Cawdor Castle and the Kidnapping of Muriella Calder

 

Cawdor Castle. Photo by Neil Mewes on Unsplash

Cawdor Castle is probably best known for its association with Shakespeare's Macbeth, written at the beginning of the seventeenth century. But did you know that it was also the site of the shocking kidnap of a young girl one hundred years before?

The Calders built the castle (now called Cawdor) in the late fourteenth century, and continued to develop and expand it into the mid-1400s. Some time before 1510, the young heiress to the family, Muriella Calder, was walking in the gardens with her nurse when she was seized by John Campbell's men and taken away from her family home. It is said that her nurse, in the struggle to take the child, bit off the girl's fingertip so that she could be later identified, although whether this really happened or not isn't clear. The nurse did run and tell Muriella's family, and her uncles set off to find her.

Very soon, they encountered a large kettle drum turned over, surrounded by Campbell's sons, who were armed and ready to fight. Believing Muriella to be inside, they battled to retrieve her, but later discovered the kettle was empty. Muriella had already long ago escaped on horseback, the kettle used as a decoy to slow the men down.

Muriella was one in a long line of women in history who were kidnapped for their anticipated wealth, and then married to others for personal gain. In fact, adding insult to injury, Campbell planned to continue the plot even if Muriella died. One conspirator asked, after they arrived in Argyle, what would happen if she died before she reached marriageable age. Campbell was said to have replied that 'she can never die, as long as a red-haired lassie can be found on either side of Loch Awe'. Marriage was exactly Campbell's motivation, and he had Muriella married to his son, also named John, in 1510.

Muriella and John had a number of children - eleven, according to modern count - establishing the Campbell ownership of Calder lands. The family, who lived at the castle with their six sons and five daughters enlarged Cawdor (as it was now known) during their residency. The castle boasted tapestries, winding staircases, and iron doors, all the elements of a medieval fairytale fortress. Not much is known of Muriella's life after her marriage, but we do know she died in 1575. John, her husband, died in 1546.


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Notes
Fraprie, Frank, Castles and Keeps of Scotland, 1907. p97-101
Wikipedia, John Campbell of Cawdor [accessed 1 October 2024]


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