One Good Deed Deserves Another

Clan Lamont were once force to be reckoned with on the west coast, ruling over most of the Cowal peninsula. By the 16th Century, the Campbells had become dominant in Argyll and smaller clans grew closer together, allied against their rival’s expansion. 

One night, a joint hunting party of Lamonts and MacGregors had made camp around the banks of Loch Awe. After a long day, the men were happy to rest their weary legs and enjoy themselves, with drink flowing freely. With so much alcohol and testosterone flying around, tempers began to flare.

In a sudden outburst, the son of the Lamont chief pulled out his dirk and stabbed the son of the MacGregor chief. Without waiting to find out if the wound was fatal or not, the assailant fled into the darkness chased by the Macgregor men. By the weak moonlight, Lamont had no idea where he was going and accidentally stumbled upon the home of the MacGregor chief.

Seeing how panicked the young man was, MacGregor ushered him inside, promising to protect him from whoever was on his heels. The old chief soon realised why Lamont was running, but he had offered protection and would stay true to his word. When the chasing clansmen appeared at his door, MacGregor tried to calm them, refusing their calls for swift justice.

Seeing that his men wouldn’t be satisfied without blood, the chief sneaked Lamont out the back and into a hidden boat. MacGregor looked the young man in the eyes and told him that he deserved the chance to save himself if he could. As the boat slipped away, MacGregor shouted that they would pursue him fairly once he was in his own land.

That young Lamont eventually became clan chief and years later a haggard, exhausted looking man appeared at the door of his castle. It was the old MacGregor chief, stripped of his land and forced from his home by the Campbells. With nowhere else to go, the old man had hoped to find shelter and support against the two clans’ common enemy. Lamont was more than happy to finally repay MacGregor for protecting him in his hour of need.