Battle of Lagganmore

Last updated

Battle of Lagganmore
Part of the Scottish Civil War
Lagganmore - geograph.org.uk - 109324.jpg
The settlement of Lagganmore in modern times
Date1646
Location
Lagganmore, in Glen Euchar, west of Loch Scammadale, Scotland.
Coordinates: 56°19′26″N5°28′55″W / 56.324°N 5.482°W / 56.324; -5.482
Result Royalist/Irish victory
Belligerents
Royal Standard of Scotland.svg Royalists:
Clan Donald
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacAulay
Standard of the Irish Brigade (1644-45).svg Irish Brigade
Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg Covenanters:
Clan Campbell
Clan MacCallum
Clan MacNaghten
Commanders and leaders
Alasdair MacColla
Lachlan MacLean
John Campbell
Donald Campbell
Zachary MacCallum  
Strength
c.1,500 [1] c.700 [2]
Scotland relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Lagganmore

The Battle of Lagganmore took place in 1646 at Lagganmore in Glen Euchar, west of Loch Scammadale. It was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, though in this case the battle, which was fought largely between Highland clansmen, incorporated a long running feud between Clan MacDonald and Clan Campbell. [3]

Contents

The Royalist forces of Alasdair Mac Colla, supported by men of Clan MacDougall and Clan MacAulay, defeated the pro-government forces of the Campbells who were supported by Clan MacCallum. [3]

Background

The battle took place in the context of the Scottish Civil War. Mac Colla and a group of Irish professional soldiers were sent to Scotland in June 1644 by Confederate Ireland, ostensibly to aid the Royalist party there, at the instigation of the Earl of Antrim. Mac Colla joined with the Royalist Lord Montrose and fought a successful campaign against the Scottish government in 1644–5. However Antrim, Mac Colla and many of their recruits in Scotland were members of Clan Donald, and it appears that a significant objective of Antrim's plan was to recover ancestral lands in Kintyre and elsewhere from which the Clan Donald South had been driven by the pro-government Clan Campbell. [4]

After leaving Montrose's forces in late 1645, Mac Colla, some of his Irish troops and a large contingent of MacDonald and other clansmen returned to Kintyre and renewed their attacks on Clan Campbell lands. Much of early 1646 was spent on a fruitless siege of Craignish Castle, during which Archibald Campbell, the Tutor of Craignish, repeatedly taunted Mac Colla by challenging him to single combat. [1] In the spring of 1646, the Campbells raised a force to oppose them under the local gentry, John Campbell of Lochnell and Donald Campbell of Bragleen. [5]

The battle

The location and scale of Lagganmore meant that little was recorded in contemporary written sources. Most of what is known about the battle is derived from local folklore, albeit most of the traditions are fairly consistent with each other. [1]

Bragleen and Lochnell's forces, largely consisting of men of Clan Campbell and several associated clans, assembled in Glen Euchar to attack Mac Colla. [5] Another landowner Zachary MacCallum, or Malcolm, of Poltalloch also joined the battle. By tradition, this was supposedly as he happened to be in the area, but Poltalloch was well known as a political supporter of the Campbell chief Argyll so he and some of his men are likely to have already been with the Campbell forces. [1] Mac Colla was said, at this point, to have had about 1,500 men, [1] retaining a number of his veteran Irish troops along with some clan levies from the MacDougalls of Dunollie and the MacAulays of Ardincaple. [6] The number of Campbells was possibly around 700. [2]

The Campbells were attacked by the Royalist advance guard and routed. [2] Lochnell escaped from the field and Bragleen was captured, though was supposed to have escaped later. [6] Poltalloch was supposedly close to killing Mac Colla himself when he was struck down by an opponent armed with a scythe, though other traditions place his death elsewhere. [7]

Aftermath

The battle is notorious, in the folklore of the area, for an atrocity purportedly committed by the Royalist forces in its aftermath. Mac Colla's men were claimed to have driven a number of prisoners from the battle, along with Campbell women and children from the district, into a barn which was then set alight. [6] Only two women (or alternatively one woman and Campbell of Bragleen) were said to have escaped from what became known as Sabhal nan Cnamh, the "Barn of Bones". The massacre was part of a series of revenge-driven atrocities committed by both sides in the conflict. [8]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Stevenson 1980, p. 218.
  2. 1 2 3 Hill 1873, p. 105.
  3. 1 2 Roberts 2000, p. 92.
  4. Harris & MacDonald 2007, p. 99.
  5. 1 2 Paterson 2001, p. 143.
  6. 1 2 3 Furgol 1990, p. 208.
  7. Furgol 1990, p. 234.
  8. Linklater 1982, p. 49.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massacre of Glencoe</span> 1692 killing of Clan Macdonald members

The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Campbell</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan became Earl of Argyll and later Duke of Argyll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll</span> Historic county in Scotland

Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Inverlochy (1645)</span> Part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

The Battle of Inverlochy occurred on 2 February 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms when a Royalist force of Highlanders and Confederate Irish troops under the overall command of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, routed and largely destroyed the pursuing forces of Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, who had been encamped under the walls of Inverlochy Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Donald</span> Scottish clan

Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald, is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, recognises under Scottish law the High Chief of Clan Donald. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs also held the title of Earl of Ross until 1476.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms</span> Role of Scotland during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639–1653)

Between 1639 and 1652, Scotland was involved in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of wars starting with the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the English Civil War, the Irish Confederate Wars, and finally the subjugation of Ireland and Scotland by the English Roundhead New Model Army.

Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill, also known by the English variant of his name Sir Alexander MacDonald, was a military officer best known for his participation in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, notably the Irish Confederate Wars and Montrose's Royalist campaign in Scotland during 1644–5. A member of the Gaelic gentry of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, a branch of the Clan Donald active in the Hebrides and Ireland, Mac Colla is particularly notable for the very large number of oral traditions and legends which his life inspired in the Highlands.

The Battle of Auldearn was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It took place on 9 May 1645, in and around the village of Auldearn in Nairnshire. It resulted in a victory for the royalists, led by the Marquess of Montrose and Alasdair MacColla, over Sir John Urry and an army raised by the Covenanter-dominated Scottish government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Dunaverty</span> A Battle that took place during the Wars of Three Kingdoms

The Battle of Dunaverty involved a battle and the siege of Dunaverty Castle in Kintyre, Scotland, in 1647. The events involved the Covenanter Army under the command of General David Leslie on one side and 200–300 Highland troops under the command of Archibald Og of Sanda on the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipness Castle</span>

Skipness Castle stands on the east side of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, near the village of Skipness. Together with the nearby Kilbrannan Chapel it is a scheduled ancient monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Lamont</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Lamont is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan is said to descend from Ánrothán Ua Néill, an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty, and through him Niall Noigíallach, High King of Ireland. Clan Ewen of Otter, Clan MacNeil of Barra, Clan Lachlan, and Clan Sweeney are also descendants of Ánrothán. Traditional genealogy would therefore include Clan Lamont among the descendants of Conn Cétchathach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan MacDonald of Glencoe</span> Highland Scottish clan

The MacDonalds of Glencoe, also known as Clann Iain Abrach, was a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of the larger Clan Donald. Named after Glen Coe, the MacDonalds lived there from the early 14th century, until the glen was largely abandoned during the Highland Clearances of the late 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg</span> Scottish clan

Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, also known as Clan Donald South, Clan Iain Mor, Clan MacDonald of Islay and Kintyre, MacDonalds of the Glens (Antrim) and sometimes referred to as MacDonnells, is a Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The founder of the MacDonalds of Dunnyveg is Eòin Mòr Tànaiste Mac Dhòmhnaill, a son of Iain Mic Dhòmhnaill and Margaret Stewart of Scotland, daughter of King Robert II. Members of the clan actually pronounced and spelled their name M'Connall due to the Gaelic pronunciation of the name Mac Domhnuill thus giving rise to the surname McConnell and its variants. While historically recognised as a clan by the Court of the Lord Lyon, it is now an armigerous clan as it no longer has a chief. The last chief was Sir James MacDonald, 9th of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg or Clan Donald South, who died in London in 1626.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacDonnell of Antrim</span> Irish branch of Clan Donald

The MacDonnells of Antrim, also known as the MacDonnells of the Glens, are a branch in Ireland of the Scottish-based Clan Donald. Initially part of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, the MacDonnells of Antrim became their own branch in 1558 when Somhairle Buidhe MacDonnell obtained the lordship of the territory in Ireland from James MacDonald, 6th chief of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg. The MacDonnells of Antrim were a sept of the Clan Donald of the royal Clann Somhairle, that the English crown had attempted to cultivate since the early 14th century in its efforts to influence the course of politics in Scotland. The MacDonnells established a growing presence in Ireland throughout the 15th and 16th centuries,and played a crucial role in the politics of 17th century Ireland. The MacDonnell's achieved much success in Ireland largely to cultural and familial connections to the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. Today the surname is predominantly spelled McDonnell in Ireland and abroad, although many McConnell's are also of the same family, as that is the Gaelic pronunciation of the Mac Domhnaill. Most of the leadership of the Clan wrote their name as a variant of McConnell up until the 17th Century, including Sorley Boy MacDonnell himself. Many of the present-day McDonnell's have a common descent from Sorley Boy MacDonnell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Malcolm</span> Highland Scottish clan

The Clan Malcolm, also known as the Clan MacCallum, is a Highland Scottish clan. The Clan MacCallum may have originally been a separate clan until the 18th century, when the chief of the Clan MacCallum adopted the name Malcolm after inheriting the Malcolm estate, and the two clans were drawn together under the same chief.

Manus O'Cahan's Regiment of Foot was an Irish regiment which served during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the mid-1640s.

Coll Ciotach Mac Domhnaill (1570–1647) was a Scottish adventurer and mercenary of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg branch of Clan Donald, who became Laird of Colonsay in 1623, by treachery. His name, which means "Coll the left-handed" or "the crafty", was anglicised as Colkitto. However he only used the nickname Ciotach late in his life in 1629 when it appeared in a Latin translation of a Gaelic letter where Coll refers to himself as "Ego Collatius Kiotach Macdonnell".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redshank (soldier)</span>

Redshank was a nickname for Scottish mercenaries from the Highlands and Western Isles contracted to fight in Ireland; they were a prominent feature of Irish armies throughout the 16th century. They were called redshanks because they went dressed in plaids and waded bare-legged through rivers in the coldest weather. An alternative etymology, illustrated by Jamieson by a quote from Sir Walter Scott, is that it referred to the untanned deer leather buskins worn by Highlanders, although Jamieson notes that Scott's source, John Elder of Caithness, actually stated its origin was from their habit of going "bare-legged and bare-footed". The term was not derogatory, as the English were in general impressed with the redshanks' qualities as soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet</span> Scottish clan chief

Sir Lachlan Maclean, 1st Baronet of Morvern, the 17th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean. Lachlan was granted his Baronet title by Charles I and he became the Clan Chief on the death of his brother in 1626. He fought as a Royalist under James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms at the Battle of Inverlochy, Battle of Auldearn and Battle of Kilsyth. From 1628 to 1633 he sat in the Parliament of Scotland as shire commissioner for Tarbert. From his rule onward, all Maclean clan chiefs are successive Baronets of Movern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish expedition to Scotland</span>

The Irish expedition to Scotland took place during the British Civil Wars in 1644–1645. A group of 2,000 troops sailed from Ireland for Scotland in June 1644. Once in Scotland, they joined forces with the Royalist forces fighting Montrose's Highland campaign. The expedition was the result of an effort by King Charles I to enlist help from Irish Catholics in fighting Parliamentarian forces.

References