Calder vs. Campbell

In 1498 the heir of the Calder Clan, John Calder died leaving two daughters and no sons, John’s father and the current chief of the time had requested a royal charter to make John his successor over his other older male children.  The chiefs other sons were naturally upset, realizing that upon the chief’s death the chiefship of Clan Calder and the title Thane of Cawdor would pass to John’s daughter, the chief’s granddaughter, Muriel.  Muriel’s maternal grandfather was the chief of Clan Rose of Kilravrock, he had gotten into some financial troubles with Archibald Campbell the Chief of Clan Campbell.  In leu of payment Kilravrock agreed to grant his granddaughter Muriel, in marriage, to Argyll’s third son John Campbell. This would give the Campbell’s legal ownership over Caldwell lands once the current Thane of Calder passed. On January 16, 1495 a ward of marriage was granted to Argyll by the crown and Kilravrock agreed to keep Muriel at Kilravrock Castle until she came of age.

In 1499 Argyll sent sixty of his men to Kilravrock castle to secure a twelve year old Muriel and bring her to the Campbell stronghold of Inveraray Castle for schooling.  Muriel’s uncles, Alexander and Hugh Calder, got word that Muriel was being moved and decided to pursue the Campbell party with the intention of capturing and most likely killing Muriel.  The Campbell force was led by Campbell of Inverliver, with sixty men strong, but found themselves outnumbered by an approaching band of Calder’s.  Inverliver devised a plan to dress up a sheaf of corn in Muriel’s clothing and keep it at the rear of his force with his seven sons. They were given the direction to protect it with their lives.  The Calder’s caught up with the Campbells at Daltulich near Strathnairn boarding the Monadhliath Mountians. Once the Calder men were within site, Inverliver’s sons placed the sheaf of corn underneath an overturned camp kettle . They stood to fight while Muriel and the rest of the Campbell’s slipped away.  The Battle of Daltullich saw all seven of Inverliver’s sons massacred by the Calders but the deceit had worked and by the time the Calder’s checked under the kettle and realized that it was not Muriel, the band of Campbells had made their escape and were safe upon Campbell lands.

After the marriage between John Campbell and Muriel Calder in 1510, a legal fight ensued between the two clans over the Calder property, but to her uncles dismay, Muriel’s right as heiress was established in court. A year later Muriel’s Grandfather, The Thane of Calder, died leaving his title and property to Muriel and therefore under control of the Campbell of Argyll’s son John Campbell, who after marrying Muriel, became John Campbell of Cawdor and is now known as the progenitor of the Campbell of Cawdor Clan.  In the end, The Thane of Calder’s living sons were able to claim some of their land in the name of the old Calder Clan. William Calder, Vicar of Barivan, successfully retained lands in Little Urchany and William Calder recieved property near Elgin.