Campbell
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Campbell is a Scottish name and comes
from the Gaelic cam and bent, meaning crooked
mouth. Cailean Mor was said to have been given this
nickname because he talked out of one side of his mouth. He was
killed in a skirmish with the MacDonalds and a cairn still marks the
spot where he fell.
As Dukes of Argyll, this family was influential in political life in Scotland and England from the 1450's. The Campbells are still remembered for their massacre of the MacDonalds at Glencoe in 1692. Clan Campbell took the British government side during the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings and thus did not suffer confiscations. Later Dukes were British Field Marshals, Cabinet Ministers, and a Governor General of Canada.
In addition to Argyll, the main Campbell branches in Argyllshire were those of Strachur (the oldest of the branches), Auchinbeck (which suffered financial reverses in the 18th century), and outside, those of Glenorchy/Breadalbane (in Caithness), Loudoun (in Ayrshire), and Cawdor (in Inverness and subsequently in Wales).
Not all Campbells who held land were clan-related. Daniel Campbell prospered as a merchant in Glasgow in the early 1700's and was able to acquire, at a knockdown price, the islands of Islay and part of Jura from the profligate Campbell of Cawdor.
The pipe tune Baill Inneraora or "The Campbells Are Coming" is a well-known Scottish tune.
Ireland. Many Campbells moved to Ireland in the 17th century as part of the Protestant settlement. Campbell was the fifth most common name recorded in Ulster in 1890. Campbells were particularly prevalent in Donegal where many were descended from Scottish mercenaries there.
America. Campbells in America are either Scots or Scots Irish in origin. Two Scots Irish immigrants into SW Virginia in the 1740's were the so-called "White David" and cousin "Black David" Campbell. From this stock came David Campbell, Governor of Virginia in the 1830's, William Campbell, Governor of Tennessee in the 1850s, and Confederate General Alexander Campbell (after whom Fort Campbell in Kentucky was named).
Campbell's Soup was started in Camden, New Jersey by Joseph Campbell in 1869.
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Campbell Resources on
The
Internet
- Clan Campbell Society. North American Campbells.
- Campbell DNA Project. Campbell DNA.
As Dukes of Argyll, this family was influential in political life in Scotland and England from the 1450's. The Campbells are still remembered for their massacre of the MacDonalds at Glencoe in 1692. Clan Campbell took the British government side during the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings and thus did not suffer confiscations. Later Dukes were British Field Marshals, Cabinet Ministers, and a Governor General of Canada.
In addition to Argyll, the main Campbell branches in Argyllshire were those of Strachur (the oldest of the branches), Auchinbeck (which suffered financial reverses in the 18th century), and outside, those of Glenorchy/Breadalbane (in Caithness), Loudoun (in Ayrshire), and Cawdor (in Inverness and subsequently in Wales).
Not all Campbells who held land were clan-related. Daniel Campbell prospered as a merchant in Glasgow in the early 1700's and was able to acquire, at a knockdown price, the islands of Islay and part of Jura from the profligate Campbell of Cawdor.
The pipe tune Baill Inneraora or "The Campbells Are Coming" is a well-known Scottish tune.
Ireland. Many Campbells moved to Ireland in the 17th century as part of the Protestant settlement. Campbell was the fifth most common name recorded in Ulster in 1890. Campbells were particularly prevalent in Donegal where many were descended from Scottish mercenaries there.
America. Campbells in America are either Scots or Scots Irish in origin. Two Scots Irish immigrants into SW Virginia in the 1740's were the so-called "White David" and cousin "Black David" Campbell. From this stock came David Campbell, Governor of Virginia in the 1830's, William Campbell, Governor of Tennessee in the 1850s, and Confederate General Alexander Campbell (after whom Fort Campbell in Kentucky was named).
Campbell's Soup was started in Camden, New Jersey by Joseph Campbell in 1869.
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Cailean Mor was the forebear
of the Campbell clan in Scotland.
Duncan Campbell was the first Campbell to be ennobled - as Lord Campbell of Argyll - in 1445.
Archibald Campbell, the 5th Earl of Argyll, was the leading figure in Scottish politics in the 1560's and 1570's.
Robert Campbell was an Irish immigrant who became a frontiersman, fur trader, and businessman in the American West.
Sir Malcolm Campbell was the British holder of the world land and water speed records in the 1920's.
Glen Campbell is a well-known
country music artist. Duncan Campbell was the first Campbell to be ennobled - as Lord Campbell of Argyll - in 1445.
Archibald Campbell, the 5th Earl of Argyll, was the leading figure in Scottish politics in the 1560's and 1570's.
Robert Campbell was an Irish immigrant who became a frontiersman, fur trader, and businessman in the American West.
Sir Malcolm Campbell was the British holder of the world land and water speed records in the 1920's.
Select Campbells Today
- 116,000 in the UK (most numerous in Glasgow)
- 117,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 108,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
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For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.
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