Corrieknowe

Corrieknowe has been in the Cameron family for generations. The original house was destroyed in the aftermath of Culloden, and was not rebuilt until nearly a century later. Donald Cameron, laird in 1745, supported the Jacobite; however, his son Angus was more pragmatic and although he did not join the Hanoverian army, he publicly stated on more than one occasion that the Stewart cause had been doomed before it ever started and that the Highlanders would have been wiser to accept the Hanoverian kings philosophically, if not gladly. At the same time he freely criticised the breaches of the Treaty of Union which he claimed were altogether too blatant.

He built a small, unpretentious lodge on the estate, and the family (including his father when he returned from exile) lived there until his great-grandson, another Angus, supervised the rebuilding of the ruins of the original house.

The family flourished for the next century, with trade contacts in India; however, Indian Independance broke those contacts, and although the family could not have been called porverty-stricken as a result, their income dropped, this coinciding with expensive repairs to the 100-year-old house and double death duties, because Donald Cameron, grandson of the Angus who rebuilt the Big House, lived to be nearly a hundred and his heir, yet another Angus, did not long enjoy his position - over 70 when he inherited, he died two years later. A lot of the estate had to be sold at that time, only a few farms (including a lot of hill grazing) being left of the original estate.

Angus was succeeded by his second son Ninian, his oldest son Donald having been killed, unmarried, during WW2. The family had long been known for practical common sense; and Ninian was as pragmatic as his several-times-great grandfather. Having sold much of the land to cover the most pressing debts, he set his mind to saving the little that was left, and the House, for his descendants. It was obvious that some way had to be found to provide an income for the estate, and the most obvious way was to open the House to the public. He also wanted to make sure, however, that on his death the Estate would not again be beggared, so he set up a trust in the name of his son Ian, into which all the income from visitors would go. This, he hoped, would provide his son with independant money, not part of the Estate assets, to cover his death duties, and he also set it up in such a way that it would be continuous, with Ian's son becoming trustee in his turn.

This venture has proved successful, and Ninian, now in his late 60s, has handed over most of the running of the House and Estate to Ian, secure in the knowledge that on his death the House will remain safely in the Family.

Ian is married, with two daughters and a son; the daughters are married and have left home, while Angus (Ian having returned to the traditional family names for his son), the youngest of the three, is still unmarried but showing an interest in the granddaughter (and heir) of the man who bought part of the Estate in the late 40s. Ninian, obviously, hopes that this marriage will take place, as it will bring back to the Estate the land it lost and a little more as well.

The workers in the House all live on the Estate, being the wives or children of the farmers. Most of their families, too, have been on Corrieknowe land for generations, and feel considerable loyalty towards the Cameron family.

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