2013

NS4683 : East Cameron: end of narrow structure

taken 11 years ago, 3 km from Croftamie, Stirling, Scotland

East Cameron: end of narrow structure
East Cameron: end of narrow structure
The same area is shown, in a side-on view, in NS4683 : East Cameron: end of narrow structure. The present view is along the length of the structure; its short southern end-wall fills most of the width of the image, and its two long side-walls recede from there into the distance, although they are partly hidden by the long grass.

In the middle distance, on the right, is the NS4683 : East Cameron: north-western ruin, one of two ruined farm buildings that can be seen at this location.
East Cameron ruins

The ruins of East or Easter Cameron; see LinkExternal link (at Canmore) for archaeological information. There are two buildings of dry-stone construction here, as well as various associated mounds and enclosures nearby. The buildings were already in ruins by 1860; one of them incorporates a possible kiln. The ruins are described in more detail below.

An earlier version of my description called these the ruins of Mid Cameron (rather than those of East Cameron) because they are labelled as such on the first-edition OS map — LinkExternal link — of c.1860. However, since then, I have been provided with additional information (for which I am grateful) by the residents of Gartlea and Collalis, incorporating local knowledge that goes back at least four generations. I view this as better authority than that of the old OS map; note that the Canmore link given above now incorporates a similar correction.

The actual ruins of Mid Cameron, which are not shown on the OS map, are said to be located in a dense patch of bracken closer to present-day Collalis.

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Each of the two ruined buildings at this site is about 5 metres wide. The south-eastern ruin is about 25 metres long, while the north-western one is almost 30 metres long. Both of them are divided crosswise into several sections, creating a large central room with much smaller spaces at the ends.

One of the rooms of the north-western building has a small compartment, about a metre square, built into its NW corner. The south-eastern building has a rounded pit-like structure, the "possible kiln" of the Canmore report, built onto its western end.

Other features are visible nearby, including several mounds and the remains of old field boundaries. See the descriptions attached to the individual photos for more about all of the above features.

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John Guthrie Smith, in his book "Strathendrick and its Inhabitants from Early Times" (1896), gives an account of the land ownership of Mid and East Cameron from the late fourteenth century to his own day. I will not reproduce that account here in detail, but it is worth noting that Mid Cameron was also known at certain periods as Cameron Logan, and East Cameron as Cameron Douglas, after their owners: the Logans of Balvie and the family of Douglas of Mains (NS5572 : Douglas of Mains Mausoleum).

According to the information given in that book, East Cameron, or Cameron Douglas, was owned by Edward Cunninghame of Finnick (or Finnich) in 1666, and by John Logan two years after that. In 1741, it passed to the brothers Moses and Thomas Steven; the latter would become the sole owner, and by 1772 he was also in possession of Mid Cameron. In 1774, both of these Cameron lands were sold to Robert MacGoun, a Glasgow merchant; in 1848, they were sold to James MacNair — for whom, see Link —.

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In the Pont/Blaeu map of the Lennox, published in 1654, but based on surveying work performed decades earlier, the area now known as Cameron Muir is represented by the name "Camrons". That older form of the name looks plural, possibly (but not necessarily) indicating that there was then more than one Cameron farm here. The area has been called Cameron (with some variation of spelling) since the thirteenth century, if not earlier; see below for more on that topic. In fact, as explained there, this is perhaps one of two locations that gave rise to the surname Cameron in the Lowlands (in the Highlands, it had a different origin).

- - • - -

William Nimmo's "A General History of Stirlingshire" (1777) mentions that a certain Stirlingshire landholder called "Duncan Maggadelf de Cambroun" is recorded as having sworn fealty to Edward I in 1296. Nimmo suggests that this landholder was associated with the land that was, in 1777, known as "East and West Camerons".

Evidence from charters shows that Nimmo was correct. The Lennox Cartulary is a collection of charters, in Medieval Latin, made by the Earls of Lennox. According to the numbering in the Maitland Club edition, charter 84, "carta terre de Cambrown Tympane Johanni Makedolf", grants to John son of Michael son of Edolf, and to Forveleth his wife, the land of Cambroun Tympane (variously spelled Cambrown/Cambroun/Cambroune), which had previously been held by Michael, his father.

[John's wife Forveleth has a Gaelic name (Forbhlaith). His grandfather has what may be an Anglo-Saxon name (Edolf = Ēadwulf?), but, in the title of the charter, John is surnamed in a Gaelic manner: John Makedolf, "mac-" (descendant of) Edolf. Gillemichel son of Edolf, mentioned below, also has a name that is Gaelic in its formation: "Servant of [Saint] Michael".]

The slightly later "Duncan Maggadelf de Cambroun" mentioned by Nimmo is clearly a member of the same family. It is also clear from the grants made in the charters that he was styled "de Cambroun" because of having held the land of Cambroun, rather than the land being named after him. ["The Surnames of Scotland", by G.F.Black, states that "Cameron in Lennox" is one of three places that may have given rise to the surname Cameron in the Lowlands, the others being Cameron near Edinburgh and Cameron parish in Fife; the surname apparently had a separate Gaelic origin in the Highlands.]

In another charter, Gillemichel son of Edolf grants the lands of Gartechonerane/Gartchonerane/Garchonerane to his son Malcolm. This grant is confirmed in two later charters; the first, by Malcolm's brother Duncan, and the second, dated 17th November 1274, by Malcolm, Earl of Lennox.

Since the last-mentioned Duncan was a son of Gillemichel Makedolf, and he had the authority to legally confirm a transfer of land in the Cameron Muir area, he is probably the "Duncan Maggadelf de Cambroun" who, as noted above, swore fealty to Edward in 1296. [See also "The Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country", Volume 2, p275, where Duncan Macedolfe is listed among the witnesses to a 1308 charter by King Robert the Bruce.]

Reasonably, the lands of "Gartchonerane", mentioned above, must have been within the family's land near present-day Cameron Muir. There is a Gartachorrans nearby (shown as "Gartahorran" on John Grassom's 1817 map of Stirlingshire), although the similarity of the names is not such as would make for a certain or even a probable identification. Present-day Low Gartachorrans is located near Cameron Muir, at NS47178571. High Gartachorrans was even closer, but has been obliterated by forestry (it is shown on the first-edition OS map, and was located on the Green Burn at about NS46538478, just one kilometre NNW of the northern edge of a field system — for which, see Link —). The better-known village of Gartocharn is further away, and its name is a very poor match for "Gartchonerane".


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This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Narrow Structure [4] Other Photos: · East Cameron: end of narrow structure Title Clusters: · East Cameron: end of narrow structure [2] ·
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NS4683, 34 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Lairich Rig   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 15 February, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 4 March, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 4642 8379 [10m precision]
WGS84: 56:1.3399N 4:27.9421W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 4642 8377
View Direction
NORTH (about 0 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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