The Commons of Argyll Part II - Fencible Men

The Commons of Argyll is a very short book.  It is a transcription of some of the Inveraray Sheriff Court Records.  The first part of the book is a list of names of suspected rebels in the uprising of 1685.   (See previous blog)   The second part is a list of names of "fencibles" in the shires of Argyll and Tarbet.

Of particular interest to descendants of Archibald Campbell (the great grandfather of Joel...namesake of this blog) is the status of his village of Kildalvan in 1692, the date of the census of fencibles.

In 1685, the area of Kildalvan was ravaged and plundered.  Many homes in Argyll were destroyed and the livestock confiscated.  The laird of Kildalvan, John Campbell, was listed among the "common" rebels, but apparently he was not banished as were his tenants.   Those tenants were Archibald Campbell and his three sons.  Campbell of Kildalvan did lose his lands, livestock, and tenants.

Only four years later the tide had turned significantly.  In 1689 King James II abdicated and William and Mary acceded to the throne.  The 10th Earl of Argyll (the son of the leader of the Argyll rebellion in 1685) returned to Scotland with the new royalty.  His lands, titles, and lines were restored.

Lord Neil Campbell (the 10th Earl's uncle), who had emigrated to New Jersey at the same time as the Henry & Francis sailed, returned to participate in the restoration of Campbell lands.

John Campbell of Kildalvan sought restitution, even asking for compensation for his lost tenants. Those tenants included Archibald Campbell and his three sons who had been banished from the kingdom.  One of the sons was Robert Campbell, grandfather to Joel (namesake of this blog.)

Campbell of Kildalvan was restored to his lands, but all was not peaceful in Scotland.  In May of 1692 the fencibles were called out "for putting the Countrey in a posture of Defence against an Invasion of French and Irish Papists."

Fencibles were generally considered to be all able-bodied men between sixteen and sixty years of age.  The returns for fencibles from Argyllshire were preserved in the papers of the Inveraray Sheriff Court.  Two men were enumerated as fencibles in the village of Kildalvan in the parish of Kilmodan or Glendaruel, Argyllshire:  Gilbert and Duncan Smith.

Image from list of Fencibles in The Commons of Argyll

Does this mean that Campbells were no longer living in Kildalvan?  If they were, it appears they consisted only of the widows and young orphans of the banished Campbells and not of men of fencible age.  It also gives credence to the likelihood that Archibald and all of his three sons were truly banished to a place from which a return was unlikely.  By 1692 the climate in Scotland was very favorable to Campbells.  It would seem likely Archibald and his sons would have returned if that option were available.

Fencibles came from nineteen villages in the parish of Kilmodan.  No village had more than six fencibles listed.  Were the villages dotting this valley small?  It appears they seldom contained more than two to five families.

James Campbell of Glendaruel was listed as the Captain of the sixty-four fencibles from the parish of Kilmodan.  Campbell of Kildalvan was not listed.

The fate of any Campbell relatives of Archibald and his three sons is sadly unknown.  Surely there were some relatives who survived and stayed in Scotland.  Did they stay in Kildalvan or did they move to other villages now that their men were banished?  DNA testing has so far not detected any current resident of Scotland who could be related through Archibald or a close paternal ancestor of Archibald.