CAWDOR CASTLE 237 



ravock, and died, leaving as his sole heiress a 

 daughter, Muriel. The oldJThane and John's four 

 brothers ill might brook their vast inheritance pass- 

 ing to a girl, and so, by marriage, into another 

 family. They did what in them lay; they nobly 

 tried to disprove Muriel's legitimacy, but in vain; 

 and about the year 1510, she, being then twelve 

 years old, married Sir John Campbell, son of the 

 second Earl of Argyll. Fourth in descent from 

 these came John Campbell of Cawdor, a lunatic, to 

 whom his brother Colin was appointed tutor-at-law, 

 to administer the estates. 



This Colin, having determined to build a large ad- 

 dition to the castle, set about it in a very amateurish 

 way, employing no regular architect, and working 

 without any regular plan. The contract made in 

 October 1639 with the brothers Nicholson, 'rneas- 

 sounes ' (masons) in Nairn, is refreshingly vague ; 

 they are to * bvild upe and ovtred (clear out) the 

 entrie yet (entrance gate) just vpone the lewelling 

 of the rest of the sydwallis (side walls), withe ane 

 licht (window) to the east and ane tother licht 

 quher the saidis meassounes can best haue the 

 samen.' But it was stipulated that 'the armes, 

 names, and siferis (cyphers) vpone the windocks 



