Scottish island bought by couple was gifted to National Trust 43 years later
Scottish Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell and American musician Margaret Fay Shaw bought the remote islands of Canna and Sanday in 1938 and made Canna House their home. For decades, they collected Gaelic songs, stories, photographs and historical records. In 1981, Campbell gifted Canna, their home and their extensive collections to the National Trust for Scotland, preserving their life’s work…
John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Fay Shaw, dedicated folklorists, spent decades recording Gaelic songs, stories, and traditions. In 1938, Campbell gifted the Isle of Canna to the National Trust for Scotland, along with his home, library, archives, and sound recordings. Campbell, born in Argyll on October 1, 1906, was a scholar of Gaelic and obtained his mentorship from Professor John Fraser at Oxford.
The couple moved to Canna after living on Barra for three years. Margaret, a talented musician, collaborated with Campbell on their extensive collection of Gaelic cultural material. Canna House served as their home and research center, where Campbell worked on transcribing and archiving his recordings while Margaret contributed through photography and film.
In 1981, Campbell gifted Canna to the National Trust for Scotland, preserving their invaluable collection, which includes Gaelic folk songs, tales, Celtic and Norse studies, philology, literature, and Scottish history. The archives house over 6,000 photographs taken by Margaret and 1,700 sound recordings compiled by Campbell. Campbell passed away in 1996, and his remains were later reinterred on Canna.
Magda Sagarzazu, who had grown up on the island, continued Campbell's work and maintained the collections until she retired in 2015. Today, Canna House offers guided tours, showcasing the preserved legacy of the Campbells' research.
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