Letter from Ian Campbell, 11th duke of Argyll, to Mary Cosh, 1 February 1972. The letter is on headed paper belonging to "The Travellers", 25, Avenue des Champes Elysees, 75-Paris 8e. It runs:
'Dear Mary- The sanguinary part about being even this remote from house is that I can't remember where everything is! Of course you, K. Croft and Dunbar can look at anything you want. Only warn Ken Short when you're going!
There's a chap writing about Adderbury, but his name is in limbo, & I suspect that Walter Buccleuch's librarian may have some unexplored dope [?] about it. I "imagine" that No 2 left it to his eldest daughter. Mathilda's urging me to write a Campbell history, on the dubious grounds that I know more about it than anyone else! The only thing that might justify it is that there are still 4 unused M.S.'s in the vault, dating from 1672, to 1810.
The Ancient Monts. boys have now satisfied themselves that Innischonnel is the 2nd oldest castle in Scotland, 25 to 50 years younger than Castle Sween (between 1175 & 1225), and we know that the earliest Campbell on written record was 1266. So there may be a ghost of truth in the more "recent" parts of Niall's mythological pedigrees!
When you do a job on The Fire try to find Archie's caricature of Lorne carrying the housekeeper through the Flaming Hall. It used to be in a cupboard next fireplace in guide's room. I "think" there are some press accounts in the attic corridors among No 8's big cutting volumes - S.W. side.
Sudbrook is a mystery to me. Coombe bank is a nursery, I lent 'em a little engraving of it from the big scrap book in the green library. Love Ian.'
Also in this file: 2 pages of typed transcripts from letters discussing the restoration of Inveraray Castle after the fire in 1877. The transcripts were made by Niall, 10th duke of Argyll, and include a letter from the 8th duke to his son, Lord Archie, dated from Rosneath, 12 Aug 1878:
'My dear Archie, We must not cover the wall wholly with Trophies. I want room for pictures. The Muskets and Bayonets are Historical and characteristic. But made up "Trophies" can be made up by any cockney and are very apt to look vulgar. Besides I want to have pictures - not only Birds, but also Family Pictures. We have too little room as it is . . .'