Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll

Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell (March 1607 – 27 May 1661) was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and peer. The de facto head of Scotland's government during most of the conflict of the 1640s and 1650s known as the

Argyll was said to be of above average height, but slight in build. He had reddish hair, which darkened in later life – among the Highlanders he was often called "red Argyll" – and a pronounced squint.[2] Contemporaries said he had a very charming and persuasive manner,^[2] although early in life he developed a habit of abruptly leaving the room if a conversation took a turn he did not like. Clarendon said that "his wit was pregnant, and his humour gay and pleasant, except when he liked not the company or the argument".^[3]

On the outbreak of the religious dispute between the king and Scotland in 1637, Lord Lorne's support was eagerly sought by Charles I. He was made a privy councillor in 1628. In 1638, the king summoned him, together with the earls of Traquair and Roxburgh, to London, but he refused to be won over, warned Charles against his despotic ecclesiastical policy, and showed great hostility towards William Laud. In consequence, a secret commission was given to the Randal MacDonnell, Earl of Antrim to invade Argyll and stir up the MacDonalds against the Campbells. Argyll, who inherited the title at the death of his father in 1638, originally had no preference for Presbyterianism, but now definitely took the side of the Covenanters in defence of national religion and liberties.^[1][4] Argyll continued to attend the meetings of the

An attempt by the king to deprive Argyll of his office as justiciary of Argyll failed, and on the prorogation of the parliament by Charles, in May 1640, Argyll moved that it should continue its sittings and that the government and safety of the kingdom should be secured by a committee of the estates, of which he was the guiding spirit. In June, as part of what became known as the Second Bishops' War, he was trusted with a Commission of fire and sword against the royalists in Atholl and Angus, which, after succeeding in entrapping John Murray, 1st Earl of Atholl, he carried out with completeness and cruelty.^[5]

It was on this occasion that the Bonnie Hoose o' Airlie was burned. By this time, the personal dislike and difference in opinion between Montrose and Argyll led to an open breach. The former arranged that on the occasion of Charles's approaching visit to Scotland, Argyll would be accused of high treason in the parliament. The plot, however, was disclosed, and Montrose, among others, was imprisoned. Accordingly, when the king arrived, he found himself deprived of every remnant of influence and authority. It only remained for Charles to make a series of concessions. He transferred control over judicial and political appointments to the parliament, created Argyll a marquess in 1641, and returned home, having, in Clarendon's words, made a perfect deed of gift of that kingdom. Meanwhile, there was an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Argyll, Hamilton, and Lanark, known as The Incident. Argyll was mainly instrumental in this crisis in keeping the national party faithful to what was to him evidently the common cause, and in accomplishing the alliance with the Long Parliament in 1643.^[6]

In January 1644, he accompanied the Scottish army into England as a member of the Committee of Both Kingdoms and in command of a troop of horse, but was soon compelled, in March, to return to suppress Royalists in the Scottish Civil War and to defend his own territories. He forced Huntly to retreat in April. In July, he advanced to abet the Irish troops now landed in Argyll, which were fighting in conjunction with Montrose, who had put himself at the head of the Royalist forces in Scotland. Neither general succeeded in obtaining an advantage over the other, or even in engaging in battle. Argyll then returned to Edinburgh, threw up his commission, and retired to Inveraray Castle. Montrose unexpectedly followed him in December, compelling him to flee to Roseneath, and devastating his territories. On 2 February 1645, while following Montrose northwards, Argyll was surprised by him at Inverlochy. He witnessed, from his barge on the lake to which he had retired after falling from his horse, a fearful slaughter of his troops, which included 1,500 of the Campbells.^[6][7] He arrived at Edinburgh on 12 February and was again present at Montrose's further great victory on 15 August at Kilsyth, whence he escaped to Newcastle. Argyll was at last delivered from his formidable antagonist by Montrose's final defeat at Philiphaugh on 12 September.^[6]

In 1646, he was sent to negotiate with the king at

This alliance, however, was at once destroyed by the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649, which excited universal horror in Scotland. In the series of tangled incidents which followed, Argyll lost control of the national policy. He describes himself at this period as "a distracted man ... in a distracted time" whose "remedies ... had the quite contrary operation".^[6]

Argyll supported the invitation from the Covenanters to

During his visit to

His head was deliberately placed on the same spike upon the west end of the Tolbooth, as that of Montrose, who had previously been exposed there, and his body was buried at Kilmun Parish Church near the Holy Loch, where the head was also deposited in 1664. A monument was erected to his memory in High Kirk of St Giles in Edinburgh in 1895.^[6]

While imprisoned in the Tower he wrote Instructions to a Son (1661). Some of his speeches, including the one delivered on the scaffold, were published and are printed in the

Argyll married Lady Margaret Douglas, second daughter of William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton, with whom he had two sons, the elder of whom, Archibald, succeeded him as the 9th Earl,^[12] and four daughters.^[6]

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^[13]

• Cruwys, Elizabeth; Riffenburgh, Beau (1995). Hicks, Penny (ed.). Explore Britain's Castles. Basingstoke, UK: AA Publishing.
  ISBN 978-0-7495-1048-0
  .
• Fraser, Antonia (1979). King Charles II. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 89, 99–100.
• Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1886). "Campbell, Archibald (1598–1661)" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 8. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 319–329.
• Roberts, John Leonard (2000). Clan, king, and covenant: history of the Highland clans from the Civil War to the Glencoe Massacre. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 68–69.
  ISBN 978-0-7486-1393-9
  .
• Stevenson, J.H., ed. (1896). Scottish Antiquary or Northern Notes and Queries. Vol. XI. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable. p. 101-102.
• "This Day in Presbyterian History · February 7: Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyle". This Day in Presbyterian History. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
• Willcock, J. (1903). The Great Marquess.

Attribution:

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Yorke, Philip Chesney; Chisholm, Hugh (1911). "Argyll, Earls and Dukes of". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 483–486. Endnotes:
  • Life and Times of Archibald Marquess of Argyll (1903), by John Willcock, who prints for the first time the six incriminating letters to Monk
  • Eng. Hist. Review, xviii. 369 and 624
  • Scottish History Society, vol. xvii. (1894)
  • Charles II. and Scotland in 1650, ed. by S. R. Gardiner, and vol. xviii. (1895)
  • History of Scotland, by A. Lang, vol. iii. (1904)

• Stevenson, David (May 2006) [2004]. "Campbell, Archibald, marquess of Argyll (1605x7–1661)".
  doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4472. (Subscription or UK public library membership
  required.)