almost all in east-central Scotland -
- although the family's connection to Argyll appears to have come
about some generations before, with the marriage of a Campbell to
the dynastic heiress of the O'Duines, who brought with her the
Lordship of Loch Awe. The original seat of the clan was probably
Innischonnel Castle on Loch Awe.
At first, the Campbells were under the domination of the
MacDougal Lords of Lorne who killed the Campbell Chief, Sir
Cailen Mor Campbell (all subsequent Campbell Chiefs have adopted
the titles "Mac Cailein Mor"). The fortunes reversed for his
son, Sir Neil, a staunch ally of Robert the Bruce, by whom he was
rewarded with extensive grants of land forfeited by the Lords of
Lorne and other enemies in Argyll. This was the beginning of the
rise of power for the Campbells in the west Highlands. The King
offered his sister in marriage to Sir Neil. They had one son,
John, Earl of Atholl, but he was killed in 1333 without heirs, so
his lands and titles passed into the Campbell hands.
The clan Campbell held a series of important titles as a result
of Royal patronage and careful matrimonial alliances. Earls of
Argyll, Breadalbane and Cawdor were the most important but other
titles include the Lordship of Lorne and the Earldom of Loudoun.
Having so many powerful titles within a clan, it is not difficult
to see why a rivalry developed to see who would emerge as the
Chief of the clan.
Throughout the 15th century the Campbells gave steady support to
the crown in an area where Royal influence was under severe
pressure; first from the rival Crown of Norway, then from the
descendants of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. The Crown
succeeded in breaking up the power of the MacDonald Lords and the
Campbells were the main benefactors. The Campbells continued to
act as the chief instrument of central authority in the region.
This long struggle for supremacy may be said to be the real cause
of the enmity between the Campbells and the MacDonalds -- and not
the events at Glencoe. By 1607, support for the central
government paid off for Archibald, 7th Earl of Argyll. He was
granted lands in Kintyre that had formerly belonged to the
MacDonald Clan.
The Campbells owed much of their success to a remarkable
succession of chiefs, although they could not have achieved what
they did without the support of their people. Throughout their
history the chiefs managed to combine their role of Highland Clan
Chiefs with a strong presence at court, which insured them a
leading part in the affairs of Scotland. In the days when
allegiances were expressed by bonds of manrent, the chiefs of a
dozen clans swore their allegiance to Argyll, whose superiority
as lord extended throughout the Highlands and as far as the Outer
Hebrides.
The basic military tartan is known as the Black Watch. It is
also worn by the Campbell Clan with slight variations (depending
on the House with which you were associated: Argyll, Breadalbane,
Cawdor etc.). The Campbells simply adopted the Black Watch
because so many of their kin were used to wearing it due to their
association with the military.
Campbells have spread out across the world and have prospered.
Geographic features throughout the world are called after the
family, and although there are now fewer Campbells still owning
lands in the Highlands, the family still prospers there. No less
than 4 new Campbell peerages have been created since the end of
the Second World War to add to the fifteen Campbell families who
have already been distinguished in this way. Much of the
ancestral lands are still in family hands, including the Castles
of Inverary, Dunstaffnage and Cawdor. MacCailein Mor is often to
be seen at great state ceremonials in his capacity as hereditary
Great Master of the Royal Household. The Clan Campbell is now
organised as a world-wide association with a permanent base at
Inverary Castle which is still the family home of the Duke of
Argyll and the Chief, MacCailein Mor, of Clan Campbell.
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