1646 - The Massacre Of THe Clan Lamont

Castle Toward Was The Clan Seat Of The Lamont Clan from whom our Lambie family are descended...

Most Scots today would have some knowledge of the Highland massacre of the MacDonalds in Glencoe by soldiers under the direction of Clan Campbell but few would have heard of a greater massacre carried out by the Campbells at Dunoon, on the very doorstep of Lowland Scotland....Sir John Lamont, 14th chief, who had been knighted by King Charles; was pressured into joining Argyll, the Campbell chief and his Covenanting army in opposition against the King during the 17th century wars of Montrose. After the defeat of Campbell forces at Inverlochy, Sir John was taken prisoner and later switched sides opting to support Montrose and his general, Alastair MacDonald (MacColla), a bitter enemy of the Campbells. MacDonald along with Highlanders and Irish mercenaries, crossed Loch Long in boats provided by the Lamonts and landed at the Point of Strone. After defeating a Campbell force, Macolla's army mustered at Toward and then descended on the Campbell lands. The Lamonts had their share in killing and plundering particularly in Strachur and Kilmun before returning home to Toward. In England the King surrendered and ordered his supporters to lay down their arms and cease hostilities. The Campbells took this opportunity to surround the Lamont castles of Toward and Ascog. Unable to withstand a long siege and with no hope of reprieve, Sir James surrendered the castles, having apparently reached honourable terms. 

The Campbells later ignored the terms of capitulation accusing the Lamonts of being traitors, unworthy of terms.The Lamonts where bound and kept within the castle, during this time several women were murdered. The survivors were taken by boats to Dunoon and in the church were sentenced to death. A large number of Lamont men, women and children, were shot or stabbed to death and they did ‘cause hang upon ane tree near the number of thirty six persons most of them being special gentlemen of the name of Lamont and vassals to Sir James’. the half-hanged men, both dead and dying were buried in pits. Sir James and his brothers were kept prisoner for five years and it would be 16 years before the ringleaders of the massacre were brought to justice and Sir Colin Campbell beheaded. The castle today has barely changed since the time of the massacre, hidden away in a small forest a few miles from Dunoon, there's certainly a 'feeling' about the place. A memorial marking the site of the massacre can be found in Dunoon itself.