"Cawdor Castle" produced by Susan Leaderman by David Maurer, Colonial
Homes.
"In William Shakespeare's tragedy 'Macbeth' the lead character exclaims
'The Thane of Cawdor lives, a prosperous gentleman....' The allusion was
to an 11th-century Scottish nobleman, but the characterization holds
true today, as Lord Colin Campbell, the 25th Thane (a Norse word
originally spelled 'Thegn', meaning a trusted servant of the King) of
Cawdor, is the latest in a line of clansmen to make his home in the
14th-century Cawdor Castle. In the Scottish Highlands near Inverness and
Loch Ness, the castle is open to the public and one of the country's
best-preserved early noble residences.
The name Cawdor, a variant of Calder, is a conjunction of the Gaelic
words 'Cale,' meaning wood, and 'Dor,' meaning water. Cawdor is
literally 'the woods by the water,' which certainly describes the
castle.
The first mention of a family associated with the site occurs in 1060
when King Malcolm III made Hugh de Cadella a baron and gave him some
land on or near the current castle estate. De Cadella may have been
rewarded by Malcolm for his help in overthrowing the usurper King
Macbeth, whom Malcolm killed in 1057. While Shakespeare wrote about a
real king in 'Macbeth,' the castle today known as Cawdor was constructed
long after the real Macbeth was overthrown. Like 20th-century
docu-dramatists, the Bard seemingly adjusted the dates to suit his
needs.
Early generations of Calders were sheriffs and constables and keepers of
the royal castle at Nairn. The first Calder for which there is an
original record is Donald, whose name appears on an inquest in 1295 and
accordingly, he is referred to as the first 'Thane of Cawdor.'
Succeeding Calders slowly assembled an ever-increasing amount of land,
sometimes through purchase, often through bloodshed.
The current castle was begun by the third Thane around 1372, to replace
an older moated fort about a mile away. The first portion of the castle
was a four-story stone tower house. At a time when raids from rival
clans were common, the house was built with thick walls, narrow windows
and a second-story entrance accessible by a pull-up stairway. The tower
was built around a small, living tree."
A photograph describes "The Thorn Tree Room was the ground-floor
guardsroom where armed men kept watch to protect the approaches to the
drawbridge. The tree, a holly, has been dated to 1372, when it
presumably died from lack of light."
The article continues "Legend has it that the Thane, following
instructions received in a dream, loaded a coffer of gold on the back of
a donkey and let it roam about for a day. Wherever the beast should
rest, he vowed to build his castle. The animal lay down under the tree.
Radiocarbon dating indicates the remaining trunk of a holly in the
tower's guard room died in 1372, no doubt due to the loss of light when
the tower was built.
The tower house, later fortified, remained essentially unchanged for
centuries. A dining hall was built next to it as well as guest
apartments and other domestic buildings; all were surrounded by a thick
wall and moat.
But the strong walls weren't enough to defend the family. The eighth
Thane, John, died in 1498, just after his only child, Muriel, was born.
Although Muriel's mother was alive, the infant was still considered an
orphan by law and an automatic ward of the King. Sensing opportunity,
Archibald Campbell, the Earl of Argyll, sought and was granted, a
promise of betrothal between Muriel and one of his sons. In 1504, Argyll
kidnapped her. Muriel's guardians marked her for recognition: her
grandmother branded her bottom with a hot key; her maid bit off the tip
of the little girl's finger. Upon learning of the abduction, Muriel's
uncles and their supporters overtook the kidnappers, but Muriel was not
recovered. She remained with the Campbells until 1510, when she married
John Campbell, the Earl's second son.
The couple moved to Cawdor Castle in 1524, sparking yet another battle
between the Campbell and Calder clans. The Calder chieftain and his
brother were killed. Subsequently, John Campbell either bought or was
granted the remaining Calder lands, leaving the Campbells permanently
ensconced at Cawdor. The present Thane is directly descended from John
and Muriel Campbell. During the civil strife of the mid-1600s, the
property avoided the kind of ruin brought to so many great houses at the
time. In 1654, when Sir Hugh became the 14th Thane, the castle was
transformed from a medieval fortress to a luxurious great house. He
enlarged the windows, installed handsome fireplaces, raised earlier
additions up a story, built a library wing, formalized the entryway and
brought in splendid furnishings and bright colors.
Managers ruled the estates according to their absent master's
instructions between 1720 and 1820. By the last half of the 19th century
the Thanes of Cawdor had become Earls and were accepted at Court. The
second Earl was a member of both Houses of Parliament and in 1883, was
noted as 'the smallest owner of the 28 noblemen who possessed above
100,000 acres in the United Kingdom.' Both the first and second Earls
made improvements to the house at Cawdor. They added pitched roofs,
carved dormers, corbeled turrets, stepped gables, and a few minor
architectural follies.
Today, Cawdor Castle is remarkable not only for its condition, but for
its spectacular park-like grounds, walled formal gardens, and
forestland. Its allure is perhaps best captured in the words of William
Shakespeare, speaking of Cawdor Castle: 'This castle hath a pleasant
seat; the air nimble and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle
senses'."
The article also displayed four pages of color photographs highlighting
many areas of the castle and grounds.
In my two trips (1971 and 1973) to Scotland, CAWDOR was by far the most
luxurious of all the dozens that I saw.
I had previous corrsponded twice with Hugh Campbell (24th Thane of
CAWDOR) father of Lord Colin Campbell the current Clan chieftain of
CAWDOR, prior to my visits to Scotland. I was in hopes of meeting him
during my 1993 visit, however, just prior to my June 21st vist to Cawdor
Castle, he died of cancer after a very short illness. His obituary
listed him as one of the wealthiest men in Scotland at the time. He had
holdings in Wales as well as other locations. The CAWDOR estate was
about 50,000 acres.
If any of you have not seen my CADELLA/CALDER/CAWDOR/CAMPBELL/CADDELL
history on the net, you may see it at
"http://www.castles.org/Chatelaine/CALDER.HTM". As Paul Harvey, the
radio commentator, would say "for the rest of the story." You will note
slight differences in my research from that above, but Colonial Homes'
brief rendition is very accurate.
Bill Caddell
CADDELL Rootweb Listowner