Ormidale Memorial

Below we bring you, bit by bit, a memorial that Ormidale wrote in 1798 laying out his grievances against his brother (“the late Otter”) in an attempt to have his will overturned. We have done our best to decipher Ormidale’s scrawl but please feel free to offer corrections of any word you think we have misread. We are quite sure that there will be a few.

Excerpt 7

We’re not entirely sure what Ormidale is talking about here. George was the eldest brother. His mother was their father’s first wife Margaret Campbell, who was the daughter of Sir Colin Campbell of Ardkinglas and who died at a young age. John Campbell then remarried, and his second wife, Jane Stenhouse was mother to our two feuding brothers. Under the terms of Margaret’s marriage contract George was due to inherit certain lands. Ormidale seems to be saying that their father disinherited George and that Otter kept them. But we know that George inherited the lands of Ardmarnock, and Ormidale refers later in the memorial to Otter’s Nephew, Ardmnarnock.  We also know that their father gave Otter certain rights under the old feudal system that forced Orimdale to make payments to him for the lands of Ormidale, and that this caused financial trouble for Ormidale. It may be that a similar arrangement was made for the Ardmarnock lands and that this is what Ormidale means when he says that Otter “ruined” George.

Page 2nd

          The said brothers attended the said college Under the Tuition

of Alexander McFarlane a Student of Divinity till about the

Year 1741 late Otter was every winter at Edinburgh after

he left said college when in said last year there was Ane Inva=

=sion Threatened by the French when the Memorialist his

Father went to Edinburgh and made out a delineation of his

Estate in fee which was Registered in the 1744 with a Dis=

=sition Granted to late Otter and the Memorialist of Certain Lands

From the year 1715 till the said 1741 the aforesaid Brother

George was a most willfull young man he married twice

Contrary to his Fathers wishes but committed various Acts

of folly and madness which disposed his father to disinherit

him from any landed property without regarding said George

his mother’s contract of marriage which gave a right of Conquest

Lands during the said marriage to said George Yet Late Otter

After his fathers death in the 1763 would retain such lands

from George which he had as said a right to by his Mothers

Contract of Marriage and ruined George in len Unessarry Law   

                                                                               to a referative

Plea which after Litigious Dibator before the Court of Session was assured ^

Excerpt 8

Ormidale is of course talking about the second Jacobite Rebellion here, and we can see exactly what he means when he complains about Otter’s temper. He’s at Inveraray, home to the Duke of Argyll who was on the side of the government, and threatens to join the other side because his nose was out of joint. Possibly not the most sensible move?

5        In the year 1745 a Rebellion Broke Out when the Memor=

=ialists Father raised a Company of Militia upon his own Estate

for his son John to Command and also another Company

was raised on the Cauntey for the Memorialist in like Manner

Which Companys were Marched in to Inveraray and there

Under the Command of General John Campbell Mamore

Father to the present John Duke of Argyll who was then

Collonell Campbell ——-    At Inveraray    ————-

In the Beginning of December 1745 the Memorialists Brother

Late Otter he took an umbrage because he did not get a Commiss=

=ion such as Archibald Campbell of Knockbuy had got and he said late Otter  

would right or wrong he went and declared that he would  go

straight away and join Prince Charles Stewart his Army, but

was after much Greeff to his brother and others that were hindering

him from such a Mad Step he at last was prevailed upon to

Stay at Inveraray

Excerpt 9

Here you can see the protocol of using the last word on one page as the first word on the next. It shows that no page is missing. We can also see how eighteenth century spelling can make reading comprehension a bit trickier, especially when taken in conjunction with the old letter forms and just plain old bad handwriting.

But late Otter since the first day the Memori=

=alist Entered School with him he was the most untractable (all about

till said 1745) Obstinate Unpolished Ill Natured a Disposition that

the whole Familie at Otter including his Brother and Mother

Page 3rd

          Mother were his most subservient slaves (and a reproatch in

the Cantry around) particularly the Memorialist who was keeped

at home after as said he went through his Caurs of

College Education he was keeped a Drudge Employed in writing his Fathers letters and

Also attending the Farm excepting as said 1745 till the year 1749

When the Memorialist his Father Ordered a Charter Sasine and

Infeftment thereon in favour of late Otter and the Memorialist

Upon Certain Lands Which were wrote at Danna by Adam

Campbell who was then married to the Memorialist his sister