Wandering amongst a rather interesting bundle of old photos put up for sale by 'seangler 12' today, I found this rather appealing wee lass labelled: VICTORIAN CDV - NOVICE NUN - TO REAR, FLORA CAMPBELL AGED 18 - 1888
First obvious spot -- she is, as she looks, ten years old, not eighteen ...
I don't think you become a nun at ten.
Second spot. Malvern and Cheltenham. We are talking hupper class here.
Flora Campbell? Sounds pretty Scottish to me.
Oh look, here she is again! And a little brother ..
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| 'little Archie' |
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| 'little Flora' |
OK, in Worcestershire at birth, at Cheltenham later ... I was only momentarily stymied by the fact that 'Flora' was actually christed Augusta Annie Mary Flora ... and there they were ...
Augusta Annie Mary Flora CAMPBELL born Malvern Link 14 March 1878
Archibald John Lochnell CAMPBELL born Powick 24 February 1879
children of Archibald Argyll Lochnell Campbell Esq, 13th Campbell of Lochnell, JP and DL, descendant of the Dukes of Argyll and James I of Scotland and his wife Anne Constance, youngest daughter of John Francis Fitz-Gerald, Inspector General of Asylums, of Glenlee Lodge, Cheltenham ..
Archie was educated at the Abbey School, Fort Augustus. Flora at The Convent, Powick. Where the school uniform was evidently the mini-nun garb in the photo.
The story of the Campbells of Lochnell is an oft-told one so I don't intend to tell it again. I don't know what Flora did with her life. She died 5 March 1942 at Lochnell Lodge, Taynuilt, Argyllshire. Unmarried. The same Lochnell Lodge as the family demesne? I imagine so, for that was brother Archie's address in 1912. But Lochnell Castle and estates were long gone from the possession of the Campbell family.
After the death of their father in 1897, Archie became the head of the family, the 14th Lochnell. Whatever happened next I have no idea, but in 1913 the whole estate and castle was advertised for sale.
Although it is insisted on the www that the estate was sold in 1912, Archie was still there in 1914 -- the present Mr Campbell of Lochnell, the fourteenth, is a Roman Catholic -- mumbled the press, discussing the inheritance of the Duke of Argyll ... and Archie was, indeed, a pallbearer at the old Duke's funeral 'of Lochnell'.
When the estate was offer up for auction in July 1914, there were no bids. And in March 1915 a 'Captain J A Lochnell Campbell, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders' died of his wounds. Was it our Archie? It seems not. This one is said to be of 'the Campbells of Jura'. Right family, wrong man. In 1918, another extended attempt was made to sell Lochnell ... The Earl of Dundonald finally took it on ...
Where were the Campbells? Notably, where was Archie? Did he die in the war? Was he shut away for some reason? He just vanishes. Even those volumes which chronicle minutely the family details of the Lords and Lairds of the nation don't tell us. He just simply vanishes. We are just told that at some stage his younger brother succeeded to the Lairdship. And when that brother married, in 1920, he was referred to as 'second son of ..', not 'eldest surviving son of'.
And Flora? Back at Lochnell ... for how long? Soon after she died, Dundonald put the whole lot up for sale again ...
Either I hav'n't been looking in the right places, or there is a curious tale in here somewhere. Why were the every doings of a family like this not reported in the society press ...? Why is there not a word about Archie? Ah .. here's his 51st birthday in 1930 ....
And answers came there! Archie died in May 1947 at Lochnell. Thanks Gina Ambridge and Angela Heron!
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