| Notes |
- Colin Mor is the first Campbell to bear that christian name .... It is quite probable that he took his name from his mother's father. The patronymic name "Mac Cailein Mor" was derived as he added largely to his estates. Active in Scottish Affairs 1281-1296. In 1280 he was nighted by King Alexander III, the early titles were "de Ergadia" and Lords of Lochow. Sir Colin married a lady of the name of Sinclair, by whom he had five sons. From his island stronghold of Innischonnaill or Inchconnell (Innischonnel) he was already effectively dominating Lochawe and its surroundings in the very heart of Argyll. He died, 1294, slain in a fight with the MacDougalls of Lorne at the Red Ford in Lorn and lies buried at nearby Kilchrenan. This death is said to have occasioned bitter feuds betwixt the houses of Lochow and Lorn for a long period of years, which were put to an end to by the marriage of the daughter of the Celtic proprietor of Lorn, with John Stewart of Innermeath about 1386. Cairn marking his death is located on the shore of Lochavich. Also known as Nicholas de Chambelle
First recorded Campbell armorial coat of arms. Supported King Alexander III and was knighted by 1280.
Date of death is commonly given as 1294, but Sir Colin signed the Ragman Roll in the summer of 1296. See the Summer 2014 Journal of CCSNA for a longer article on Sir Colin.
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Archie McKerracher writes in Scots Magazine in the "The Battle at the Red Ford (1294)":
History's fascination is how tiny events, insignificant in themselves, can change a nation's destiny. The Battle at the Red Ford, for example, was at first sight just a minor clan skirmish in a remote Argyllshire glen. Yet the end result has lasted to this present day.
It began in the late 13th century when the MacDougalls were the rising force on Scotland's western seaboard. Their huge fleet of galleys commanded the seas while their castles of Dunollie and Dunstaffnage controlled the mainland. Their name mhic Dhugaill came from Dubh-Gall - Black Strangers, or Norsemen, for their progenitor was Somerled the mighty, son of Gilliebride, sub-king of Argyll, who claimed descent from both Harold Harddrada, King of Norway, and Fergus mor mhic, King of Dalriada.
Somerled led an uprising against the Norsemen who ruled the West Coast in the mid-12th century, and removed them from Lochaber, Morvern and north Argyll. But he knew he could not hold his conquest against the might of Viking sea power, and proposed marriage to Ragnhilda, daughter of olaf the Red, Norwegian King of the Isles and of Man. Her father refused, seeking a more suitable suitor.
Somerled had his shipwright swim unseen to Olaf's moored galley, bore holes in the hull underwater, and fill them with tallow. When Olaf's galley put to sea the tallow gave way as it rounded Ardnamurchan Point, and the boat began to sink. Somerled's galley was carefully positioned nearby but he refused assistance until Olaf agreed his marriage to Ragnhilda. Thus Somerled gained control of all the western seaboard.
Somerled had two sons, Dugall and Reginald. His younger son Reginald inherited Islay, Kintyre and part of Arran, and founded clan Donald. The eldest son Dugall was granted the islands of Mull, Coll, Tiree, Jura and part of Lorn and was the founder of the clan Dougall. He was of mixed Celtic-Norse royal blood and thus the MacDougall coat of arms portrays both the Dalriadic royal lion and the Hebridean royal galley.
The third MacDougall chief was Eoghan or Ewen of Argyll, King of the Hebrides and Lord of Lorn (the patronymic Mhic Dhughaill only came into use at a lated date), whom King Alexander III described as "a very comely knight". Ewen was in a difficult position, being a vassal of the King of Scots for his mainland possessions and a vassal of the King of Norway for the Islands. Indeed, his possessions in the Western Isles were still part of Norwegian Archbishopric of Trondheim.
He tried to remain loyal both to the decaying Norwegian empire and the expanding Kingdom of mainland Scotland. Ewen refused to join him and Hakon, grudgingly admiring his loyalty to two masters, allowed him to stay. But shortly afterwards, Ewen did make his decision and attacked part of the Viking fleet off mull when it was setting sail south. The Vikings were defeated at the Battle of Largs in Ayrshire in 1263 and this setback signalled the end of Norse domination.
MacDougall power was now at its peak for their huge fleet of swift birlinns or galleys, each holding 40 men, effectively controlled the west coast of Scotland. Ewen died in 1265 and was succeeded by Alexander who was "the greatest of the twelve lords" appointed to rule Argyll when it became a shire in 1292. In the year 1294 this all-powerful clan was challenged in its overlordship of Lorn by the irresistible rise of the small clan Duibhne or Diarmid, based around Loch Awe, whose headquarters was a square stone fortification on the islet of Innis Chonnell. They were led by ambitious Caileaan Mor - Big Colin - whose father Gillespic had been nicknamed Cam-beul, from his twisted or wry mouth. Gillespic was perhaps of norman descent, or some say of the Brittonic royal house, and had married Eva O'Duine, heiress of Pol an Sporain O'Duine, the King's Purse Bearer, who held the lands around Loch Awe. Pol O'Duine claimed descent from the Hero Diarmid O'Duine, slayer of the great Boar of Caledon, who was of the royal Houses of Darriada and Pictland.
Cailean Mor had been gradually pushing the boundaries of his lands farther west until the exasperated MacDougalls decided enough was enough. Eoin Bacach, Lame John, the strong-willed son of the MacDougall chief, led the clan to war to settle matters once and for all with this upstart young clan. The MacDougalls clad in the raven winged helmets, chain mail, and short swords of their Viking ancestors, carried with them a crystal ball brought back from the Holy Land and renowned for its magical properties.
MacDougall of Rarey the Captain of the Clan, halted at the west end of Loch Scammadale and passed the charm around to his men to ascertain who was likely to die. There was considerable muttering and a sort of pass-the-parcel began with each warrior trying to pass the stone on quickly to the next. Eventually, the charm appeared to select three times a certain man who was thereupon sent back to Dunollie with instructions to follow to the coast, and avoid the enemy. He arrived safely, but one cannot escape one's geas for he ran into the Cam-beuls, or Campbells, on his return and was killed.
The MacDougalls continued but as they were passing Loch Scaammadale the charm leapt from the sporran of the bearer into the loch. This was taken as such a bad omen that MacDougall of Rarey refused to go any farther and returned home with his men. The probable explanation for this supernatural event was the reluctance of the bearer, who probably flung the charm into the waters himself to avoid the inevitable fight.
The depleted MacDougalls in their Viking armour met the Campbells, probably clad in saffron tunics rendered iron hard with fulmars' grease, and armed with bull hide targets and long cross-hilted swords, at the Streing (Pass) of Lorn between Lochs Avich and Scammadale at the allt-a-chomhlachaidh - the Burn of Meeting.
The matter of boundaries, and who had the overlordship over the lands of the Cam-beuls, began initially as a discussion between Big Colin and Lame John which degenerated into verbal abuse, and thereafter to war. There was dreadful slaughter on both sides until the burn ran red with the blood which had been shed and the place became known as Ath Dearg, the Red Ford, because one could cross the swollen stream on the bodies of the dead.
The outnumbered MacDougalls seemed likely to be cut down to a man until a MacDougall archer crept up beside a large boulder and fired an arrow which killed Cailean Mor. This stopped the battle and Colin's followers sorrowfully bore his body away. The place where Colin fell is still marked by a pile of stones called Carn Cailean, Colin's cairn. Nearby is the burial ground where the dead of both sides were buried but this is now covered by the remains of ancient shielings.
Nearby, too, is Tom-a-phiobair - The Piper's Hillock - where a Campbell piper played throughout the battle. He was saddened to see the MacDougall piper fall, and composed a pipe tune in memory of a renowned fellow musician, for amongst pipers there are no boundaries.
Mo dhiath! mo dhiath! gun tri lamhan
(My loss! My loss! that I have not three hands )
Da laim's a'phiob is lamh's a chlaidheamh.
(Two engaged with the pipe and one with the sword. )
Mo dhiath! mo dhiath! gun tri lamhan
(My loss! My loss! that I have not three hands, )
Da laim's a'phiob is lamh's a chlaidheamh
(Two engaged with the pipe and one with the sword. )
Mo dhiath! mo dhiath! n a shineadh thall ud
(My loss! my loss! low lies yonder )
Macdughaill's a'phiob's bu mhin leam sgal orr.
(MacDougall with his pipe, whose sound was soft and sweet to me.)
Alas, this so greatly angered the departing Campbell clansmen, who realized it was not one of their own tunes, that they chopped off his chanter-playing fingers with a sword.
The body of Cailean Mor was carried to the church of St. Peter the Deacon at Kilchrenan on the Loch Awe side and buried there. The exact burial place is unknown but in 1866 the then Duke of Argyll had a 14th century gravestone slab inserted in the gable of the present church of 1771, with a plaque below.
The fledgling Clan Campbell came off worst that day in 1294. The MacDougalls confirmed their overlordship over Campbell lands. But the twists of fate are peculiar. The chieftainship of the Campbells passed to Colin's 24 year old son Neil who became the first Mhic Cailean Mhor the son of the great Colin, which became henceforth the patronymic of the Chiefs of the Clan Campbell. He had been educated at the High School of Dundee, where one of his classmates had been a young man from Renfrewshire called William Wallace.
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Wikipedia has a nice entry and references.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cailean_M%C3%B3r
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Journal of Medieval Genealogy
http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY%20UNTITLED.htm#_Toc389126070
"Colyn Cambel miles filius quondam dni Gylascop Kambel" guaranteed the donation to Newbattle priory made by "dni Willo de Lyndd filio quondam dni David de Lyndd" by charter dated 1293. Balfour Paul says that Colin Campbell was killed in [1296] "in a contest with his powerful neighbour the Lord of Lorne at
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Abt 1230 - 1296 (66 years)
