Series 5 > Campbell Letters 1559-1583

36
CLAN CAMPBELL LETTERS
of Craiginterve (169, 172, 173).1 In one case the parson of Lochawe,
Neil Malcolm, appears to have been spying on his behalf (10).
His Lorn base made Grey Colin interested in events in the Isles,
particularly the Inner Hebrides. He was on good terms with the MacLeans
of Duart and received news of happenings on the west coast and islands
(e.g. 68) ,2 The region north of Lorn, especially Lochaber, was an important
arena for Grey Colin’s contacts and political manoeuvrings. There were
tensions in his relations with the Stewarts of Appin and the Camerons of
Lochiel, though he employed the leader of a cadet branch, Donald
McEwan Cameron, as one of his military captains (127,130). When he
was at feud with his former military partners, the MacGregors, Grey
Colin was forced to cast his net wider for military assistance and was
ready to hire the services of the MacDonalds of Keppoch and of Glencoe
(52).
Grey Colin was trying to consolidate his hold over Breadalbane and
his relations with his immediate neighbours were tense and sometimes
hostile.The long-running rivalry with Menzies ofWeem added an abrasive
edge to both of Grey Colin’s letters to James Menzies (21, 194). Their
latent hostility spilled over into a bitter dispute which found its way to
the privy council in 1580 (198-200). However, although there are many
references to Breadalbane problems in the letters, there are few letters
from its inhabitants, partly because personal contact between the parties
was so regular.
The Glenorchy Campbells’ push eastwards had brought them to the
borders of the traditional zone of influence of the earls ofAtholl.Through
his mother Grey Colin was Atholl’s cousin, and the two men became
personal friends.Their correspondence indicates how closely they worked
together.3 Blood and marriage ties brought Grey Colin into contact with
other Perthshire lairds, such as the Murrays both of Tullibardine and of
Tibbermuir (Appendix C, no. 6). These links were reinforced by his
marriage to Katherine which brought an alliance with the extensive
Ruthven family whose influence was based upon Perth and its environs
(Appendix C, no. 7). With its combination of Highland and Lowland
territories, acceptance into the regional politics of Perthshire gave Grey
Cohn strong Lowland connections. Friendships cemented during the
1 J. Bannerman,‘The MacLachlans of Kilbride and their manuscripts’, Scottish Studies,
xxi (1977), 1-34.
2 Letter from Hector Mor MacLean of Duart to Grey Colin, c. 1555-6, GD112/39/
1/4.
3 This should include most ofWilliam Stewart of Grandtully’s letters because he was
normally acting as the earl’s secretary (e.g. 89).