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Donate to Friends of the Argyll Papers
The family and estate archives of the Campbell Family, earls and dukes of Argyll.
Donate to Friends of the Argyll Papers
The Friends of the Argyll Papers was established to support the development of the family and estate archive of the Campbell family, dukes of Argyll, and to promote its use and enjoyment by a wide audience.
The Argyll Papers have been described as one of the most important private archives in Britain (Professor Allan Macinnes, 2014). It is a rich resource for Scottish and British history from the thirteenth to the twenty-first centuries and attracts visitors from all over the world, researching a wide range of subjects including family and local history, Gaelic studies, place names, military history, political history, economic and social history, agriculture and industry, architecture and more.
The Argyll Papers are the family and estate archive of the Duke of Argyll. Dating from the 13th century, the archive records 700 years of the family’s participation in Scottish, British and international events, their private lives and interests and the management of their extensive estates.
The Argyll estates covered most of Argyllshire, including the islands of Tiree, Iona and Mull, as well as the Lordship of Campbell in Clackmannanshire, Stirling and Fife.
Most of the people living on the Argyll estates were not Campbells: many other Highland names appear in the records for Argyll and the islands, and lowland names predominate in the records of the Lordship of Campbell in central Scotland.
It is the records of the management of the estates, dating from the late 18th century, which are most useful for family history research.
The estate records detail:
Do you have Campbell ancestry and want to help preserve your family archive? Are you interested in history and opportunities to connect with like-minded people? Have you used the Argyll Papers and wish to support the archivist’s and volunteers’ work? Whatever your reason for joining, by becoming a Friend you will help to secure the future of this very special archive and become part of a friendly, interesting and dedicated group of people.
Support the preservation of this amazing archive, become a Friend of the Argyll Papers.
Dr.Robert Irving
Our most recent sponsorship campaign focuses on our amazing collection of glass plate negatives, which date from the 1860s to the early 1900s. A total of 97 plates require expert care from skilled conservators, including individual cleaning, repackaging and stabilisation of broken plates. Once conserved, digital images of the negatives will be uploaded to our online catalogue.
78 plates by Scipio Mactaggart depicting Inveraray and its inhabitants in the 1860s are up for adoption at £50 each, and a further 19 from the Campbell of South Hall collection are being offered together for £950. Sponsors will receive high-resolution images of their adopted plate(s) and their names will be recorded in the archive catalogue.
Would YOU like to help us fund this exciting project? Read our adoption catalogue to learn more and pick a plate.
Many of our records bear witness to their age and the varied conditions in which they have been kept over the years. His Grace the Duke of Argyll
provides storage, research facilities and a professional archive team to manage the collection, but additional financial investment is needed to conserve the most vulnerable items. Our latest sponsorship campaign prioritises our fascinating collection of glass plate negatives, used historically to make photographic prints. By working with the Scottish Conservation Studio at Hopetoun House, Argyll Estates Archives will ensure that these plates and the unique images captured on them are preserved for future generations. Once conserved, digital images of the plates will be uploaded to our online catalogue.
By ‘adopting’ a glass plate negative, you will be lending your support to this important work. In return, sponsors will receive high-quality digital images of their adopted plate(s) in both negative and positive formats, produced using our specialist scanner. Sponsors’ names will also be recorded for posterity in our online catalogue.
Follow the LINK to find out more about the negatives, the conservation process, and how you can contribute.
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Monday 10th February 2025 – 6.00pm.
Donald MacDougall
(Assistant Archivist)
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The Friends of the Argyll Papers are delighted to introduce a series of online seminars informed by research undertaken in the archive, to take place on Zoom. All seminars are scheduled for a Friday, at various start times to allow Friends around the world to participate.
Our February presentation in the Friends seminar series 2024/25, will take place via zoom on Friday 14 February 2025 at 14:30 UK time when Katharina Pruente will present ‘‘Ita est Patricius Miller notarius publicus’: the earls of Argyll and their notaries in the sixteenth century’.
This talk explores the changing role and responsibilities of notaries and other legal personnel in the employ of successive earls of Argyll in the sixteenth century. Notaries are traditionally perceived as scribes or attorneys who offered legal guidance and facilitated the creation of contracts, yet they also served as close personal advisors to their employers and frequently got involved in matters of estate administration, governance, and all kinds of private affairs. The role of notaries in the Scottish clans has rarely been studied in detail, however. Rather, most historians draw on surviving contracts and notarial protocol books without considering the role, training and interests of the men who created them. By shifting the focus from the surviving material record to the notaries themselves, this paper sheds new light on the evolution of the notarial profession from the late medieval period into early modernity to show that while notaries are now primarily viewed as records-keepers and scribes, their role underwent a substantial transformation in the sixteenth century that merits further analysis. Talk of treasonous notaries and high-class robbery guaranteed. No prior knowledge of notaries in the early modern period required!
Katharina is a PhD researcher in Scottish early modern history at the University of Stirling where she works on the social networks of Archibald Campbell, fifth earl of Argyll and chief of Clan Campbell (1558-1573). Her broader research interests lie in historical communities, the impact of private relationships on diplomacy and politics, and the role of ambassadors and notaries in early modern Europe. She previously worked on trade and identity in the western Highlands. This is her first talk at the Friends of the Argyll Papers.
The seminar will be given on Zoom.Attendance at the seminar is free to members of the Friends. Non-members are asked to make a £10 donation to the Friends at Donate to Friends of the Argyll Papers (enthuse.com).
All attendees should book their place by emailing Alison at: friendsoftheargyllpapers@gmail.com
Seminars will be delivered on the Zoom platform and will include a 45 minute presentation followed by 15 mins for Q & A.
Everyone who wishes to attend needs to book a place for the sessions by emailing: friendsoftheargyllpapers@gmail.com
For the full story click on the LINK
For information on past seminars, please visit the Cache Page
The Argyll Papers are open to individual researchers and for group visits and tours. We support genealogical, local history and academic research. Please book an appointment to visit. We offer school visits, resources, internships, and work experience placements.
For information about accessing the archives, please click on the image.
For more information about the contents of the archive see the Collection Description.
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Updated 03/02/2025