| Battle of Mamsha | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Clan Fraser of Lovat and Clan Donald feuds | |||||||
  Clan crests of Clan Fraser of Lovat (left) and Clan Donald (right) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Clan Fraser of Lovat | Clan Donald | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Hugh Fraser, 3rd Lord Fraser | Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Mamsha was a Scottish clan battle that took place in 1429 and that was fought by the Clan Fraser of Lovat who defeated the invading Clan Donald.
In 1429, Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross, 3rd Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald, besieged Inverness Castle and burnt the town of Inverness to ashes. [1] Hugh Fraser, 3rd Lord Fraser having obstructed his passage through his territory and causing him to take a circuitous route, the Lord of the Isles was determined to punish the Fraser chief. [1] [2] He set out from Lochaber leaving a strong party in Inverness and made reprisals on Fraser and his tenantry. [1] [2] The Lord of the Isles' force was strengthened day by day with new arrivals from the west until he came to lay siege to Fraser's castle of Lovat. [1] [2] However, the Frasers were too many and attacked the MacDonalds near Lovat, while the people of the country killed all of those who straggled from the main body. [1] The Frasers attacked the MacDonalds at Fanellan, and so they were obliged to abandon the siege and retreat. [1] [2]
Several skirmishes took place along the march but when the MacDonalds reached the moor of Caiplich which was a few miles west of Inverness, they halted and stood at bay to give battle. [1] [2] The MacDonalds fought with courage and determination, but to no avail and were defeated by the Frasers. [1] [2] The MacDonald's being completely routed and defeated by the Fraser's vassals, the engagement was remembered locally as the Battle of Mamsha. [1] [2]
The men of the Isles were for a long time thereafter unwilling to interfere with the peace and tranquility of Fraser country in Inverness-shire, [1] that was known as The Aird. [2]
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.
Clan Mackenzie is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. However, the earliest Mackenzie chief recorded by contemporary evidence is Alexander Mackenzie of Kintail who died some time after 1471. Traditionally, during the Wars of Scottish Independence, the Mackenzies supported Robert the Bruce, but feuded with the Earls of Ross in the latter part of the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th-centuries the Mackenzies feuded with the neighboring clans of Munro and MacDonald. In the 17th century the Mackenzie chief was made Earl of Seaforth in the peerage of Scotland. During the Scottish Civil War of the 17th century the Mackenzies largely supported the Royalists. During the Jacobite rising of 1715 the chief and clan of Mackenzie supported the Jacobite cause. However, during the Jacobite rising of 1745 the clan was divided with the chief, Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose, supporting the British-Hanoverian Government and his relative, George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie, supporting the Jacobites.
Clan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The chiefs of the clan are the Mackintoshes of Mackintosh. Another branch of the clan, the Mackintoshes of Torcastle, are the chiefs of Clan Chattan, a historic confederation of clans.
Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry is a Scottish clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Donald. The clan takes its name from Glen Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards through Loch Garry to join the Great Glen about 16 miles (25 km) north of Fort William, Highland.
Clan Fraser of Lovat is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Both the Clan Fraser and the Clan Fraser of Lovat have their own separate clan chiefs who are recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms under Scottish law.
Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, also known as Clan Ranald,, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald, one of the largest Scottish clans. The founder of the Macdonalds of Clanranald is Reginald, 4th great-grandson of Somerled. The Macdonalds of Clanranald descend from Reginald's elder son Allan and the MacDonells of Glengarry descend from his younger son Donald. The clan chief of the MacDonalds of Clanranald is traditionally designated as The Captain of Clanranald and today both the chief and clan are recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the heraldic judge in Scotland.
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, also known as Clan MacDonellof Keppoch or Clan Ranald of Lochaber, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The progenitor of the clan is Alistair Carrach MacDonald, 4th great-grandson of the warrior Somerled. The clan chief is traditionally designated as the "Son of Ranald's son".
Clan MacLennan, also known as Siol Ghillinnein, is a Highland Scottish clan which historically populated lands in the north-west of Scotland. The surname MacLennan in Scottish Gaelic is Mac Gille Fhinnein, meaning the son of the follower of St Finnan.
Sir Robert Munro, 5th Baronet of Foulis was also 23rd Baron and 26th chief of the Clan Munro. He became blind and was known as the Blind Baron.
The Battle of Bealach nam Broig was a battle fought between Scottish clans from the lands of north-west Ross, against north-eastern clans of Ross who supported the Earl of Ross. The actual date of the battle is debated, it probably occurred in 1452 but the Conflicts of the Clans suggests a date as early as 1299.
The Battle of Achnashellach was a Scottish clan battle said to have taken place in the year 1505, in the Scottish Highlands at Achnashellach. It was fought by the Clan Cameron against the Clan Mackay and the Clan Munro.
The Battle of Lochaber was a battle fought in 1429, in the Scottish Highlands, between the forces of Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross, 3rd Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald against the Royalist army of King James I of Scotland.
Sir William Munro of Foulis was a Scottish Knight and Scottish clan chief of the highland Clan Munro. He is by tradition the 12th Baron of Foulis and 15th overall chief of the clan. However, he is actually only the 5th chief of the Clan Munro who can be proved by contemporary evidence.
Clan Munro is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and settled in Scotland in the eleventh century, though its true founder may have lived much later. It is also a strong tradition that the Munro chiefs supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The first proven clan chief on record however is Robert de Munro who died in 1369; his father is mentioned but not named in a number of charters. The clan chiefs originally held land principally at Findon on the Black Isle but exchanged it in 1350 for Estirfowlys. Robert's son Hugh who died in 1425 was the first of the family to be styled "of Foulis", despite which clan genealogies describe him as 9th baron.
The siege of Inverness that took place in November 1715 was part of the Jacobite rising of 1715. The town of Inverness and Inverness Castle were being held by the Clan Mackenzie, led by Sir John Mackenzie of Coul who supported the rebel Jacobite cause. Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat besieged them, supported by men of the Clan Rose and Clan Forbes.
The Skirmish of Alness was a conflict that took place in October 1715 in Alness, in the county of Ross in the Scottish Highlands. It was part of the Jacobite rising of 1715 and pitted Highlanders loyal to the British-Hanoverian Government of George I of Great Britain against Highlanders loyal to the Jacobite House of Stuart.
The siege of Brahan took place in Scotland in November 1715 and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1715. Highlanders loyal to the British-Hanoverian government of George I of Great Britain laid siege to Brahan Castle, seat of William Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Seaforth, who was a staunch Jacobite, loyal to the House of Stuart.
The siege of Inverness of 1429 was a conflict between Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross and the Scottish crown. Alexander of Islay besieged the royal Inverness Castle and burnt the town of Inverness to ashes.
The Independent Highland Companies were irregular militia raised from the Scottish clans of the Scottish Highlands by order of the British government between 1603 and 1760 in order to help keep the peace and enforce the law in the Highlands and were recognized as such by the government. The officers of the Independent Highland Companies were commissioned as officers of the British Army but the Independent Companies were not recognized as official regiments of the line of the army. The Independent Highland Companies were the progenitors of the Highland Regiments of the British Army that began when ten Independent Highland Companies were embodied to form the Earl of Crawford's Highland Regiment that was numbered the 43rd Regiment of Foot in 1739.
The siege of Culloden House took place on the night of 15/16 October 1745 and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. 200 men of the Jacobite Clan Fraser of Lovat attempted to capture Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden who was the Lord President of the Court of Session, the most senior legal officer in Scotland.
Quoting: George Buchanan, Book XII. p. 69 and MS of Frasers in the Advocates Library