Battle of Drumnacoub facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Drumnacoub
Part of Clan Mackay succession dispute
Looking south across Carn Fada towards Ben Loyal (left) and Ben Hope (right)
Date c. 1427 to 1433 Location Southern end of Kyle of Tongue, Sutherland grid reference NC569519 Result Mackay victory
Belligerents
Clan Mackay	Clan Sutherland Mackay rebels
Commanders and leaders
John Mackay Angus Mackay  †	Morgan Nielson Mackay  † Niel Nielson Mackay  † Angus Murray (of Aberscross)  †
Strength
1200 men	1200, or 1500 men
Casualties and losses
Angus Mackay "very few alive"	Morgan & Niel both killed "very few alive"

The Battle of Drumnacoub was an important Scottish clan battle. It took place in the far northwest of Scotland. This battle happened sometime between 1427 and 1433. It was fought on a hill called Carn Fada. This hill is located at the southern end of the Kyle of Tongue. It lies between Ben Loyal and the village of Tongue.

The battle was mainly between different parts of the Clan Mackay. Some members of the Clan Sutherland also joined in. The fight was about who would lead the Mackay clan. It also decided who would control their lands. A writer from the 1400s, Walter Bower, wrote about this battle. He included it in his book Scotichronicon.

On one side was the older chief, Angus Du Mackay. His loyal second son, John Aberach Mackay, fought with him. On the other side were Angus's cousins. These were Morgan Neilson Mackay and Niel Neilson Mackay. They wanted to take over the Mackay lands. They had support from troops of the Clan Sutherland. These troops were led by Angus Murray.

Why the Battle Happened

The story of the battle starts a few years earlier. Niel Vasse Mackay was the oldest son of chief Angus Du Mackay. In 1427, King James I of Scotland had Niel Vasse imprisoned. This happened at a place called the Bass Rock. This was after another battle, the Battle of Harpsdale.

Meanwhile, Thomas Neilson Mackay was a brother to Niel and Morgan Neilson Mackay. Thomas had killed a man named Mowat. Mowat was the Laird of Freswick. Thomas chased Mowat to a church in Tain in Ross. Mowat was seeking safety inside the church. But Thomas burnt the church down with Mowat inside. The King then declared Thomas a rebel. He offered a reward for anyone who could capture or kill him.

Thomas's own brothers, Morgan and Niel Neilson Mackay, helped capture him. They worked with Angus Murray of the Clan Sutherland. Thomas was given to the King. He was then executed in Inverness.

After these events, the Mackay clan was divided. The elderly chief, Angus Du Mackay, and his son John Mackay were against Morgan and Niel. Morgan and Niel had betrayed their brother. The Earl of Sutherland and Angus Murray offered Niel and Morgan rewards. These rewards included marrying their daughters.

The Earl of Sutherland wanted to help Niel and Morgan. He ordered all his forces to support them. Their goal was to take Angus Mackay's lands. Angus Mackay was old and unsure what to do. But his son John advised him not to give in. John promised to defend their land or die trying. This led to the important Battle of Drumnacoub. Many historians have written about this battle. These include George Buchanan and Sir Robert Gordon.

The Battle of Drumnacoub

The forces of Angus Du Mackay were led by his son, John Aberach Mackay. They won the battle. Sadly, Angus Du Mackay was killed during the fighting. Niel Neilson Mackay and Morgan Neilson Mackay were also killed. Their father-in-law, Angus Murray, also died.

Sir Robert Gordon wrote about this battle in his book. He described how Angus Murray gathered men from Sutherland. He brought them to Strathnaver to attack. Angus Du Mackay heard they were coming. He gathered his own men. Since he was too old to fight, his son John Aberach Mackay led them.

The two sides met near Tongue. Angus Du Mackay sent a message to his cousins, Niel and Morgan. He offered them all his lands except for a small part. But they refused his offer.

Then a fierce and bloody battle began. Both sides fought bravely for a long time. There was great loss of life on both sides. Niel and Morgan trusted in their numbers. John Aberach believed his cause was right. He encouraged his men to attack again. Both sides fought with great courage. In the end, very few people were left alive on either side.

After the battle, Angus Du Mackay was brought to see the battlefield. He was looking for his cousins' bodies. A Sutherland man hiding nearby shot him with an arrow. Angus Du Mackay died there. Niel and Morgan, along with their father-in-law Angus Murray, were all killed.

What Happened After the Battle

After the battle, Niel Vasse Mackay returned. He had been imprisoned at the Bass Rock. He took over his father's lands. He gave some land to his younger brother John. Sir Robert Gordon also wrote about what happened next.

Gordon said that the Earl of Sutherland chased John Aberach. John had to run away to the islands for safety. But John came back around Christmas time. He went to Strathully (Helmsdale). There, he surprised and killed three Sutherland men. Because of this, the Earl of Sutherland chased John Aberach again. John had to give up and ask for forgiveness. He received it.

John Aberach then settled in Strathnaver. He stayed there until King James I died. His brother, Niel-Vasse MacKay, was freed from the Bass Rock in 1437. A relative of Niel's, the lady of that place, helped him. When Niel returned to Strathnaver, John Aberach willingly gave him back all the lands. But Niel gave John lands around Lochnaver. This was for John to live on for the rest of his life. John's descendants, called the Sleaght-ean Aberach, still live there today.

However, a historian named Robert Mackay, writing in the 1800s, disagreed with Sir Robert Gordon's story. Robert Mackay said Gordon was related to the Earl of Sutherland. He thought it was unlikely John Mackay would run away from the Earl. John had just broken the Earl's power. Robert Mackay believed John Mackay probably chased the Sutherlanders. He thought it was more likely than him running away and then returning to kill three men.

The son of Niel Neilson Mackay, who had rebelled, was John Bain Mackay. He later dropped the Mackay name. He became the ancestor of the Bain of Tulloch family.

The second half of the 1400s saw many raids by the Mackays of Strathnaver. These raids were on the Rosses of Balnagown. Some people think this happened because of a fight over land after the Battle of Drumnacoub. Historian Angus Mackay believed the Mackays got back some lands in Ross-shire. These lands had belonged to their enemies, Niel Neilson Mackay, Morgan Neilson Mackay, and Angus Murray. All three had been defeated and killed by the Mackays at Drumnacoub in 1433.

The Rosses also managed to get some of these lands. These lands were in the parishes of Edderton and Kincardine. So, it seems the feud between the Mackays and the Rosses started because of a fight over these disputed lands. Finally, the Rosses gathered their forces. They attacked the invaders, led by Angus Roy Mackay of Strathnaver. This happened at the Battle of Tarbat in the 1480s.