The Shield is: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, gyronny of eight or and sable,
2nd and 3rd, argent a lymphad, her sails fuled and oars in action, all
sable flag and pennants flying gules, for Lorn.
The Crest is: A boar's head coped or, over the crest this motto, "Ne oblviscaris".
Supporters: Two lions guard gules.
The Mottoes are: "Ne Obliviscaris", and "Vix Ea Nostro Noco", 'I Scarce
Call These Things Our Own'.
Note: Behind the arms are two honourable badges in saltire, viz.,
1st, a baton gules semee of thistles or, ensigned with imperial crowns
ppr., thereon the crest of Scotland, i.e. a lion sejant guard gules crowned
with the like imperial crown, having in the dexter paw a sword ppr. hilted
and pomelled or., in the sinister a scepter of the last. The other badge
is a sword ppr. hilt and pomel or. The two badges are borne for Hereditary
Great Master of the King's Household, and Justice-General of Argyllshire.
Variant spellings of Campbell are: Cambell, Camble, Cample, Camp, McCampbell, and Kemp.
The name Campbell in Ireland originated with the Gallowglass who moved into Ulster and later with more traditional settlers who arrived in the seventeenth century. The County Tyrone native Gaelic MacCathmhaoil Sept also adopted Campbell as the anglicized version of their name after the Plantations. Carn beul is a Scottish nickname derived from Gaelic cam = crooked, bent + beul = mouth, "crooked mouth". Gillespie O Duibhne was the first to have born the nickname, and founded clan Campbell at the beginning of the 13th century.
Campbell ranks among the top 10 most numerous names in Scotland, and among the 50 most popular in Ireland. Not surprisingly, most of the name were found in the province of Ulster in Ireland. Some of the name came to Ireland as galloglass in centuries past, and all are given to be of Scottish origins when found in Ireland.
Both McCampbell and Campbell are given as principle names in Co. Antrim in the census of 1659. Variant spellings include that of Cample.
In the 1890 birth index of Ireland some 349 births of the name were recorded.
The vast majority (279) were in the province of Ulster, and the least were in
the province of Munster (8), to the south. The distribution is shown below.
Births of the surname in 1890 (by province): Leinster 39, Munster 8, Connacht 23, Ulster 279
Most common in counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone, Derry, Donegal.
While the Campbells of Donegal are given to be of Scottish heritage originally, and they have settled in neighboring counties in Ulster, some members assert that the Campbells of Tyrone were originally an entirely separate family, of Irish origins.
Arms for the name are found on plate 209 in the Irish Book or Arms.
Source: The Book of Irish Families Great & Small
Michael C. O'Laughin
1997 Irish Genealogical Foundation
