The Clan Cameron is said to be one of the oldest of the Scottish clans. The name Cameron has been translated as “Crooked Nose”.
The first known chief was Donald Dhu but he is reckoned to be the 11th Chief. He was widely respected and it is thought that he was responsible for bringing together the many tribes into the Clan Cameron. There land was in and around Lochaber. Clan rivalry at this time resulted in a number of private quarrels and when the Camerons did not support the MacDonald of the Isles, the Chief decided to give the Cameron lands to MacLean of Coll. However the Camerons finally regained their lands after considerable resistance.
The lands of the Captain of Clan Cameron were erected into the Barony of Lochiel by Charter from King James V. Achnacarry Castle has been the seat of Cameron of Locheil, the Chief of the Clan, since the time of Sir Ewan Cameron, the 17th Chief. He was known as The Great Locheil. During the civil war he waged war against Cromwell’s troops and it was only when he agreed to desist that the Camerons’ were allowed to retain their arms.
The Camerons were amongst the most loyal supporters of the Jacobite cause. The “Gentle Lochiel” is considered to be among the most noble of the Chiefs because of the bravery he displayed. Their lands were forfeited after the rising of 1745 but later restored. He is said to have saved the city of Glasgow from the worst ravages of the occupying army. He was badly wounded but escaped to France to die abroad in 1748.
The Highland Clearances were used as a way of clearing the tenants and auctioning off their land in order to raise money to restore Achnacarry Castle. This ignoble behaviour would have been deplored by the “Gentle Lochiel”.
The Cameron Highlanders, the Clan Regiment, was raised by Cameron of Erracht in 1793. It was later amalgamated with the Seaforths to form the Queen’s Own Highlanders.
