Taillear Dubh na Tuaighe Donald Cameron ( born c . 1550 ) , also known as Black Taylor of the Axe ( Scottish Gaelic : Taillear Dubh na Tuaighe ) , who lived in the Scottish Highlands during the reign of Mary , Queen of Scots , was an illegitimate son of Ewen Cameron of Lochiel , 14th chief of Clan Cameron , and the daughter of the chief of Clan MacDougall . Donald Cameron is claimed as the eponym ous ancestor of the Taylor sept of Clan Cameron . He is alluded to in the coat of arms of the chief of Clan Cameron , as a likeness of him appears as the supporters holding a Lochaber axe . Childhood . After Donald ' s birth , Ewen kept his son , and had him nursed by a tailor ' s wife at Lundavra in Lochaber ( " Cameron country " ) . There , as an infant , Donald received the nickname " An Taillear Dubh " ( " an " , a diminutive ; " Taillear " , an occupational reference to the caretaker ' s husband ; " Dubh " , translated as " black " in the context of meaning " swarthy " or " dark tempered " ) . Ewen died in captivity in 1553 , prisoner of the chief of Clan MacDougall who was holding Ewen captive until such time as he agreed to marry the chief ' s daughter . Acknowledgement of Donald ' s parentage did not suffice according to laws of hereditary succession , the consequence being that Ewen , an unmarried man , died without " legitimate issue " . The title of 15th chief of Clan Cameron passed instead to Ewen ' s younger brother , Donald Cameron of Lochiel . As for property , Donald did not inherit his father ' s lands , as Queen Mary – unhappy with Ewen ' s fighting history and lack of obedience towards her summons – granted all of Ewen ' s lands to George Gordon , 4th Earl of Huntly . Warrior . Donald was raised by Corunan MacLachlans , the earliest cadet branch of Strathlachlan to leave Cowal , and hereditary standard - bearer s to Cameron of Lochiel . Corunan was located midway between Fort William and Corran of Ardgour in Lochaber , The 15th chief of Clan Cameron died without legitimate issue in 1569 . His younger brother , John , would have been next in line of hereditary succession , but had recently died , thereby John ' s infant son , Allan Cameron of Lochiel ( born 1567 / 68 ) , became 16th chief of Clan Cameron . Soon thereafter , around 1570 , the Battle of Bun Garbhain pitted Camerons against their principal rival Clan Mackintosh . It was here that Donald , with his Lochaber axe , became a Cameron hero for slaying Mackintosh of Mackintosh , 15th chief of Clan Mackintosh , earning Donald the nickname " Taillear Dubh na Tuaighe " . When Donald went to Allan ' s family with news of this battle , Allan ' s mother , daughter of the slain Mackintosh chief , became enraged , and attempted to kill baby Allan . Donald intervened in time , saving the young 16th chief of Clan Cameron , another heroic act , but Allan ' s mother was banished from Lochaber forever . Fighting was not limited to clan against clan . Because of his youth , Allan was vulnerable to being usurped by a Cameron cadet branch ( distant family ) . Ewen Cameron of Erracht , uncle of the 14th chief of Clan Cameron , became suspect and so it was that in the 1580s , Donald ' s men , Cameron of Lochiel , murdered Ewan Cameron of Erracht in battle at Inverlochy Castle on behalf of young Allen , and retaining the line of hereditary succession for Camerons of Lochiel . Legacy . Cameron - Mackintosh fighting continued to be bloody . Eventually , Donald fled with his family and followers to Cowal and found safety . His descendants settled in StrathEachaig where they were known as " Mac - an - taillear " ( " son of the tailor " ) . Donald ' s legacy is preserved in the double black lines of the Taylor sept ' s tartan , designed in 1955 by Lt . Col . Iain B . Cameron .