The Castles of Clan Cameron

So let’s begin right at the beginning of Clan Cameron to their first known seat, Tor castle. Tor Castle occupies a rocky knoll at the edge of a piece of land which is now situated between the Caledonian Canal and the River Lochy, a short distance from Fort William. This castle was built in the 11th century on the site of Banquo castle which might remind you of high school English class as it was the home of a knight written about in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’.

It was here where the 350-year bloody feud with Clan Chattan began. In the 13th century the castle was home to the chiefs of clan Chattan and the nearby clan Mackintosh after these two strong clans joined together through marriage. So, with the Mackintosh’s moving their home and estate to Tor Castle the Cameron’s smelled an opportunity and seized it, and they took the lands the Mackintosh’s had just left. This did not go down well, and it took many bloody battles (which you can learn more about here) for this dispute to finally be resolved. In 1530 the castle fell into the hands of Ewan MacAllan, the 13th Chief of Cameron and he rebuilt this castle to its former glory but unfortunately it was later abandoned by Sir Ewen "Dubh" Cameron of Lochiel.

Eilean nan Craobh is one of the earliest known settlements used by the chiefs of Cameron before moving up to Tor Castle. It is believed that this is where the Cameron's of Lochiel take their name, as the island is located in the narrows at the entrance to Loch Eil. This was later home to the captains of the Cameron clan during their war with the Macintosh's.

There is little written history about this castle after the "Massacre of Palm Sunday". In 1412 all members of Clan Cameron arrived at their local church for a day of prayer but their neighboring enemies had a differing idea. The Clan Chattan Confederation, including Clan Mackintosh, attacked Clan Cameron and set fire to the church. The battle that followed was filled with obstinacy and fury, to the point that most of the Macintoshes and almost the whole tribe of Cameron's, were cut to pieces. After the events of this battle there is little known about the castle and the people that occupied it.

Sir Ewen "Dubh" Cameron of Lochiel abandoned the highly disputed Tor Castle in the 16th century. Sir Ewen Cameron wanted a "more convenient" house, which was further removed from their enemies with Clan Mackintosh, Clan Campbell and Oliver Cromwell's garrison at Inverlochy Castle all being nearby Tor Castle. The Cameron Clan really did have an impressive amount of enemies at the time. Sir Ewen had a genius strategic mind and built the castle between Loch Lucky and Loch Arkaig. This position helped them end the 350-year war with the Mackintosh's at the Stand-off at the Fords of Arkaig. Sir Ewan used the lochs to their advantage and surprised the opposing forces. The two armies were prepared to face off with guns, bows and swords but Ewan saw a separate solution and after a week’s debate a diplomatic resolution was found.

The castle stood strong until one fateful day when Donald Cameron otherwise known as “the Gentle Lochiel” was planting trees on the banks of the river Arkaig. He was interrupted by news that Bonnie Prince Charlie had landed on the shores of Scotland. From that day onwards the castle that was described as being a “generous house of feasting, where wine goes round freely” was doomed. Donald initially refused to join Charles but his brother convinced him to make a decision which proved to be a fateful day in the history of the Cameron clan. After the defeat at the Battle of Culloden, the Cameron’s retreated to the mountains and on May the 28th, 1746, Donald watched as 320 men of Bligh's Regiment, burned the great fir-planked "old" Achnacarry to the ground.

In the years after the uprising the Gentle Lochiel’s descendants slowly made their way back to the UK after either escaping or being exiled to mainland Europe. Personally being exiled to the sunny South of France sounds quite nice to me. Anyway, for the next 50 years Achnacarry castle was left in ruins until "the Gentle Lochiel's" grandson, Donald Cameron saved the day. Donald and the distinguished architect James Gillespie built this new majestic "mansion house" and a road leading up to it for almost 30 years hoping to return the clan to its previous glory!

Instead of battles with swords this new Achnacarry castle only saw wars of words as the castle hosted the leaders of the free world’s oil industry in the 1920s. For two weeks the oil industry battled with rising prices of Russian oil until they reached what is now known as the “Achnacarry Agreement”. If only the current chief could organise a round two of that event.

During World War Two, the Cameron’s vacated Achnacarry, handing it over to the British military and for three years as many as 25,000 allied soldiers trained there. The castle became the Commando Training Depot which was used to train soldiers for landing behind enemy lines. If you are interested in this, the BBC have a great documentary on the Commando Castle. Despite this, the castle did not escape the war unharmed as when the end of the war loomed, the castle was hit by a great fire which left it with no roof. The castle was quickly rebuilt and still stands to this day and is a great visit for anyone interested in this fascinating clan.

There you have it, the incredible castles of Clan Cameron! Which Cameron castle will you put at the top of your list on your next visit to Scotland?