Ewen Cameron of Lochiel
Encyclopedia
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...
highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
chieftain
Chiefs of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan...
, the 17th 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...
.
Macaulay called Ewen the "Ulysses of the Highlands". He was a man of enormous strength and size. An incident showing his strength and ferocity in single combat is used by Sir Walter Scott in Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake (poem)
The Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day...
(canto v.).
Early years
He was the eldest son of John Cameron and the grandson of Allan Cameron of Lochiel, 16th Chief of Clan Cameron (c. 1567/68 - c. 1647; son of John Cameron and unknown daughter Mackintosh). Having lost his father in infancy, he passed part of his youth with the Marquess of Argyll at InverarayInveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
. In the year 1647 he became Chief of Clan Cameron, succeeding his grandfather as one of the most important Chiefs in the Scottish Highlands.
The Camerons were always strong supporters of the Royal Stuarts
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
and Sir Ewen joined William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn in the Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654, and was defeated at the Battle of Tullich
Battle of Tullich
The Battle of Tullich, in 1652, also known as the Battle of the Pass near Tullich was part of the Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654 in Scotland, which itself was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms....
in 1652. However Ewen also won several minor skirmishes; after the defeat of this attempt he served the royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
cause by harassing the Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
general and military governor of Scotland George Monck
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
. He then built a new base at 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 1655, to keep his men further away from the government troops. It was only upon the death of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
in 1658 did he submit to general Monck and was received warmly for his chivalrous conduct during the civil war. Soon after he accompanied Monck to London where the general called a meeting of parliament to discuss the new situation. After lengthy discussion and debate it was decided that the King would be invited back from exile and that the Royal House of Stuart would be restored to the throne after a republican interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
of 12 years. For his loyal service during the war, Sir Ewen was received warmly by the King and was allowed soon after to return to his estates.
On 20 September 1665, Sir Ewen ended the 360-year feud with 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:...
after the Stand-off at the Fords of Arkaig
Stand-off at the Fords of Arkaig
The Stand-off at the Ford of Arkaig occurred in September 1665 at Achnacarry, about northeast of Fort William, Scotland. The Chattan Confederation led by the Clan Mackintosh assembled an army to challenge Clan Cameron in a 360 year-old dispute over the lands around Loch Arkaig...
at Achnacarry
Achnacarry
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....
. From that point, Ewen was responsible for keeping the peace between his men and their former enemies. However when he was away in London in 1668, a feud broke out between Clan Donald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
and their enemies Clan Mackintosh, who headed the confederation of clans known as Clan Chattan. As Sir Ewen was away he was not able to hold back his clan, and they made a small contribution to the MacDonald victory over the Mackintoshes at the Battle of Maol Ruadh (Mulroy).
In 1681, he was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed by Charles II, whom he had fought alongside during the war. After the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
in 1688 in which the Royal House of Stuart was deposed and replaced by a foreign dynasty, he became one of the principal commanders in the Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
where he fought under the famous Viscount Dundee at the Battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
. This battle was won by the genius of Dundee and became legendary in Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
history because of the death of their greatest commander at the moment of his biggest triumph. The rebellion then collapsed soon after because of arguments among the remaining leaders. By this time Sir Ewen was approaching sixty years of age and was starting to give his son more and more responsibilities. He felt he was now too old to participate directly in military affairs and his son John now led the clan in battle, most notably in the second Jacobite Rising of 1715
Jacobite Rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715, often referred to as The 'Fifteen, was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart.-Background:...
at the battle of Sheriffmuir
Sheriffmuir
Sheriffmuir , the site of the inconclusive 1715 Battle of Sheriffmuir , lies on the slopes of the Ochil Hills just inside the Perthshire border in Scotland...
.
Marriage and children
Ewen had three wives and many children:His first wife was Mary Macdonald, daughter of Sir Donald Gorme Macdonald, 8th Laird of Sleat.
His second wife was Isabel Maclean, daughter of Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet
Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet
Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet of Morvern, the 17th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean. Lachlan was granted his Baronet title by Charles I and he became the Clan Chief on the death of his brother in 1626...
. Their children included:
- Major Donald Cameron (d. 1718), Alan Cameron, Margaret Cameron, Ann Cameron who married Allan MacLean, 10th Laird of ArdgourAllan Maclean, 10th Laird of Ardgour-Biography:He was born in 1668 to Ewen Maclean, 9th Laird of Ardgour and Mary, daughter of Lachlan Maclean of Lochbuie. His siblings were Donald, Charles, John, and Lachlan....
, Katherine Cameron, Janet Cameron (d. 9 Feb 1759). Son John Cameron of LochielJohn Cameron of LochielJohn Cameron of Lochiel was the 18th chief of Clan Cameron and a significant Jacobite. He was the eldest son and heir of Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, a fervent Royalist and one of the first to join the rising of 1652 in favour of King Charles II, by whom he was knighted in 1681.He joined the Earl...
(d. 1747/48), succeeded as 18th Chief of Clan Cameron.
His third wife was Jean Barclay, daughter of Robert Barclay, 2nd Laird of Urie. Their children included:
- Ludovick Cameron, Christian Cameron, Jean Cameron who married Ewen MacPherson of Cluny Chief of the Clan MacPhersonClan MacphersonClan Macpherson is a Highland Scottish clan from Badenoch, on the River Spey. It is a leading member of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
, Isabel Cameron, Ket Cameron, Una Cameron, Marjory Cameron, Lucy Cameron.
Death
He died in 1719. Ewen's son and successor, John, died in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in 1748. John's son Donald
Donald Cameron of Lochiel
Donald Cameron of Lochiel , was an influential Highland Clan Chief known for his magnanimous and gallant nature. His support of Charles Edward Stuart was instrumental in the Jacobite Rising of 1745...
, sometimes called Gentle Lochiel, joined Charles Edward, the Young Pretender
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
in 1745, was wounded at 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...
, and escaped to 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...
, dying in the same year as his father.
Further reading
- Memoirs of Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel (Bannatyne ClubBannatyne ClubThe Bannatyne Club was founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history, poetry, or general literature. It printed 116 volumes in all. It was dissolved in 1861....
, 1842)