Donald "Domnhall Iain Oig" Campbell 1696 (or 1714) - 2nd June 1784, was born in Scalpay Harris, Scotland 
and died in North Carolina He married Catherine MacDonald of Baleshare (Baile Sear) in 1722.
Children: Kenneth  1727 - 4 Sept 1807 was the oldest; followed by John who died in 1776 in the Battle 
of Moore's Creek in North Carolina; Anna died 1768. Bardess of a lament on the death of her love, still 
sung today; Barbara who died in 1785; Malcolm; Christian; Margaret; Isobel; Janet; Mary and Alexander.

Donald was tacksman of Scalpay at least between the death of his father ( before 1746 ) and 1771. 
He was the hereditary tenant of Scalpay and there were, in addition, 6 or 7 families of his farm 
servants on the island.  Although the tack was named Scalpay, which is a relatively small island 
off Harris, it included The Forest of Harris which comprised virtually all the land of North Harris 
up to the boundary (march) with Lewis. Martin Martin described it in 1695. "There are abundance 
of deer in the hills and mountains here, commonly called the forest; which is eighteen miles in length 
from east to west: the number of deer in this place computed to be about 2,000; and there is none permitted 
to hunt there without a licence from the steward to the forester." Donald was primarily a farmer but 
he also pioneered the fishing industry in Harris. Along with his son-in law  Alexander MacLeod, Tacksman 
of Pabbay and St Kilda, (who was married to his daughter Barbara) he is recorded as purchasing at least 
one "yole" (fishing yawl).  

Donald is best remembered for his involvement in the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746. Donald's 
wife was a Baleshare MacDonald, known to be a Jacobite sympathiser. After the Battle of Culloden, the 
Prince on arriving at the west Coast was piloted out to Benbecula and thence to Scalpay, to the home 
of Donald and Catherine Campbell. Donald MacLeod, the Prince's pilot, was taking a risk going to Scalpay 
because Donald Campbell was known not to be a Jacobite. Nevertheless Donald Campbell's  innate sense of 
hospitality to strangers meant that he welcomed and protected the Prince.  The Reverend John Lane Buchanan 
says "Even though it is well known that this gentleman was strictly loyal and well attached to the reigning 
family, yet an enormous sum of thirty thousand pounds could not bribe  him …."

A local worthy the Reverend Aulay MacAulay arrived with a party of soldiers to take the Prince into custody, 
Donald Campbell sent his son to warn the prince to hide and refused to give up the fugitive … this despite 
Rev MacAulay's offer to share the reward! The Prince eventually went from Scalpay to Stornoway and back to 
Scalpay again, but Donald had had to go into hiding because of his actions. The Prince is said to have been 
disappointed at missing "his hospitable friend" to whom he "wished to pay his respects for the 
remarkable civilities he had shown".
 
While the Prince was on Scalpay, he is said to have gone cod fishing with Donald's son Kenneth and helped push 
a cow out of a bog. Freeing the cow spoilt the Prince's plaid and he exchanged it for clean dry clothes. The 
plaid was divided up and pieces of it are to be seen in the Fort William Museum in Lochaber, in a private family 
collection and in Stoneyhurst College in Lancashire.

Being a tenant farmer to the Clan Chiefs in the 1700s was an increasingly hard existence. Because of the 
lifestyle the Chiefs had become accustomed to in the South of Scotland and in London, rents rose precipitously 
in the mid and late 1700s. Many Tacksmen and their people were forced to look elsewhere, and Donald like others 
decided to emigrate even though he was an old man. In 1774 he left Scalpay and travelled with his family and 
some of his tenants to Liverpool to embark for the New World. His oldest son Kenneth went with him, but at 
Liverpool he changed his mind and returned to Scalpay. Some say he never intended to go, simply encouraged his 
father to leave so that he could take over the Tack. We will never know, but it clearly was a bitter parting. 
When Donald died Kenneth was named as "my son at home"… left to decide how much of two unpaid 
bills are his, and how much to send on to his siblings, assuming that the bills were ever paid!

Donald is listed in the Directory of Scots in the Carolinas 1680-1830 as Campbell Donald. Born c1714 in the 
Island of Scalpay, near Skye Inverness-shire. Married Katherine McDonald.  Emigrated from Scotland to North 
Carolina in 1774. Father of John, Isobel, Christian, Barbara, Margaret and Alexander. Settled at Mclendon's 
Creek, Cumberland County, NC. Planter. Died on 2 June 1784 (MRM) (1 1785 Cumb Co)

Donald's Father was John "Iain Og" Campbell The Forester of Harris. We do not have dates for him, but 
he is recorded as Tacksman of Marwgae in 1680, in 1684 as Tacksman of Scalpa and Marige Harris and in 1698 as 
Tacksman of Scalpaigh in Harris. He is again recorded in 1703.

Martin Martin wrote about  the Forester of Harris' in 1695 describing his cure for a parasitic worm under the skin 
and also his remedy  for the common cold…. "John Campbell, Forester of Harris, makes use of a Singular 
remedy for the Cold, he walks into the sea up to his middle with his Clothes on and immediately after goes to bed 
with his wet Clothes , and then laying the bed Clothes over him, procures a sweat which removes the Distemper, and 
this he told is his only remedy for all manner of Colds."

John Campbell was the subject of a waulking song, "Ceud Soraidh bhuam," -a hundred blessings from me, 
over to Harris, to John Campbell my brown haired gallant. This song is three hundred years old but still sung! 
In the Lewis / Harris Boundary Disputes in the early 1800s, a witness remembered that his father when a young 
boy had been taken by John Campbell and a John Macaulay of Brenish to a place where the march was to be renewed 
and performed the traditional rite so that the site of the boundary would be remembered…this involved both 
adults whipping the boy and paying him handsomely for services rendered! 

John's wife was a Mary MacLennan, probably daughter of John Maclennan Tacksman of Kirkibost in Bernera and son 
of Rory Clerach. They had three children that I am aware of, Donald,(who emigrated to America), Angus and 
Kenneth. Kenneth  became the Tacksman of Aoidh on Taransay and was originally a schoolmaster. His daughter Anne 
married Donald MacLeod of Swordale (Suardal) who was school master and smith at Dunvegan. From this marriage 
sprang the MacLeod's of Fuinary, which included not only Dr Norman MacLeod, Caraid nan Gaidheal, but also Dr 
Donald MacLeod who restored the Abbey at Iona and Dr George MacLeod the Founder of the Iona Community.

John Campbell's antecedents.
In the Harris Estate Papers John's patronymic is given as "Iain oig Mc ean vc innish"…John son of 
John son of Aonghas. The Rev. Donald Campbell of Kilniver says that the Aonghas referred to here was the same 
Angus mentioned in a contract of Fosterage of Norman MacLeod of Berneray in 1614. In the contract he is called  
Angus  son of the son of Kenneth. This latter Kenneth was Kenneth Campbell of Barbreck and Captain or Warden of 
the Castle at Pabbay. If this identification (of the two Angus' being the same person) is correct then the Campbells 
of Scalpay are descended from the Campbells of Barbreck in Argyll.

Captain Kenneth Campbell of Barbreck came to Harris as part of the bodyguard to Marie MacLeod of Dunvegan  
around 1567-1570. Marie MacLeod was the only child of William MacLeod the 9th Chief of the MacLeods of Dunvegan 
and Harris. He died without a male heir and as part of  the negotiations over her inheritance she was married  
to Duncan Campbell of Castle Swene, second son of Duncan Campbell of Auchinbreck. She gave up her rights to her 
inheritance to her Uncle and in exchange received some of the best land in Harris for her husband's followers. 
Campbell of Barbreck was close kin to the Campbells of Auchinbreck and Kenneth Campbell of Barbreck was appointed 
Warden or Constable of Pabbay Castle on Pabbay in the Sound of Harris. Looking at Pabbay now it seems rather an 
unimportant place, but in the 16th century Pabbay was a fertile island with good agricultural land and sat right 
in the centre of the Sound, controlling the sea lanes in that part of the Hebrides. Warden of the Castle there 
was a prestigious appointment.

Sandra Kelsey 
sandrakelsey@btinternet.com

©Copyright May 8, 2009
Last up-dated August 31, 2022