An excavation at the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle on Islay, in Argyll, Scotland, has unearthed a rare 17th century artifact: the seal of Sir John Campbell of Cawdor. The lead seal bears the Cawdor coat of arms with a stag head and a galley on the obverse, and is inscribed “IOANNIS CAMPBELL DE CALDER.” On the reverse is the date 1593 and the initials DM.
It was a student who found the object. University of Reading undergraduate Zoë Wiacek was one of a team of 40 archaeologists, other scientists and students who have been excavating the site for three weeks as part of a yearly summer school dig on the island. Towards the end of the dig, Wiacek discovered the seal under the rubble of a collapsed stone wall. She realized it was significant but did not know what it was. When the lead circle was removed and the soil brushed off, the inscription identifying it as Sir John’s seal was revealed.
Originally built in the 13th century, very little of the original structure remains. What’s left today is largely the 16th century castle built by the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg. Sir John Campbell came to own it several decades later in 1612, when Angus MacDonald sold him Dunyvaig and several other family holdings on Islay. Some of the MacDonald family were not in agreement with the laird’s choice. They occupied the castle and made Cawdor fight for it. He didn’t take possession until 1615.
Given the date of the seal, it’s possible it was lost during those three years of sieges and battles. It could also have been lost in the chaos of another fight 30 years later. In 1646, MacDonald descendant Alasdair MacColla took the castle, leaving his 76-year-old father Colla Ciotach in charge of defending it against the inevitable Campbell counterattack. He did the best he could, erecting new turf walls over the collapsed masonry walls and holding on to the castle until 1647 when he was defeated and executed by hanging from the castle walls.
Sir John Campbell of Cawdor was dead by then, however. He died in 1642. If the seal was lost in the 1646 raid, it would have been an heirloom rather than a legal signature.
Archaeologist Dr Darko Maricevic, director of the excavation at Dunyvaig, said: “This is a remarkable find. Not only is it a beautiful and well-preserved object, but it comes from the floor of a building that we can now confidently date to the Campbell occupation.
“So buried below this floor, we will have the story of the MacDonald’s – the Lords of the Isles – to reveal.”
Roddy Regan, an archaeologist at Kilmartin Museum, added: “Seals are extremely rare finds. This discovery conjures up an image of a Campbell garrison fleeing from the castle when under attack, dropping and losing one of their most precious items, or maybe the seal had once been hidden within a wall niche and long forgotten.”
Aye – This seems to be a ‘stamp seal’, the text on it is a negative.
Taking into account that in the previous post (i.e. the one on ‘Palak/ -kal from Palenque’) ‘inversion’ seems to be an issue, and also that the initials of ‘IOANNIS CAMPBELL DE CALDER’ would be IC/DC and particularly not ‘DM’, is there a slight possibility that those ‘initials on the reverse’ could be ‘MD’ (i.e. – e.g. for MacDonald of Dunnyveg)?
:hattip:
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This is of importance, as we will have a family meeting on September 5th, and for that occasion I’d rather would prefer to avoid a bloodbath.
We once had lunch at a castle in Argyll that had belonged to Malcolms. The castle, the old couple told us, had once been Campbell, then was sold to the Malcolms, then had been sold to Campbells, and then bought back when the Malcolm family fortunes had been restored.
WKPD says it was originally built by the MacDougalls: the rest of its account is simpler than the one we were told.
Aaaargh, I forgot to make the key point. Some old houses and castles in Scotland were restored with the help of money from the taxpayer. In return the inhabitants are required to show people around, by appointment. There’s a public list somewhere that you can presumably find by googling.
When we wrote to the Colonel and his lady they replied “come to lunch” and offered us a convenient Saturday date. They served us salmon from a local burn.
How’s that for hospitality? Your actual unforgettable day!
I love old coins, this one is a beauty! How lucky to be able to find one. I just bought one but it is definitely “new” compared to this!
Very interesting finds!