MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/EB2CCAD4/SpeechbytheLordProvost.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Speech by the Lord Provost at the Civic Reception

Speech by the Lord Provost at the Civic Reception
on Saturday 16th September 2006

= Distinguished gu= ests, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honour and privilege to be here today and to welcome Cameron of Lochiel and the Clan Cameron in such time-honoured fa= shion. As a Cameron myself, and first citiz= en of this great city, I find it fascinating to delve into the past, searching for those hidden gems with- in our shared history.=

= But you can imag= ine my horror, ladies and gentlemen, when I discovered the ancient roots of the surname so many of us here share. T= he name is thought to be derived f= rom the gaelic “= ;cam-shron” which means crooked nose. But instea= d of screaming out for the nearest plastic surgeon, I think it wise to recall the earliest records, where “Cambron” may indicate that it originated in Camberone (from = the gaelic “Cam brun” meaning crooked hill). I’m sure you will agree with me that the latter is altogether more agreeable!=

= But today’s welcome with so many of marching through the city, is steeped in history and tradition. Often described as “fiercer that fierceness itself”, the Came= rons originally consisted of three b= ranches in Lochaber. It grew quickly and the 12th chief united the clan under chart= er into the Barony of Lochiel in the early 16th Century. = It’s around this time that things become decidedly bloody. From the Battle of Harlaw in= 1411, through to the Battle of = Killiecrankie in 1689 and the Jacobite= uprisings in 1715 and 1745, life and limb

= were lost as the nat= ion progressed through turmoil and war.

= Ewen of Lochiel was too old to fight in the 1715 uprising, but sent his son and the clan to assist the Earl of Mar. Sir Ewen’s grandson was kn= own as “The Gentle Lochiel” and is still regarded as one of the noblest= of all Highland Chiefs. He was persuaded through loyalty to the crown and the persuasive words of Prince

Charles Edward Stewart to support the 1745 Jacobite uprising. During the Jacobite retreat, Lochiel prevented the Highlanders from sacking Glasgow and, to this day, when Cameron = of Lochiel enters the

city, the bells of the Church are rung in his honour.

 

The people of Glasgow had taken a prominent role agai= nst the Jacobites and the incensed Commanding Offic= ers of the Highlanders were determined = to put the city to fire and sword. It = was only through the

 th= reat of Lochiel= withdrawing his clan, that this severe penalty was commuted to a severe fine levied upon the citizens.

In token of their gratitude for this deliverance, it is said that the city magistrates decreed that bells should toll whenever the Lochiel entered Glasgow. And here we are, many centurie= s on, still paying grateful

 th= anks for the deliverance of the city= .

 

In his reply, Lochiel referred to the connections between the family and Glasgow and how pleased he was to keep up the tradition. He referred to the fact that his grandfather had been requested= to recruit a

Battalion of soldiers for WW I. So esteemed was the Lochiel name in Glasgow that he m= anaged to recruit three Battalions. In a witty and informative speech, Lochiel also reminded us that the name Cameron

 is= in fact an anagram of ROMANCE, and indeed through the ages, there has been a great deal of romance associated with the clan and its activities. Nevertheless, it is with great affection that we rememb= er

our ancestor, The Gentle Lochiel<= span style=3D'letter-spacing:.3pt'> - described as a man of true nobility and the greatest of the Highland Chiefs w= hose loyalty to Prince Charles Edward was the turning point in the uprising of 1745.