The Clan Cameron Author(s): A. Maclean Sinclair Source: The Celtic Review, Vol. 5, No. 17 (Jul., 1908), pp. 70-79 Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30069983 Accessed: 27-06-2016 10:29 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Celtic Review This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 10:29:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 70 THE CELTIC REVIEW of its people, and they took, as will be seen even from this brief account, a large part in the life of the Highland people, whose minds are the poorer by the loss of their ancient tales and customs. Where the older people still retain some faith in the beings of whom their fathers have told them, they are for the most part careful to keep such to themselves, and so avoid laying themselves open to the scoffing of the younger generation and of incomers. THE CLAN CAMERON REV. A. MACLEAN SINCLAIR THE ancestors of Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel and their approximate dates of birth were as follows:- John, . 1600. Millony, . 1285. Allan, . 1565. Paul, . 1255. John Dubh, . 1535. Patrick, . 1225. Donald, . 1500. Martin, . 1190. Ewen, . 1470. Paul, . 1160. Allan, . 1440. Millony, . 1125. Donald Dubh, . 1410. Gillaroth, . 1095. Ewen,. 1380. Martin Og, . 1065. Donald Dubh, . 1350. Gillacamsroin, . 1035. Allan, . 1315. Martin Mor, . 1000. In dealing with a long list of names it is necessary, as a general rule, to allow thirty-two years for a generation. Skene has Gillaganiorgan in place of Gillacamsroin. As Gillaganiorgan is a meaningless and unknown name, it is clearly a misreading. It is certain that there was a Gilla- camsroin, and it is altogether probable that he was either the son and successor of Martin Mor or the eldest son of Gillaroth. As it was extremely difficult to read the MS. in which Skene found the pedigree of the Camerons and Mac- gillouies msr could easily be mistaken for nior. By counting ni as m we find the same number of letters in Gillaganiorgan as in Gillacamsroin. In his first version of the genealogy Skene omits all the names between Paul and Mor. In the This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 10:29:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE CLAN CAMERON 71 second version he gives Gilla---, son of Martin Mor. It is in the third version that we find Gillaganiorgan, and it is given with a note of interrogation after it. It is evident then that the part of the name after Gilla was to a large extent illegible. Gillacamsron means the young man with the crooked nose. It is possible that his real name was Ewen. He was a brave warrior, and in course of time came to be known among friends and foes as Gillacamsroin. His descendants were proud of him and long after he had left the world gladly adopted the name by which he was popularly known as their surname. Gillony and Millony are the same name, and mean servants of the storm or of the raging sea. THE MACMARTINS The Macmartins derived their name from Martin Mor, and were an older branch of his descendants than the Camerons. They lived east of the Lochy and occupied the lands of Letterfinlay, Invergloy, Dochanassie, Stronaba, Miccomer, and others. Of their history prior to the year 1400 we know nothing. In 1492 Alexander of Lochalsh, Celestine son of Ewen, and Martin son of Duncan, appear as witnesses to a charter granted by John, Lord of the Isles. Martin son of Duncan, was undoubtedly either the chief of the Macmartins or the son and heir of their chief. Duncan Macmartin was born probably about 1425. Martin, his son, had at least two children, `Duncan and a daughter, who became the wife of Donald Dubh Maclean of Treshnish, Domhnall Dubh a' Chaisteil. Duncan son of Martin was in possession of Letterfinlay and the other Macmartin lands in 1513. He had two sons, Duncan and Donald, Duncan was chief of the Macmartins from 1598 to 1636. Duncan Og, his son and successor, appears on record in 1642. Duncan Og had two sons, Martin Mor and John Roy. Martin Mor placed himself, in 1663, under the protection of Angus of Glengarry, Lord MacDonell and Aros. He had four children, Duncan, This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 10:29:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 72 THE CELTIC REVIEW Martin Og, Mary, and another daughter Mary was married to Gillespick MacDonald of Keppoch. The other daughter was married to John Mor Macsorlie of Glen Nevis. Duncan, son and successor of Martin, fought at Mulroy in support of Coll of Keppoch in 1688, and fought at Killiecrankie in 1689. He died without issue, and was succeeded by George, son of Martin Og, son of Martin Mor. George died about 1736, and was succeeded by his son, Captain Cosmo Gordon Cameron, who died without issue. Captain Cosmo was succeeded by a distant relative, George Macmartin Cameron. It was generally believed that the lawful heir was not George but John Cameron in Glenroy. George died in 1829, leaving three sons, all of whom died without issue. The estate of Letterfinlay was sold in 1851 to a man named Baillie. As the Macmartins have made Camerons of themselves they have ceased to exist as a distinct clan, and can have no chief except Lochiel. But they can have a chieftain, and should have one. THE CAMERONS Some of the descendants of Martin Mor crossed the Lochy at an early period and settled in Glenlui and Locharkaig. In course of time they became more numerous than their brethren east of the Lochy. The date of their migration we do not know. It is probable, however, that it began about 1150. The new settlers became divided into two branches, the Camerons proper and the Macgillonies. The former were descended from the eldest son of Gillaroth, and the latter from Millony, a younger son. Some of the Macgillonies settled at Invermallie and others at Strone. Although the Camerons were in possession of Glenlui and Locharkaig, they had no title to these lands either from the King or ,the Lord of the Isles. According to the Clan Chattan historians and others, William MacIntosh, chief of the MacIntoshes, obtained a charter of Glenlui and Lochar- kaig from John, first Lord of the Isles, in the year 1366. The story about the charter may or may not be true. It is certain, however, that the MacIntoshes held in 1366 that This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 10:29:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE CLAN CAMERON 73 they had a legal claim to the lands occupied by the Camerons, and it is also certain that in that year or shortly afterwards they began to enforce their claim by the sword. They never succeeded, however, in expelling the Camerons from the lands held by them. THE m ACGILLONIES Allan, son of Millony, was known as Ailein MacMhaolon- fhaidh, which in course of time came to be pronounced Ailein MacOlonai. The name as thus pronounced would become in English Allan MacOlony. By the blundering of some scribe Allan MacOlony was converted to Allan MacOchtry, a name which never existed among the Macgillonies or any other Highland clan. About 1380 the Camerons and the Macgillonies, and probably the Macmartins also, made a raid into Badenoch, and carried off all the cattle, sheep, and horses they could find. On their way home they were attacked at Invernahavon by the MacIntoshes, Davidsons, and Clan Vuirich. The battle which took place was long and bloody, and both sides lost heavily. The plunderers had to leave their booty at Invernahavon, but their assailants were not in a position to pursue and conquer them. The Macgillonies were led by their chief, Donald Dubh MacAllan. Ewen, son and successor of Donald Dubh, may have witnessed the furious combat on the North Inch of Perth in 1396. He was in all probability the commander of the Camerons at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. According to the Ardgour MS., he was known as Eoghann nan Creach or Ewen of the Forays. He married a daughter of Allan MacRanald, second of Moydart, and by her had Donald Dubh, his successor, and a daughter who was married about 1435 to Donald Maclean, first of Ardgour, and had by him Ewen, second of Ardgour. As the wife of Donald of Ardgour was one of my re- mote grandmothers, I can claim descent from such expert plunderers as the Macleans of Ardgour, the Camerons of Lochiel, and the Clanranald of Moydart. Yes, they were plunderers in the days when plundering was fashionable, but This content downloaded from 131.247.112.3 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 10:29:15 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 74 THE CELTIC REVIEW they were not sly, whining, degraded grafters.