Brooch of Lorn

The Brooch of Lorn was said to have been captured from King Robert the Bruce in 1306 by the Clan MacDougall at the battle of Argyllshire. This battle took place near Dalry Scotland, close to the village of Tyndrum. The feud between Bruce and the Clan MacDougall arose due to the murder of John, Red Comyn, by Robert the Bruce who felt that Comyn stood between him and the crown of Scotland. Comyn was married to the daughter of MacDougall of Lorn, and it was to revenge the death of her husband that the clan attacked Bruce and his followers.
The king was very hard pressed, and had to save his life at the cost of his mantle which, along with the silver brooch that fastened it, was torn from him by the furious pursuers. For generations the brooch was kept by the MacDougalls, both as a trophy gained in fight and as an interesting historical relic. But in the 17th century, during a raid upon Dunollie Castle, the MacDougalls’ stronghold, which was besieged and burned, the brooch was seized with other spoils by Campbell of Bar-Gleann, in whose family it was preserved for two centuries. It was then acquired by General Campbell of Lochnell, who presented it in 1824, to his friend, Sir John MacDougall. Thus it returned to the custody of the chief of the clan, whose ancestors had won it from the Bruce. It was kept safe in the mansion of the MacDougalls, adjoining the time-worn, picturesquely situated castle of Dunollie. Currently, the Brooch of Lorn, is in ownership of the MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust and is on display in the National Museum of Scotland.