Niall, Duke of Argyll
Thanks to several heavy snow falls bringing traffic on Morvern’s roads to a near stand-still and a spell of unwanted “Stag’s Revenge”, I have not been as physically active as usual.
To while away the time, I have been delving into a collection of papers given to me on loan by Lady Palmer, widow of the late General Sir Patrick Palmer, KCVO, KBE (1933-1999), Colonel of the 1st Battalion, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces in Northern Europe, and latterly Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle.
Sir Patrick’s great grandparents were the Reverend Norman Macleod (1783-1862) of Fiunary, better known as ‘Caraid nan Gaidheal’ and Agnes, daughter of James Maxwell, the Duke of Argyll’s chamberlain for Mull and Morvern from 1787 until 1820 – hence my interest.
Amongst these papers are a number of letters from Niall, 10th Duke of Argyll (1872-1949), whose photograph appeared recently in these pages, about family and estate business and, topically, the severity of winter.
One, dated February 10, 1940, penned from Inveraray Castle in the Duke’s minuscule hand, shows weather conditions then to be just as bad as those of today. It reads, “I gather snow fell on Iona. I heard of a foot in Jura at sea level which is very rare. Here, we never had but eight inches, with 34 degrees of frost and often 32 degrees, but the ‘Rest’ [Rest and be Thankful] in Glen Croe was wholly blocked by vast drifts, fifteen feet deep, for a fortnight and was only opened last Monday.
“Kintyre was much worse than we were and the loss of sheep are very heavy on the hill farms, certainly over 5,000 dead. We, for days, had no letters or papers till they began coming through Glenfalloch and the Breadalbane country because the Highland Line was all blocked. Thirty foot of snow at Glendouglas, south of Arrochar and five engines got buried in it.”
In the collection there are a number of other interesting documents, ranging from early Macleod records to second sight, Benmore, a lodge on Mull owned by the Campbells, and a programme detailing the ceremonial to be observed at the marriage of HRH the Princess Louise, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, to John Douglas, Marquis of Lorne, in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on the March 21, 1871.
John, who eventually became the 9th Duke of Argyll, had no children and the title passed to his nephew, Niall. Niall, his father Lord Archibald, and a kinsman, John Frances Campbell of Islay, were renowned scholars and antiquarians, and diligently gathered a huge amount of oral tradition and written material relating to Argyll and the ducal estates. All of this is still housed and maintained at Inveraray by the present Duke and is one of the best family archives in Great Britain.