Donald Campbell was the most famous of the Campbell tacksmen, renowned for sheltering Bonnie Prince Charlie during his flight after the Battle of Culloden.
The Prince and his party were travelling north from Rossinish in Benbecula, heading for Stornoway, when they landed in Scalpay in the early morning of 30th April 1746. Their pilot was Donald MacLeod of Gualtergill, Skye, who knew and trusted Donald Campbell and hoped the Prince might be safe in Scalpay while they procured a boat at Stornoway to take him to France. The plan was for the party to masquerade as shipwrecked sailors captained by an Orkney merchant, Sinclair; the Prince playing the part of his son.
Donald Campbell gave his visitors every hospitality, despite the fact he himself was a Hanoverian, and in all probability, he knew who his guests were - his wife, Catherine, was the sister of a staunch Jacobite, Donald Roy MacDonald and she would certainly have recognized the Prince.
A party of soldiers, accompanied by a local minister, Rev. Aulay MacAulay, arrived on the island to capture the Prince and claim the reward of £30,000 offered by the Government- no mean sum in those days. The minister tried to persuade Donald Campbell to hand over the fugitive and share in the reward, but Donald was a man of honour and would not be bribed. He was prepared to fight to the death in defense of the Prince who had entrusted his life to him. He sent his son to warn the Prince and his followers, who immediately armed themselves against attack. However, according to Buchanan, "they sneaked off from the island, ashamed and disappointed at the loss of the money, which they had already devoured in their thoughts, and divided to every man in his due proportion."
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