Series 5 > Campbell Letters 1559-1583

50
CLAN CAMPBELL LETTERS
exile in England, Grey Colin wished to remain uncommitted and not
offend either Argyll, or the queen’s supporter, Atholl. Such a stance was
increasingly difficult to maintain in the autumn and winter because a
defiant Argyll, who had not gone into exile, was making destructive raids
into Atholl and Strathearn. The Strathearn nobles who suffered from
these raids blamed Grey Colin for being privy to them or, at the least,
not preventing them.
At this point Grey Colin was vulnerable to legal or military challenge
because his royal commission against the MacGregors had been discharged
on 26 August.1 2 The greatest threat to Grey Cohn was no longer from the
MacGregors themselves, but from his regional rivals. Even though Queen
Mary had tried to buy Clan Gregor’s support against Glenorchy, the
MacGregors had opted instead to settle their differences with the
Campbells (51). It was a group of Perthshire and Angus nobles who
regarded Grey Colin’s disgrace as an opportunity to reduce his power.
Although they had occasionally suffered from MacGregor raiding in the
past, they were more concerned about the Campbell raids in the autumn
of 1565. The Strathearn nobles also had a longer-term grievance. They
had objected to the manner in which Grey Cohn had exploited the legal
immunity contained in the royal commission of fire and sword to extend
his power into those parts of Perthshire which they sought to control
(36). If these Lowland nobles could mobilise the judicial and military
power of the central government and press charges against him, Grey
Colin stood to lose far more than he had during the long years of the
MacGregor feud.
At the beginning of November Grey Colin’s hand was forced by two
developments: the unexpected legal summons obtained by Tullibardine,
and the privy council’s order forbidding trade with the region of Argyll
(60, 62-3).2 Grey Colin felt he must make his peace with the queen. At
a meeting with Argyll in Strathfillan he persuaded his chief to permit
him to seek an independent settlement with the crown.3 Grey Colin’s
next task was to convince Queen Mary of his loyalty. He wrote a letter
apologising for not travelling in person to answer the summons, giving
the excuses of illness and the dangers of the aftermath of the MacGregor
feud (64). He explained that his wife, Katherine, would travel to Edinburgh
in his place.This was a shrewd move because Lady Glenorchy successfully
mobilised her friends at court to lobby the queen and council on his
behalf. It also bought time for him to concentrate upon securing his
1 RPC, i, 361.
2 Memo ofTullibardine’s letters, GD112/1/161/B; RPC, i, 388-9.
3 Bond from fifth earl, GD112/1/161.