Notes re: Septs of Clan Campbell

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ARTHUR, MACARTHUR, MACARTAIR, MACCARTER

An early offshoot of the same blood as the Campbells. Later, the Campbells of Strachur who descend from Sir Arthur Campbell were referred to as the "MacArthur Campbells". The name is also found in other parts of the Highlands from other origins.

BANNATYNE

Bannatyne of Kames in Bute was a follower of the Campbell chief.

BURNS, BURNES, BURNESS, BURNETT

Considered septs, due to the claimed Campbell blood of one particular Burns family. The inclusion of the name Burnett, that of a well-known clan in the Northeast of Scotland, is probably due to nothing more than its fancied resemblance to the name Burness.

CONNOCHIE, MACCONOCHIE, CONOCHIE, MACCONACHIE, MACCONCHIE, MACCONECHY, MACCONOCHIE, MACONACHIE

MacConochie in its various spellings means "Son of Duncan" and the patronymic was used by the Campbells of Inverawe, Lerags and Glenfeochan on occasion. They descend from an early Duncan Campbell. The name is used by a number of other clans.

DENUNE, DENOON

Clans Denune and Denoon are claimed to be from Dunoon in Argyll and to be of an early Campbell family who took the name as Constables of the castle. Later, Campbell Captains of Dunoon came from Ardkinglas branch of the clan. From an early seal, it would appear that the Denunes may have been Stewarts or Menteiths rather than Campbells.

GIBBON, GIBSON, MACGIBBON, MACGUBBIN

The MacGibbons were a Cowal sept, long followers of the Campbell Chiefs. Some dropped the Mac and the names Gibbon and Gibson were used on occasion, but this last name is common throughout Scotland and comes from many unrelated sources.

HARRES, HARRIS, HAWES, HAWESON, HAWS

The Fergusons of Glensellich on Cowal appear to have been early possessors of Strachur. They used the patronymic Mackerris which has been derived from "son of Harry" which has resulted in the addition of the above names which, in fact, often come from totally different sources.

HASTINGS

Flora Campbell, Countess of Loudoun, in her own right, married in 1804, Francis Rawdon, later created Marquess of Hastings. The present Countess's surname is Abney-Hastings. This marriage appears to be the only connection of the name with Clan Campbell.

ISAAC, ISAACS, MACISAAC, MACKESSACK, MACKISSOCK, MACKESSOCH, etc.

These all come under MACISAAC of which they are spelling variations. The family is early found in mid-Argyll. One version of their origin is that they are part of the Clanranald sept of the same name though this may be questioned. Other users of these names from a different original may be "Sons of the Servant of St. Kessog", venerated on Loch Lomond and the Black Isle and sometimes MacKessogs. Mac is sometimes dropped and the name can appear as Kissock, etc.

IVERSON, MACIVER, MACEVER, MACGURE, MACIVOR, MACURE, ORR, URE

These are all forms of the same name. The Argyllshire MacIvers are said to have descended from an early Campbell, Iver Crom. MacIvers from further north are more likely to be of Norse ancestry. The Name Orr is also found in other parts of Scotland deriving from different stock.

LORNE

A sept from the district of that name in Argyll which came under Campbell domination c.1470. Previous Lords of Lorne were Stewarts and MacDougalls.

LOUDOUN

A sept from the district of that name in Ayrshire, long in Campbell possession.

KELLAR, KELLER, MACKELLAR, MACELLER

The Mackellars were a small kindred in mid-Argyll who followed the Campbells.

MACGLASRICH

"Son of the man from Glassery" - a district of Argyll. The description was used by a family of Campbells whose progenitor is said to have fled Aryll to Keppoch. Some still use name of Campbell.

MACKELVIE, MACELVIE

The inclusion of this name poses a puzzle; it is mainly found in Galloway. There are various forms of the name and one of them, M'Ilwee, is to be found in Bute in the 17th century and may be the reason for its identification as a Campbell sept.

MACKERLIE

The Campbells of Inverneill descend from the Mackerlich Campbells in Breadalbane who were an offshort of the Campbells of Craignish. The name has various forms all meaning Son of Charles and there can be no suggestion that all of the names are Campbells.

MACNICHOL

The name was early to be found in Glenorchy and one version claims that they came there with an exile from Lochaber in the 1500's, one Nicol McPhee. They may, therefore, be McPhees of Colonsay in origin. The name is most commonly used by the MacNicols in Skye. A family of MacNichols held the property of Elrig in Clenshira until the 18th century.

MACNOCAIRD

MacNocaird is from the Gaelic for "Son of the Whitesmith", a trade which ended up in the vagrant "tinkers" or "tinklers". Caird is a common name across Scotland from the same origin. Argyllshire Macnocairds followed the Campbell Chief and a number "gentrified" their name by converting it to Sinclair - a rhyming reference to their trade.

MACCORAN

The name, MacCoran, according to tradition, is associated with the Campbells of Melfort, one of whom in the 17th century, having committed a crime, fled his country and used it as an alias. The name is to be found in Perthshire.

MACOWEN

The inclusion of this name is a puzzle; it has on occasion been used as a variation of MacEwan, the name used both by the Clan based at Otter on Loch Fyne whose chief early lost his lands to the Campbells and the unrelated family of the same name (they are said to have been MacDougalls) who were hereditary bards and sennachies to the Campbell Chiefs.

MACPHEDRAN

MacPhedran is the Gaelic form of Paterson or "Son of little Pat". The original of the name is said to have been a MacAulay. Legend says that Robert the Bruce rewarded one of his family who rowed him back from Rathlin with the lucrative gift of the hereditary ferry rights across Loch Awe at Portsonachan of which there is documentary evidence in the form of a charter from the Campbell chief as early as 1439.

MACPHUN

The name derives from Gaelic Mac-Ghille-Mhund or servant of St. Mund and is the same as MacMunn. The MacPhuns were small lairds in Cowal. Some of the MacMuns held lands at Kilmun and were guardians of the relics of St. Mund, said to be the patron saint of the Campbells.

MACTAVISH, MACTAUSE, MACTHOMAS, TAWESON, TAWESSON, THOMAS,

THOMASON, THOMPSON, THOMSON, MACCOLM, MACCOLMBE, MACLAWS, MACLEHOSE

These names all mean Son of Thomas. MacTavish seems to be an Argyllshire name; the early genealogy of the clan makes mention of a Tavis Coirr who was an illegitmate son of an early Campbell Chief; there was a Sir Thomas Campbell at the time of Robert the Bruce and the MacTavishes may descend from either or both. Some MacTavishes gentrified their name, notably to Thompson, but users of this and similar names may descend from a variety of sources.

MOORE, MUIR

The name can come from a number of unrelated sources. The chief family was that of Mure of Rowallan in Ayrshire. The 5th Earl of Loudoun took the additional surname of Mure on inheriting the lands of Rowallan from his grandmother. A number of Moores from this same stock were among the lowland presbyterians settled on his lands of Kintyre by the Marquis of Argyll in 1650.

OCHILTREE

Ochiltree is an anglicised form of the name MacUghtre or MacUchtrie family who served the Earls of Argyll as men of law as did the MacArthurs. Nothing to do with the place name which has given the name to users who are totally unrelated.

PINKERTON

The lands and barony of Pinkerton in Lothian were for a time held by the Campbell Chief.

MACDIARMID, MACDERMOTT, MACDERMID

The name is a Perthshire one and many of the name followed the Campbells of Glenorchy. The spelling variation Macdermott is most usually that of an unrelated Irish kindred. See the legend re Origin of Name "Campbell"

CADDELL, CADELL, CALDER, CATTELL

Muriel, the rich heiress of the Calder family away up in Nairn was married to Sr. John Campbell, son of the 2nd Earl of Argyll. From this union descend the Campbells of Cawdor, as the name is now spelled. After much trouble, the members of Muriel's family accepted her son as their leader.

TORRIE, TORRY

A local family in Nairnshire who followed the Campbells of Cawdor. A Torrie is on record in Islay where he had obviously gone when that island was purchased by Campbell of Cawdor.

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