Achnacarry
Encyclopedia
Achnacarry is a small hamlet, private estate, and a castle in the Lochaber
region of Highland
, Scotland
. It occupies a strategic position on an isthmus between Loch Lochy
to the east, and Loch Arkaig
to the west.
The settlement has a long association with Clan Cameron
, Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
built the original Achnacarry Castle
in about 1655. This was destroyed by government troops after the Battle of Culloden
, but "New Achnacarry" was built on the same site in Scottish Baronial style in 1802. It was used as a Commando
Training Depot in World War II and the village retains close ties to British Commandos
, the United States Army Rangers
and similar units from other Allied nations. In 1928, the Achnacarry Agreement was signed, an early attempt to set petroleum production quota
s.
and about 15 miles north of the town of Fort William.
"As you approach Achnacarry, which lies rather low, but is surrounded by very fine trees, the luxuriance of the tangled woods, surmounted by rugged hills, becomes finer and finer till you come to Loch Arkaig, a little over half a mile from the house. This is a very lovely loch, reminding one of Loch Katrine, especially where there is a little pier, from which we embarked on board a very small but nice screw steamer which belongs to Cameron of Lochiel."--Royal Visit to Achnacarry, from the Journal of Queen Victoria, Friday, September 12, 1873.
led by the Clan Mackintosh
.
Built on the ruins of the old Achnacarry Castle
in 1802, the current building gained fame as the Commando Training Depot for the Allied Forces from 1942 to 1945. British Commandos
, United States Army Rangers
and commandos from France
, the Netherlands
, Norway
, Czechoslovakia, Poland
and Belgium
trained there. As live ammunition was used during training, there were some casualties whilst training at Achnacarry. The castle also suffered some damage due to fire.
Several military associations still sponsor a Commando March either annually or from time to time. Generally it is a timed seven mile march, in full battle gear, backpack and combat boots, from Spean Bridge to Achnacarry.
have maintained homes at Achnacarry since about 1655. The castle itself is not open to the public but visitors are welcome at the Clan Cameron Museum about a quarter-mile from the castle. The current Chief of Clan Cameron
, traditionally known simply as "Lochiel", Donald Cameron of Lochiel, continues to live in Achnacarry.
In August 2001, Achnacarry served as the site of the International Gathering of Clan Cameron, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Colonel Sir Donald Hamish Cameron of Lochiel, K.T., XXVI Chief of Clan Cameron. It also hosted the International Gathering of Clan Cameron in the summer of 2009.
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
region of Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It occupies a strategic position on an isthmus between Loch Lochy
Loch Lochy
Loch Lochy is a large freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. With a mean depth of , it is the third deepest loch of Scotland.-Geography:...
to the east, and Loch Arkaig
Loch Arkaig
Loch Arkaig is a body of water in Lochaber, Scotland, to the west of the Great Glen. It is approximately 12 miles in length and lies 140 feet above sea level, the maximum depth is some 300 feet....
to the west.
The settlement has a long association with Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
, Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was a Scottish highland chieftain, the 17th Chief of Clan Cameron.Macaulay called Ewen the "Ulysses of the Highlands". He was a man of enormous strength and size...
built the original Achnacarry Castle
Achnacarry Castle
Achnacarry Castle is the ancestral home of the chiefs of Clan Cameron, located at Achnacarry, about northeast of Fort William, Scotland. The original castle was built around 1655 and destroyed after the Battle of Culloden in 1746; a new house in Scottish baronial style was built nearby in...
in about 1655. This was destroyed by government troops after the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
, but "New Achnacarry" was built on the same site in Scottish Baronial style in 1802. It was used as a Commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
Training Depot in World War II and the village retains close ties to British Commandos
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
, the United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
and similar units from other Allied nations. In 1928, the Achnacarry Agreement was signed, an early attempt to set petroleum production quota
Production quota
A production quota is a goal for the production of a good. It is typically set by a government or an organization, and can be applied to an individual worker, firm, industry or country. Quotas can be set high to encourage production, or can be used to limit production to control the supply of goods...
s.
Geography
Achnacarry is not far from the village of Spean BridgeSpean Bridge
Spean Bridge is a village, in the Highland region of Scotland.The village takes its name from the Highbridge over the River Spean on General Wade's military road between Fort William and Fort Augustus, and not from Telford's bridge of 1819 which carries the A82 over the river at the heart of the...
and about 15 miles north of the town of Fort William.
"As you approach Achnacarry, which lies rather low, but is surrounded by very fine trees, the luxuriance of the tangled woods, surmounted by rugged hills, becomes finer and finer till you come to Loch Arkaig, a little over half a mile from the house. This is a very lovely loch, reminding one of Loch Katrine, especially where there is a little pier, from which we embarked on board a very small but nice screw steamer which belongs to Cameron of Lochiel."--Royal Visit to Achnacarry, from the Journal of Queen Victoria, Friday, September 12, 1873.
History
In 1665 the Stand-off at the Ford of Arkaig took place near the village, which saw the Camerons finally end their 328-year feud with the Chattan ConfederationChattan Confederation
Clan Chattan or the Chattan Confederation is a confederation of 16 Scottish clans who joined for mutual defence or blood bonds. Its leader was the chief of Clan Mackintosh.-Origins:The origin of the name Chattan is disputed...
led by the Clan Mackintosh
Clan MacKintosh
Clan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
.
Achnacarry Castle
Built on the ruins of the old Achnacarry Castle
Achnacarry Castle
Achnacarry Castle is the ancestral home of the chiefs of Clan Cameron, located at Achnacarry, about northeast of Fort William, Scotland. The original castle was built around 1655 and destroyed after the Battle of Culloden in 1746; a new house in Scottish baronial style was built nearby in...
in 1802, the current building gained fame as the Commando Training Depot for the Allied Forces from 1942 to 1945. British Commandos
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
, United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
and commandos from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Czechoslovakia, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
trained there. As live ammunition was used during training, there were some casualties whilst training at Achnacarry. The castle also suffered some damage due to fire.
Several military associations still sponsor a Commando March either annually or from time to time. Generally it is a timed seven mile march, in full battle gear, backpack and combat boots, from Spean Bridge to Achnacarry.
Clan Cameron
The Chiefs of the Clan CameronClan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
have maintained homes at Achnacarry since about 1655. The castle itself is not open to the public but visitors are welcome at the Clan Cameron Museum about a quarter-mile from the castle. The current Chief of Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
, traditionally known simply as "Lochiel", Donald Cameron of Lochiel, continues to live in Achnacarry.
In August 2001, Achnacarry served as the site of the International Gathering of Clan Cameron, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Colonel Sir Donald Hamish Cameron of Lochiel, K.T., XXVI Chief of Clan Cameron. It also hosted the International Gathering of Clan Cameron in the summer of 2009.
Achnacarry Agreement
In 1928 Achnacarry served as the meeting place for global petroleum producers in an effort to set production quotas. A document known as the Achnacarry Agreement or "As-Is" Agreement was signed on 17 September 1928.See also
- Rutherford HouseRutherford HouseRutherford House was the home of the first Premier of Alberta, Alexander Cameron Rutherford from 1911 to 1941. It is now an Alberta Provincial Historic Site.-Overview:...
, home of the first Premier of Alberta, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, from 1911 to 1941 which was originally called Achnacarry in honour of his family roots. - Anglo-American Petroleum AgreementAnglo-American Petroleum AgreementThe Anglo-American Petroleum Agreement was a failed attempt by the British and American governments to establish a lasting agreement to manage international petroleum supply and demand...
– a 1944 attempt to control petroleum production
External links
- http://www.clan-cameron.org for detailed information and photographs
- lochiel.net – official site of the Clan Chief
- http://www.highland-glens.co.uk/commandos/index.htm
- http://www.lochaber.com/achnacarry/index.htm
- http://www.abmp.freeserve.co.uk/
- Combined Operations