History of Clan Campbell

In the third and final volume of Alastair Campbell’s acclaimed account of the Campbells the story resumes at a high pace. Successive incidents include the 9th Earl’s part in the 1685 Rebellion and his eventual execution; the 10th Earl’s raising to a Dukedom; the Massacre of Glencoe; the 2nd Duke’s quashing of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion at Sheriffmuir; the notable part played by the Clan in the 1745 Rebellion and in its aftermath the sorry tale of the Appin Murder.Following the defeat of the Jacobite armies at Culloden in1746 the old Clan system effectively came to an end. Succeeding chapters describe the break-up of the old order and the diaspora across the world together with details of the chiefly family and an account of the part played by the Clan in the British Army from its founding down to the war in Iraq. It is extraordinary to see how firmly the Campbells have left their imprint, how widely and in what a variety of ways.Appendices cover the heraldic history of Clan Campbell and the titles it has gained.The book is illustrated with maps expertly drawn by Kenneth Campbell and twenty pages of plates, four of them in colour. It includes appendices covering the Clan’s heraldic history and the titles it has gained over the centuries, and ends with a full bibliography and comprehensive index. Alistair Campbell's trilogy ranges over the histories of the West Highlands, Scotland, and the Scots overseas, in all of which Clan Campbell played a notable and often decisive part. His writing has combined depth and readability in a well-paced narrative. In recording the history of one remarkable family of people, he has made a significant contribution to the history of Scotland as a whole.

Alastair Campbell of Airds was, until 2001, Council Member of the National Trust for Scotland, and between 1996 and 2001 held an honorary Research Fellowship at the University of Aberdeen. He is Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Tartan to the Lord Lyon.