The Camerons and the Episcopal Church
Alexander Macbean, minister of Inverness, writing his 'Memorial concerning the Highlands' in 1746, states:
'To the north east of Glencoe, an arm of the sea runs up from the Sound of Mull called (Loch Leven), which I now cross to describe the country of Mamore, inhabited by Camerons and belonging heritably to the Duke of Gordon, but a good part of it feud off to Lochiel. The people all Protestants, but of the same kind with Appin and Glencoe. To the north east of Mamore lies Fort William and a small glen called Glennevis, above which stands the largest and the highest mountain in Scotland, called Ben Nevis. 'On the north side of the River Lochy lies the rest of Lochiel's estate, viz., Lochiel, Strathlochy, and Locharkaig. The first and second of these, six miles long each; the last twelve miles. 'On the north side of the Loch of Arkaig (the south side beeing all wood and desert) mostly inhabited by thieves, the minister of Killmaly preaches to them once a quarter or twice at most, and then the half of them that cannot be present if they are willing to attend. In Winter the snow and storm hinders, and in Summer they are scattered through the hills with their cattle. The Camerons boast of their being Protestants, and Lochiel hindered his brother the priest to preach among them, when he told them he would bring them from that villainous habit of thieving, if he would allow him to preach, and say Mass among them: his answer was that the people of Glengarry, Knoidart, Arisaig, etc., who were profest Papists, were greateer thieves than his people, and if he would bring these to be honest and industrious, he would then consider his proposal as to the Camerons, and till he would bring that good work to a bearing he positively forbad him to meddle with his people. But Lochiel and the gentlemen of the clan were great encouragers of the Nonjurants and as far as they could they perverted the Commons.'
When describing Ardnamurchan, Morvern, and Maclean's country, Macbean writes:
'The people Protestants: many of them Camerons, MacLachlans, and McLeans; much inclined to Episcopacy, and consequently Jacobites.' In describing Ardgour he states, 'Here lived Ludovic Cameron, Uncle to Lochiel, who brought out many of the inhabitants to the Rebellion, especially the Camerons who lived here'
HCC pp95-96
'Doctor Archie [Cameron] was charged under the Act of Attainder as having taken part in the rising seven years earlier [the '45]. He was also accused of being implicated in the 'Elibank Plot', a ridiculous scheme to kidnap George II, which Pickle had betrayed, and which had in any event been abandoned. The Doctor was tried and sentenced to death. After the cruel manner of those times he was to be hung, drawn, and quartered. During his imprisonment he was not allowed pen, ink, or paper, but with the help of a blunt pencil which had escaped notice he wrote on some scraps of paper his dying testimony. It was written on several scraps for whenever he was interrupted he hastily signed his name so that it would be known to be genuine. ' On the first scrap of paper he testified to his religion.
'I thank God I die a member, though unworthy, of that church in whose communion I have always lived, the Episcopal Church of Scotland, as by law established before the most unnatural rebellion began in 1688 . . . '
HCC p138
[Note: The man known as 'Pickle the Spy', was Alexander MacDonald the younger of Glengarry. He was the trusted agent of the exiled Jacobite court in France, but in the pay of the Government, and he it was who informed the Government that Doctor Archie was in Scotland. The informer who actually secured his arrest was almost certainly 'Crookshanks', a Samuel Cameron, brother to Cameron of Glennevis.]
'Thus young Alan [later Sir Allan Cameron of Erracht, born 1750] grew up in an occupied country, poverty-stricken, with his very faith, as an Episcopalian, forbidden. . .'
IC p4
'The War Office had made a typical London slip when naming the 79th Regiment the 'Cameronian' Volunteers, for the 26th Regiment, the Cameronians, was raised in 1689 from the Covenanting sect who took their name from their leader, Richard Cameron. It was the only regiment in the British Army to be named after a religious leader. The name of a Lowland Presbyterian sect was hardly applicable to a Highland regiment, commanded by and partly consisting of Episcopalians. . .'
IC p104
'. . . [Reverend Alexander] Fraser, minister of Kilmallie since 1772 . . . says of his parishioners, scattered over one of the largest parishes in Scotland, 'Their disposition, however, leads them to delight more in the sound of the pipe and the clang of arms . . . thinking it more honourable to serve in the field of Mars. . . the natives of Lochaber prefer enlisting in Highland regiments. Mr. Fraser knew Alan before he left, for the Camerons of Erracht, though Episcopalians, were known to attend Kilmallie Church. The Penal Laws still lay heavily on Lochaber and in 1793 a number of leading Episcopalians in Lochaber and Appin wrote to the Primus to say that they had 'been very much neglected these 50 years past; altho' true to our Principles, we have never had a residing clergyman, nor so much as worship from one year's end to the other'. When Bishop Forbes passed through the district in 1770, he was amazed by the numbers who came for his ministrations, but there was no resident priest.'
IC p109
[Note: Kilmonivaig parish appears to be the closest to Achnacarry and Glen Loy, and is in Inverness. Kilmallie parish is in Argyll, but Glen Mallie is south of Loch Arkaig , the River Mallie flowing into the south-east part of Loch Arkaig in Inverness.]
