Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. On today’s episode, we journey to the windswept shores of Ardrossan in Ayrshire, where a tragic event unfolded on October 25, 1769—the murder of Alexander Montgomerie, the 10th Earl of Eglinton. This story of power, pride, and misfortune involves a Scottish nobleman, a government excise officer, and the bitter tensions of the times. Let’s take a deeper look.

Alexander Montgomerie was born on February 10, 1723, the eldest son of the 9th Earl of Eglinton and his third wife, Susanna Kennedy, a celebrated beauty of the Scottish aristocracy. The 10th Earl inherited immense wealth and property, including the family estate of Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire. In addition to his status as a prominent landowner, he was a well-known figure in Scottish society, having served as Grand Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Scotland between 1750 and 1751. Though he had no legitimate children, his influence extended beyond his estates. He even played a part in shaping young James Boswell’s early experiences of London high society, a relationship that Boswell documented in his famous London Journal.

But the Earl's life, filled with promise and progress, came to a tragic end in a fateful encounter with an excise officer named Mungo Campbell. Campbell, like Eglinton, came from a well-known Scottish family. He was the son of a former Provost of Ayr and had fought in the army before becoming an excise officer, tasked with enforcing customs duties—a job that often put him at odds with local landowners and smugglers.

In October 1769, tensions between the Earl and Campbell had already been brewing, largely over matters of poaching and rights to bear arms on the Eglinton estate. Campbell, who was known to be carrying a firearm, claimed he had permission to shoot game on nearby lands but not specifically on Eglinton’s property. According to reports, the dispute escalated when the Earl learned that Campbell had killed a hare while crossing through his land. Furious at what he saw as a violation of his rights and the law, Eglinton decided to confront Campbell.

On October 24, the Earl was traveling with his servants when he was informed that two men, one carrying a gun, had been seen on his property near the beach. Eglinton, leaving his carriage, rode ahead on horseback to confront them. One of these men was Mungo Campbell. When the Earl demanded that Campbell hand over his firearm, Campbell refused, stating he would rather die than surrender his weapon. What followed was a tense and tragic series of events. As the Earl moved towards Campbell, the excise officer retreated, eventually stumbling and falling. In a moment of panic, Campbell fired his gun, mortally wounding the Earl in the abdomen.

The Earl’s final moments were marked by dignity, despite the terrible circumstances. He was carried back to his carriage and transported to Eglinton Castle, where he received medical attention. Sadly, his injuries were too severe, and he succumbed to them the next day, on October 25, 1769. His last words reportedly expressed forgiveness for Campbell, stating he did not believe Campbell had intended to kill him.

The aftermath of the murder shook Ayrshire society to its core. Mungo Campbell was arrested and charged with murder. However, before he could face the public execution scheduled for April 1770, he took his own life while in custody, hanging himself in Edinburgh’s Tolbooth. This final act of desperation further stirred the public, who desecrated Campbell’s body before his friends could claim it for burial at sea.

The consequences of the Earl’s death were felt deeply within his family and community. His mother, Susanna, Dowager Countess of Eglinton, was devastated, retreating from public life. Meanwhile, many of Eglinton's tenants and local inhabitants, who had grown increasingly discontent with the Earl’s agricultural reforms and innovations, showed more sympathy towards Campbell than their fallen lord, believing that his death was a form of divine retribution for meddling in traditional ways of life.

This tragic event was not only recorded in contemporary newspapers but also left a lasting mark on Scottish literature and folklore. The Earl’s death became a subject of popular discussion, even inspiring the 1770 publication A Dialogue of the Dead: Betwixt Lord Eglinton and Mungo Campbell, which explored class tensions and the rights of commoners versus the aristocracy. John Galt, a notable Scottish novelist, later immortalized the incident in his novel Annals of the Parish, capturing the deep-rooted social conflicts of rural Scotland in the 18th century.

Despite his untimely death, the 10th Earl of Eglinton left a legacy through his contributions to Scottish agriculture and society. The village of Eaglesham in Renfrewshire, which he designed in 1769, still stands today, laid out in the shape of a capital “A” to symbolize his name. His brother Archibald succeeded him as the 11th Earl of Eglinton, inheriting the title but also the lingering sadness and controversy surrounding the family.

As we reflect on the events of October 25, 1769, we are reminded of how even in the quiet rural corners of Scotland, history can take sharp and tragic turns. The murder of Alexander Montgomerie remains a sobering tale of pride, duty, and the sometimes lethal consequences of human conflict.

Thank you for joining us on This Day in Scottish History. I’m Colin MacDonald. Haste Ye Back!

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