Series 5 > Campbell Letters 1559-1583

CLAN CAMPBELL LETTERS
85
wreitt to yow againe \I culd nocht be lasaritt1 to wreitt to yow againe/
for he derekittitt your serwand apon the he gaitt.2 Nochtwithstanding
conforme to your desyir me Lord and his ffyndis hes trawalitt in your
efferris alis far as thay mycht ye beand absentt your selif as ye may persawe
be my Lordis wreting quhairintiU the haill mater is contenitt att lenith
udirwayis I wald hawe wretin the samin. Ye sail witt thatt me Lord and his
fryndis ar weill apoirmtitt baithe apone maikin of arkittis3 for guid rewill
to be haid in the counetry and alis apone the consentting to ane stentt for
to reliwe me Lord of his dettis quhilk stentt is tway merkis of the merkland.4
Thair is na wdir nowelhs in thir partis nesisar to be wretin to yow bott ye
sail be assuritt of me in all tymis baithe of the plessour thatt I may do yow
oidir to word or deid as knowis God quhay woll presawe yow. Of Inveraray
the xxv day of lanuar 1564.Youris assuridy att his powar.
28 Argyll to Lady Glenorchy GD112/39/3/15
29 January 1565, Garrick Casde
To our ant5 the Ladie Glenwrqhaye delyver this
Ant efter maist hairtlie commendatiounis. We rasavit your letter and
wnderstandis the contenttis of the saymin quhilkis we thynk rasonabill
and as for Maister Archibald Campbell ye sail wit that he is werie ewill at
eiss throw ane fall he gait on the yiss and maye nocht ryiss out of ane
bed.6 Bot nochtwithstandyng quhen our ffeindis cumis to us we sail geit
ane man that maye be sufficient for the saymin to serve the Laird. Bot we
beleif that thairis na gentill man that wilbe contenttit to pas thair so quyaitlie
as ye desyir be rasoune thai cann nocht lippin to wnknawin men so well
as to thair awyin men.7 And this we wryit off our awyn heid for we
knawe nocht the contraire as yit bot alwayis ye sail knawe the saymin
To be free to do something.
Ardkinglas* refers to Argyll’s letter of 24 Jan. 1565, GDI 12/39/6/25, which was sent
from Lochgoilhead in Cowal by the ‘high gate’, presumably the Highland route
through Argyll into Breadalbane, despite the time of year.
Argyll had convened a major clan council which offered Grey Colin two options in
dealing with the MacGregors and also agreed to a stent (tax) of 2 merks per merkland
to help the earl with his debts.
Argyll addressed Katherine as ‘aunt’ in the general sense of a respected elder female
relation.
It is not clear what Katherine wanted Archibald Campbell to do nor precisely who
he was. Archibald’s fall upon the ice ensured that he could not perform the necessary
tasks for Katherine and Cohn, 29 Jan. 1565 (29).
This sentence and the fact that sending troops had been discussed at the clan council
of the Campbells held a few days earher suggest that a military role against the
MacGregors was what was intended.