We have acted for the Campbell family and Argyll Estates since our firm’s inception in 1815 and are delighted to be part of the project helping save the Duke’s unique Argyll Charters through his Adopt a Charter initiative.
Urgent work is underway to save medieval papers which provide invaluable insights into some of the most defining days of one of Scotland’s most famous families from decaying.
Tests on the centuries-old Argyll Charters - housed in the archive at Inveraray Castle - triggered a vital preservation project to partially restore and rescue 17 documents to ensure they are safeguarded for future generations.
The enthralling historic papers - dating back to the 1400s- shine a spotlight on the Campbell family and its long association with Inveraray and Argyllshire, pointing to their influence on wider Scottish society.
And while they were drafted centuries before the international headlines generated by the 1962 divorce of Iain Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll, and Margaret, Duchess of Argyll - made famous to modern audiences through the BBC drama A Very British Scandal - they provide a glimpse into no less turbulent times, including the earldom’s establishment.
His Grace, the Duke of Argyll, who owns the collection of charters, has been working internationally to secure the support needed to make their preservation possible through the Adopt a Charter initiative.
Scottish legal firm Lindsays is among those who have stepped forward to adopt some of the documents. Its lawyers have acted for the estate since the firm’s inception in 1815.
Michael Yellowlees (Partner and Head of Rural Services) holds a doctorate in Scottish history. He is also a director of the Scottish Barony Register and an expert in the sale and purchase of feudal dignities, including baronies, lordships and earldoms, and heraldry.
He said: “The charters are of real historical and social significance, telling the story of some incredibly important events not just in local life, but in explaining how the Campbells became such influential figures nationally. As a firm with our own long association with the estate, we feel it’s vital that they are properly preserved.
“Until the airing of A Very British Scandal many people outwith Scotland may not have known much about the Campbell family and its long association with Inveraray and Argyllshire. Interest has undoubtedly intensified, making this work timely.”
The three charters adopted by Lindsays span a turbulent period in the history of Argyll, including the creation of the earldom of Argyll and the establishment of Inveraray as a burgh of barony in 1474.
They are:
- The Charter from King James, under the Great Seal, for the love and favour he had to Colin, 1st Earl of Argyll, and by which he erects the Earl’s town of Inneirreyra [Inveraray] into a Free Burgh of Barony, 1474. This parchment document, measuring 358 x 190mm, is fragile, stained and brittle – only holding together because it is parchment. There is a large missing area along the bottom edge, possibly due to rodent damage, and a missing area on the top edge. Its adoption allowed it to be cleaned, humidified, repaired using parchment, collogen and gelatine adhesive and re-packaged.
- Procuratory of Resignation by Mariota Nykane [Nic Iain] of Ardnamurchan with consent of her husband, Robert Robertson of Strowan, of all her lands - including those in Islay and Jura - in favour of Archibald, Earl of Argyll, 1538. This document has been folded in four. Slight water damage has faded or washed away the ink, although Niall, the 10th Duke,had attempted to fill in some of the missing text. This document needed to be cleaned, humidified and dried under light tension. It has been repackaged in a bespoke box, using platizote foam to support the seal.
- Feu Charter by Archibald, 5th Earl of Argyll, to his brother, Colin Campbell of Balquhan (sic for Boquhan), of the lands of Gartervaik and others lying in the shire of Tarbert, dated 1568. The Earl's seal remains, although cracked. A parchment document measuring 290 x 236mm, it has suffered water damage where the inks have faded or washed away. The writing is barely legible and Niall, 10th Duke of Argyll, attempted to fill in some missing text. The repair included cleaning, humidifying and drying the document under light tension. The split in the seal was repaired with document repackaged in a bespoke box, using platizote foam to support the seal.
Alison Diamond, Archivist and Trustee at Argyll Estates, said: “Our charters and writs are some of the oldest and most fragile documents in our collection. We hope that the cleaning and repairs carried out will protect them for another 500 years, preserving a unique part of Campbell history.
“We can never replace the wording or seals that have already been lost - whether through holes, fading ink or the likes - but we now have documents that we can study in detail, using UV lighting and magnifiers, and from which we can draw the most detail possible.”
The Campbell connection with Inveraray and Argyllshire stretches back to the 1200s. The Argyll Estates Adopt a Charter project illustrates one of the many diverse challenges faced by modern landed estates. On the one hand, they are the stewards of historic assets that may be centuries old; on the other, they must be up to speed with 21st-century approaches to keeping their estates viable, from crowdfunding, renewable energy generation and property development to heritage tourism
Featured on STV News on Friday 16 December:
Historically significant documents saved at Inveraray Castle for future generations | STV News
