The Great Feud [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Oliver Thomson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2000

This is an account of the rivalry and sometimes-bloody conflict between two families from the west coast of Scotland, the Campbells and the McDonalds. Starting with the violent death of the Campbell chief in 1297, the feud then went on for 450 years in Scotland and Northern Ireland with numerous cullings and clashings inflicted by both sides, amongst which the incident at Glencoe just happens to be the best publicized. Despite the mutual antipathy, both families continued to grow, to scatter over the world and to produce a large number of talented descendants including two British Prime Ministers (Campbell Bannerman and Ramsay MacDonald) and the first Canadian Prime Minister. The second half of the book charts this more peaceful period after 1745 when large numbers of both clans spread rapidly around the world: transported as criminals, evicted in clearances, or simply seeking their fortune in peace or war.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although family feuds can take on lives of their own, rarely are they as long and treacherous as the rivalry between the Scottish clans, the Campbells and the MacDonalds. This lively ancestral adventure begins with a single ambush of a Campbell chief, Sir Colin Campbell, in 1296 by Lame John MacDougall (whose clan was closely allied with the MacDonalds), and spans nearly 450 years across the globe. The opposing clans were stalwart military and political powers, one side supporting the reigning royalty while the other opposed it. Thomson's enthusiasm shows in accounts of battles, such as the infamous Massacre of Glencoe and the 1745 Jacobite rebellionAthe latter resulting in such severe casualties that the two clans' power was finally broken. Thomson also tells colorful tales of individual acts of heroism and scandal. There is Flora MacDonaldAwho aided in the escape of Prince Charles following the devastating Battle of Culloden in 1746 by having him dress as her maidAand Alastair Ruadh MacDonell, a captain in the French Scots Brigade, who was accused after his death in 1761 of being the English spy known as Pickle. In the final section, Thomson follows the Campbells and the MacDonalds as they leave Scotland, and discovers descendants of the two clans emerging as heads of state, artists, poets, soldiers, criminals, sports figures and even the entrepreneurs who began McDonald's fast food chain and the Campbell Soup Company. 16 b&w illus.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Lively ancestral adventure . . . -- Publishers Weekly, May 29, 2000

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 218 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing; illustrated edition edition (April 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750923741
• ISBN-13: 978-0750923743
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,937,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but Over Priced and Mistake Prone., November 14, 2000

By 

William J. Shepherd (Crofton, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Feud (Hardcover)

Thomson has produced an entertaining account of the Campbells and the
MacDonalds, undoubtably the most famous feuding families in Scottish
if not world history. The selection of photographs, many taken by the
author, is impressive, as is the list of historic sites by country
provided for the enterprising tourist. Unfortunately, the narrative
tends to bog down in the last section, which takes the rival families
into the broader world beyond their Scottish roots, with a seemingly
endless list of persons of some note, such as superstar model Naomi
Campbell, or even ill repute, like JFK mistress Judith Campbell, who
happened to have either surname or variation thereof. Thomson also
repeatedly misuses the term 'ethnic cleansing' in referring to the
Highland clearances. The Scottish Highlands were not cleared of
people based upon ethnicity in favor of one group and against another
but cleared to make way for the mass introduction of sheep
farming. This could be termed 'people cleansing' perhaps but not
ethnic cleansing especially since the clan chiefs removed their own
people, whose welfare they betrayed in favor of profit and
greed. Finally, the far too numerous date or factual errors reveal
very poor editorial control. For example, the Battle of Crecy was
fought in 1346 not 1369 (p. 17), King Henry VIII of England died in
January of 1547 and so was not involved with the Battle of Pinkie
fought in September of 1547 (p. 54), the Battle of Dettington was
fought in 1743 not 1742 (p. 97), the famous 'Khaki' election took
place in 1900 not 1906 (p. 146), and Frank Sinatra and his cronies
were known as the 'Rat Pack' not the 'Brat Pack' (p. 159). This book
is not without its merits and a second edition with suitable
corrections and a price reduction would be welcome.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Move over Hatfields. The Campbells are Coming., October 5, 2002

By 

Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Feud: The Campbells & the Macdonalds (Paperback)

Oliver Thomson has done a fairly good job of telling the story of what is probably the greatest feud of all time. He does a very good job of explaining why tension developed between the two great families and why they took the sides they did in various wars. The story is a little shallow at times but for the most part he tells the story well. One of the things he handles best is explaining the split between the Stewarts and the Campbells who had been long time allies, often against the MacDonalds. For some reason he keeps saying the various clans were involved in ethnic cleansing. Scots were removing Scots to make room for sheep not killing off another ethnic group. Hitler was involved in ethnic cleansing, not the Scots.

The biggest problem is that he handles the feud in the first half of the book. The second half of the book is about as interesting as watching grass grow. Thomson takes the clans into the rest of the world and for the most part just lists person after person with either surname who did anything at all. One person is even mentioned who started a candy business. For someone who is interested in the feud the second half of the book is a complete waste of time bearing no relation to the subject at all. Even for a member of the Clan Campbell like myself it was for the most part a waste of time.

In short, the first half of this book is fairly good but the second half is awful. First half - four stars. Second half - no stars. Total - 2 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars History as Clan Campbell sees it, January 22, 2009

By 

David M. Hill "Dave Hill (Clan Donald)" (St. Peters, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Feud the Campbells the Macdo (Paperback)

This book is written from Clan Campbell's viewpoint. The author thanks a Campbell (but no MacDonald's) in his foreward. The bibliography shows that the author made little effort to get both sides of the feud. The author degrades the MacDonald Clan every chance he gets, while sugar-coating and making excuses for the Campbell attrocities. Both sides did wrong. I expected a balanced approach. You will not get it in this book. The adjectives describing the Campbell's are usually complimentary, while the descriptions of the MacDonald's are always negative. The author also perpetuates the stereotypes that Highlanders were backwards and had no redeeming qualities, while the Campbell Clan and Lowlanders were superior in every way. The author thinks very little of the MacDonald Clans military victories. If this were more balanced the murder of John Tannister (one of the major reasons, if not the reason, the MacDonald's hated the Campbell's) would have received more than one sentence in the book and would have given the details of how he was murdered in cold blood. Meanwhile, the act committed by a MacDougall (not a MacDonald) was given the better part of a chapter. I would recommend Feuds, Forays and Rebellions, History of the Highland Clans 1475-1625 by John L. Roberts over this white-washing of Scottish history.