John Du Cameron facts for kids

John Du Cameron (pronounced "Yain Doov Cam-shron") was a Scottish soldier who lived a long time ago. He was a Sergeant in the French army, but he came back to Scotland to join a big fight called the Jacobite rising of 1745. This was when Prince Charles Edward Stuart tried to become king of Scotland and Britain.

When the rebellion didn't succeed, John Du Cameron didn't give up. He became a leader of a group of people who kept fighting from the mountains. He was known as Sergeant Mòr (Mòr means "big" or "great" in Scottish Gaelic).

Some people, especially those who didn't agree with him, saw him as someone who caused trouble. But to many others who supported the Prince, he was a folk hero – a brave person who stood up for what he believed in. You can even find his name mentioned in an old poem called The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond by Andrew Lang!

The Capture of Sergeant Mòr

After the rebellion, John Du Cameron had no home and was in trouble for fighting against the government. So, he formed a group of people and lived in the mountains. These mountains were between the areas of Perth, Inverness, and Argyll.

He would take cattle that belonged to people he saw as his enemies. He also asked for payments from people to protect them, which was a common practice at the time. For a long time, he slept in a barn on a farm called Dunan in Rannoch.

However, in 1753, he was betrayed. One night, while he was sleeping in the barn, a group of men led by Hector Munro, 8th laird of Novar caught him. John Du Cameron was a very strong man. He managed to shake off the soldiers who grabbed him and tried to run away. But the rest of the group, who were waiting outside, quickly stopped him.

Cameron was taken to Perth. There, he was put on trial for serious crimes, including taking cattle and other things. He was found guilty and was executed in Perth in 1753. Many local people believed that the person whose barn he was sleeping in had betrayed him.

See also

• Mosstroopers