Marion Campbell (c. 16 December 1919 - 13 June 2000) was a Scottish archaeologist. She was one of the first people to complete an archaeological survey of

Kilmartin Glen Kilmartin Glen is an area in Argyll north of Knapdale. It has the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland. The glen is located between Oban and Lochgilphead, surrounding the village of Kilmartin. I ...

Mid Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area now forms part of t ...

. Campbell was an advocate for local history; she promoted and donated to several Argyll museums and published works about Argyll's history. She also published several fictional novels.

Personal life

Marion Campbell was the daughter of John Campbell and Marion Durand. Campbell lived most of her life in Argyll (today part of

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

) at her family's estate in

Kilberry Kilberry () is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is close to the western coast of the district of Knapdale. Kilberry Castle, just to the west of the village, was built in 1497 as a L-plan castle by a cadet branch of Clan Campbell. The ...

. She inherited Kilberry when she was 8, following her father's death. The estate was sold to an older cousin, but Campbell regained possession of it once she turned 18. During World War II, Campbell served in the British military as part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (

ATS ATS or Ats may refer to: Businesses * ATS Wheels (''Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör''), a German wheel manufacturer and sponsor of a Formula One racing team * ATS Automation Tooling Systems, an Ontario, Canada-based factory automation company * ...

) and the Women's Royal Navy Service ( WRNS). Following her military service, Campbell returned to Kilberry where she operated and managed several farms on her estate. Campbell was involved in local politics, and she served as a district councillor and a member of the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

for 20 years beginning in 1955. In 1954, Campbell's childhood friend Mary Sandeman moved into

Kilberry Castle Kilberry Castle is a Category B listed country house near Kilberry in South Knapdale in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland on the shores of the Sound of Jura. History and architecture The castle is said to have been built at the end of th ...

. They had become friends at school and during the school holidays, Mary Sandeman, living on Jura, and Marion, in Kilberry, used torches to signal to one another across the

Sound of Jura The Sound of Jura () is a Sound in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland. It is to the east of the island of Jura and the west of Knapdale, in the north of the Kintyre Peninsula, of the Scottish mainland. ...

at night. The two lived and worked together until Sandeman died in 1995, first in the castle and later in a cottage on her estate.

Archaeologist and Historian

Between 1954 and 1963, Campbell and Sandeman completed a

field survey Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduct f ...

of Mid Argyll. The survey noted the locations of objects and sites that warranted further archaeological study, including standing stones,

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

s, Early- and Medieval-Christian artifacts and sites, and forts. The survey was published in volume 95 of the journal Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
PSAS
in 1962. Campbell's work included the first survey of

; it also created direction for many later archaeological studies of Mid Argyll. Kilberry Sculptured Stones - geograph

Among the artifacts described by Campbell were th
Kilberry Sculptured Stones
found on Campbell's estate. These artifacts are dated to the Early and Medieval Christian Period and consist of 26 sculptured stones, including crosses and cross fragments, grave slabs, and effigies. Campbell moved many of the Kilberry Sculptured Stones to the basement of Kilberry Castle in 1948 to better preserve and protect them. In 1951, she donated the stones to the Ministry of Works, which displayed them in a new, separate structure on Campbell's estate. Campbell was passionate about and an advocate for the history of Argyll, where she lived most of her life. She promoted the conversion of Auchindrain Township into a museum; the museum opened in 1968 and today educates visitors about traditional Scottish farming life. In the 1990s, Campbell donated her personal collection of artifacts to form the founding collection of th
Kilmartin House
Today, known as the

Kilmartin Museum Kilmartin Museum is an archaeological museum based in Kilmartin, Argyll, Scotland. The museum works to conserve the internationally important archaeological landscape, artefacts and natural heritage of Kilmartin Glen. Their collection contains arc ...

, the organization educates the public about the archaeological and natural history of Kilmartin Glen, where much of Campbell's professional work was focused. In 1977, Campbell published the book ''Argyll: The Enduring Heartland'' which details the history of Argyll and Campbell's love and connection to the region. Campbell's account of Scottish history and pride was well-received, with three separate editions appearing in print since its original publication. Campbell also researched Alexander III, a Scottish king with ties to Argyll. She compiled a decades-worth of research into the biography ''Alexander III, King of Scots,'' published shortly before she died in 1999. In 1955, Campbell founded th
Natural History and Antiquarian Society of Mid Argyll
an organization dedicated to discussing, preserving, and educating the general public about the local history of Mid Argyll. She served as president of the Society from its founding until 1990. In 1971, she became the founding editor and a regular contributor to the Mid Argyll Society's journal ''The Kist.'' She was a driving force behind the creation of the Auchindrain Township Open Air Museum. Campbell became a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usu ...

in 1949 and an Honorary Fellow of the Society in 1988.

Novelist

Campbell published two nonfiction books. ''Argyll: The Enduring Heartland'' combines historical and archaeological accounts of Argyll with poetry and personal essays written by Campbell; it was published in 1977. Her biography of Alexander III, entitled ''Alexander III, King of Scots,'' was published in 1999. Campbell also wrote several works of historical fiction. Her children's historical novel ''The Wide Blue Road'' was published in 1957 and was her debut fictional work. It was followed by three more in the series. ''The Dark Twin'' was set in

Bronze Age Scotland Archaeology and geology continue to reveal the secrets of prehistoric Scotland, uncovering a complex past before the Romans brought Scotland into the scope of recorded history. Successive human cultures tended to be spread across Europe or fur ...

, and was published in 1973. Campbell based the storyline from mysterious, waking dreams she had during this period. The novel was particularly popular in the United States, and in the 1990s Campbell sold the film rights. ''The Dark Twin'' was reissued in 2024 by Solar Press.

Legacy

The 2014 play'
The Air that Carries the Weight
' by Rebecca Sharp features Marion Campbell as a character; the play also incorporates her archaeological and fictional writings. The Kilmartin Museum's library is dedicated to and named after Campbell.

Published works

* (1957) ''The Wide Blue Road,'' J.M. Dent & Sons, * (1962) Campbell, M. and Sandeman, M., "Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey", ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland'', vol 95, pp. 1–125. * (1963) ''Lances and Longships,'' J.M. Dent & Sons *(1964) ''The Squire of Val,'' J.M. Dent & Sons *(1965) ''Young Hugh,'' J.M. Dent & Sons *(1973) ''The Dark Twin,'' House of Lochar, * (1977) ''Argyll: The Enduring Heartland,'' House of Lochar, * (1999) ''Alexander III King of Scots'', House of Lochar,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Marion 2000 deaths Amateur archaeologists British women archaeologists Scottish archaeologists Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1919 births