© Red Book of Scotland – 2020. [email protected] CAMERON of LOCHIEL DONALD DUBH, is the first Cameron of Locheil for whom there is definitive evidence but of whom little is known. Clan tradition states him to have been the 11th Chief and to have married the heiress of MacMartin of Letterfinlay with whom he acquired those lands, but there is no evidence for that and, tradition aside, his existence is proved only by his inclusion in the patronymics of his sons, Allan and Ewen, in 1472. Of his ancestry, Alexander Nisbet, writing in about 1720, could offer no comment and was content to leave such a matter up to those with a knowledge of the Gaelic language. In that tradition, the Bardic MSS of 1467 states his father to have been named Allan, who was the son Maol Anfaigh, son of Paul, son of Gille Padraig, son of Gille Martainn, son of Paul, son of Maol Anfaigh “a quo clann camsronic” (of whom the Clan Cameron). More recently the assertion that he descended from a younger son of Cameron of Baledgarno, in Perthshire, who acquired Lochiel by marriage with the heiress has gained some traction although if such a union did take place ten generations previous to Donald dubh, any common ancestry between the Camerons of Baledgarno and Locheil would have been extremely remote, and perhaps also even problematic for that paricular theory as there is a reasonable probability that it pre-dated the period in which the surname was first in use. The first Cameron for whom there is evidence for is Robert de Cambrun of Siphane who is named in the settlement of a dispute between the Abbeys of Cambuskenneth and Dunfermline on 24 October 1215,1 and a John de Camburn and Robert de Cambrun both witnessed a charter by King Alexander II. to the 1 Reg. Dunfermline, No. 215. This writ constitutes good evidence that “Cambrun/Cameron” had been adopted as a surname by that date. © Red Book of Scotland – 2020. [email protected] Monks of Scone on 11 July 1234.1 A John de Camburn witnessed a further charter by that King confirming a grant by William de Haya to the Monks of Coupar Angus on 18 April 12412 and the first appearance of the Baledgarno line is 1251/1265, when Sir John de Camburn witnessed a charter granted sometime between those dates.3 That Sir John was succeeded by Sir Robert de Camburn of Baledgarno who gave homage to Edward I. of England on 22 July 1296 and he was succeeded by Sir John de Cambrun of Baledgarno who is named in a confirmation by Thomas, Earl of Mar, to the monks of Coupar Angus dated between 1314-20x1367, of an earlier grant by John de Inchmartine of that Ilk, and in which the late Sir John de Cambrun is styled his great-grandfather.4 Sir John appears again in a charter by John de Wardroperston to Sir John de Inchmartine dated 1321x265 and his extensive estate was soon after carried off with an heiress, Margaret, on her marriage to Sir John Haliburton of Direlton. That the adoption of Cameron as a surname occurred at an early period in time is proved by evidence here cited, however, there is no evidence to prove that those bearing that surname who emerge into record in the first half of the 13th century shared common ancestry and descended in some protracted way from an older senior line who possessed the lands of Cameron in Fife. Nor, indeed, is there evidence to prove that any family by the designation “Cameron of that Ilk” ever existed. Therefore, beyond a generally accepted assumption that the name itself is of Gaelic origin, whether it was adopted either as a consequence of a peculiar personal characteristic of a noted ancestor or from lands of that name the family inhabited or had rights to some time before the commencement of the 13th century is now wholly unknown. What is certain, though, is that the Camerons of Lochiel emerge into written record in the second-half of the 15th century as a well-established extended kindred united under their own Chief and are referred 1 Cart. Scone. 2 Reg. Coupar Angus. No. 46. 3 RH1/6/14. 4 Reg. Coupar Angus, No. 97. 5 GD16/3/1. © Red Book of Scotland – 2020. [email protected] to by the Lords of the Isles as “kinsmen.” As convenient as it may be for the modern researcher to assert a relationship to those of the surname who lived several centuries prior to then, it is far more likely that no such common ancestry existed and that historically there have been at least two independent adoptions of the surname, i.e. one in Fife/Perthshire and another in the Lochaber area of the Highlands. Returning to the first for whom there is evidence, Donald dubh, he was father of, 1. Allan MacDonald dubh, Captain of Clan Cameron, (see below). 2. Ewen MacDonald dubh, was a substitute heir to his brother Allan in a charter of 29 November 1472 and is generally accepted to have been founder of the Cameron of Strone stirpes. ALLAN MACDONALD DUBH, is styled Captain of Clan Cameron in a charter in his favour by Celestine, Lord of Lochalsh, dated 29 November 1472 granting to him the office of constable of the castle of Strome with the 12 merk lands of Kysrener, in the lordship and earldom of Ross, to himself and the heirs male of his body by Mariota de Insulis, his spouse, which failing, to his brother Ewen MacDonald, and his heirs male.1 He is said to have been k. in a raid he led on MackIntosh lands in circa 1480 but there is no evidence for this, although he was certainly dead by July of 1492, when his son Ewen had succeeded. He was father of : 1. Ewen MacAllan, Captain of Clan Cameron, (see below). 2. John, who is styled John Allani Donaldi when witness to his brother Ewen’s charter for the lands of Lochiel dated 26 August 1492. 3. Donald Allanson, was a witness to a Bond of Surety subscribed by his brother, Ewen, on 7 October 1527. 1 RMS 1424-1513. No. 2281 [1]. © Red Book of Scotland – 2020. [email protected] 4. William Roy Allanson, who witnessed a Bond of Surety by his brother Ewen, on 7 October 1527. EWEN MACALLAN, CAPTAIN OF CLAN CAMERON, succeeded his father by 29 July 1492, when he had a charter from Alexander de Insulis of Lochalsh for 14 merks worth of lands in Lochalsh.1 He had a further charter from that Alexander for the lands of Lochiel dated 26 August 1492,2 and is then styled Eugenio Allani Donaldi, or Ewen, son of Allan, son of Donald. He had a precept under the Privy Seal for his infeftment in the liferent of the lands of Glenloy, Loch Arkaig, Lochiel and numerous others on 11 April 1539, and had d. by 21 December 1546 when the Queen the escheat of his lands of Locheil, Strone and others, to George, Earl of Huntly.3 Traditionally, he is said to have been a supporter of John Moidertachd of Glengarry firstly, in the defences of his Chiefship of Clan Donald, then against encroachments by the Clan Grant which resulted in open conflict in 1544, at the battle which became known as Blar-na-leine, or field of the shirts on account of their having discarded their plaids and fought in their shirts due to the heat. For his participation he is said to have been one of those executed with MacDonnel of Keppoch in 1546. This may be correct as by evidence cited above it is proved that he was alive in April 1539 and dead by December 1546. He was father of : 1. DONALD CAMERON, was a natural son and in whose favour a precept of legitimation passed the Privy Seal on 15 June 1500.4 On 12 July 1536 he had a gift of the non-entries and ward of the lands of Knoydart which had fallen to the King on the death of Sorle MacIain and is then styled son and apparent heir to Ewen Allanson, Captain of Clan Cameron.5 He m. Anne, daughter of John Grant of Freuchie, (c/m 22 October 1520), and d. vita patris before 3 1 RMS 1424-1513. No. 2281 [2]. 2 RMS 1424-1513. No. 2881 [3]. 3 PS1/20/72. 4 RPS Vol. I. No. 540. 5 RPS Vol. II. No. 2079. © Red Book of Scotland – 2020. [email protected] May 1538, when his father had the gift of the ward of his son, Ewen Donaldson. He was father of : 1a} EWEN CAMERON OF LOCHIEL, who was under age at his father’s death with the King granting his ward to his grandfather, Ewen Allanson, on 3 May 1538.1 He was included in a precept in favour of his grandfather, Ewen Allanson of Lochiel, for his infeftment in the lands of Glenloy, Loch Arkaig and Lochiel on 1 April 1539, and by the terms of which he had the fee thereof assigned to him.2 On succeeding his grandfather he is said to have inherited nothing but trouble and on 18 March 1546/47, he was principle in a respite under the Privy Seal for having given assistance to Matthew, Earl of Lennox.3 He was contracted on 1 June 1534, to marry Janet, daughter of Sir John Campbell, 1st of Cawdor, although this does not seem to have been fulfilled4 and he dsp in around 1553, apparently by the treachery of the MacDougals whose daughter he had been trying to court.