Series 5 > Campbell Letters 1559-1583

INTRODUCTION
43
and as a neighbour of Grey Colin, John Stewart of Appin was already
heavily involved in the region’s affairs. In Lochaber, Donald Cameron of
Lochiel was usually more detached but his kinsman Donald MacEwan
Cameron provided mercenary troops for the Campbell side, as did Ranald
MacDonald of Keppoch and John MacDonald of Glencoe.1 In contrast
to the military involvement of the northern clans, those within the Lennox
to the south ofArgyU took the more passive role of supplying and receiving
stolen goods from some of the MacGregor groups who had settled in
that area. Once restored in 1564 after his long exile in England, Matthew
Stewart, fourth earl of Lennox, had sought to reassert control over his
traditional heritage. The earl of Argyll, who had extended his own
influence into the Lennox by making a bond with George Buchanan of
that ilk, did not want the MacGregor feud to disrupt that relationship.2
This created friction between the earl and Grey Cohn who was intent
upon ending the resetting of the MacGregors undertaken by Buchanan’s
tenants. In different ways during 1570 the earls of Lennox and Argyll and
Buchanan’s close neighbour, John Cunningham of Drumquhassill, put
pressure upon Buchanan to withdraw support from the MacGregors (156,
159, 163).The other clan aiding the MacGregors was the MacFarlanes.
Lacking the powerful friends who protected Buchanan, Andrew
MacFarlane of Arrochar and his kinsmen were outlawed (162).3
Highland warfare and raiding
The MacGregor feud, which runs like a leitmotiv through the letters,
underlines the militarised nature of Highland society and politics. The
scale and extent of the fighting were unusual and provide a measure of
the difference between the Highlands and the Lowlands. One reason
why the MacGregor feud attracted so much attention at court was the
location of the violence on the borders between the Highlands and the
Lowlands. The MacGregors raided across the main trade routes between
the regions, causing a wave of concern among Lowlanders. Violent
disruption and raids were by no means confined to the Highlands. A
gradual process of demilitarisation was underway in the Lowlands during
the sixteenth century which encouraged Lowlanders to dismiss Highland
violence as a sign of barbarism, making no attempt to distinguish between
its different forms. Attitudes were more important than realities, with the
There is no correspondence from Glencoe but he signed a bond with Grey Cohn
to serve against the MacGregors, 6 May 1563: GD112/1/131; BBT, 208.
See Argyll to Grey Colin, 11 Mar. 1565, GDI 12/39/3/24.
Copy of the letters putting them to the horn, GDI 12/1/193.