Battle of Torran Dubh facts for kids

The Battle of Torran Dubh (also known as the Battle of Torran-dow or Torran Du) was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1517. It took place in Sutherland, a region in the Scottish Highlands.

There are two very different stories about this battle. The first was written by Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet, a historian from the 1600s. He was a younger son of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland. Gordon's account says that the Earl of Sutherland's forces defeated Clan Mackay from Strathnaver. The Gordon family had recently become Earls of Sutherland through marriage.

However, this version of events is questioned. A historian from the late 1800s, Sir William Fraser, pointed out that Alexander Sutherland, who Gordon said led the Sutherland forces, was actually in prison for the entire year of 1517. This is when the battle was supposed to happen.

Another historian, Angus Mackay, writing in the early 1900s, said the battle really happened between Clan Mackay (who were defeated) and the Murrays of Aberscross, the Clan Ross, and the Clan Gunn. Angus Mackay found this information in an old manuscript. He also agreed with Fraser that Alexander Sutherland was in prison at the time.

Sir Robert Gordon's Story

Quick facts for kids Battle of Torran Dubh
Part of the Scottish clan wars
Torran Dubh
Date 1517 Location Torran Dubh, near Rogart and Strathfleet, county of Sutherland, Scotland Result Clan Sutherland victory
Belligerents
Clan Sutherland supported by men from the Clan Gordon	Clan Mackay
Commanders and leaders
Alexander Sutherland, 1st of Killipheder John Murray of Aberscross William Mackames of Clan Gunn	John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver Donald Mackay
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
38	216

Why the Battle Happened

John Sutherland, 9th Earl of Sutherland, the leader of Clan Sutherland, died in 1514. His sister, Elizabeth Sutherland, became the 10th Countess of Sutherland. In 1517, Elizabeth married Adam Gordon, who was the second son of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly. The Gordons were a very powerful clan.

Adam and Elizabeth's son, Alexander Gordon, would become the next Earl of Sutherland and leader of Clan Sutherland.

The Battle of Torran Dubh happened because John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, the chief of Clan Mackay, did not want the Gordon family to take over as Earls of Sutherland. According to Sir Robert Gordon, Elizabeth convinced her younger half-brother, Alexander Sutherland, to fight against Mackay. This battle happened before Alexander Sutherland married Mackay's sister.

The Fight

Sir Robert Gordon wrote that many Mackay men were killed, but only a few Sutherland men died. A description of the battle was included in a book called Conflicts of the Clans, published in 1764. This book used Sir Robert Gordon's own writings.

Gordon's account says that Adam Gordon, the new Earl of Sutherland, went to Edinburgh in 1517 to handle important business. He left his wife's half-brother, Alexander Sutherland, and John Murray of Aberscross in charge of the area.

When John Mackay of Strathnaver heard this, he gathered his forces from Strathnaver, Assynt, and Eddrachillis. He also brought men from the west and north-west islands of Scotland. Mackay then attacked Sutherland, burning and destroying everything in his path.

The people of Sutherland quickly gathered their forces. Led by Alexander Sutherland, John Murray, and William Mackames, they met John Mackay and his men at a place called Torran Dubh, near Rogart. A fierce battle began.

The Sutherland men chased Mackay's first group of fighters, forcing them back to where Mackay stood with his main army. Mackay then chose his strongest men and returned to the fight himself. He left his brother Donald to lead the rest of his forces and support him if needed. The fighting became even more intense.

In the end, after a long struggle, the Sutherland men won. Few of Mackay's men who returned to the fight survived, and John Mackay himself barely escaped. Neil MacIan MacAngus of Assynt was killed, along with many of his men. A total of 216 men from Strathnaver were left dead on the battlefield, not counting those who died while running away. Only 38 Sutherland men were killed.

Later, John Mackay sent two brothers, William and Donald, with a group of men to attack John Murray. They met at Loch-Sallachie in Sutherland. After a sharp fight, both Mackay chieftains were killed, along with many of their men. The rest fled. However, John Murray also lost his brother, John Roy-Murray, in this fight.

What Happened Next

After the Battle of Torran Dubh, other people also rose up against the Gordon family holding the Earldom of Sutherland. Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland's younger half-brother, Alexander Sutherland, married a sister of John Mackay. Alexander Sutherland then claimed the Earldom of Sutherland for himself and took over Dunrobin Castle, the main home of the Earl of Sutherland.

Adam Gordon and his family had to escape to Strathbogie (the home of the Gordons of Huntly). They stayed there until Adam got help from his father's and older brother's forces from Clan Gordon. In 1518 or 1519, the Battle of Alltachuilain took place. In this battle, Alexander Sutherland was killed by forces loyal to his sister Elizabeth and her husband Adam Gordon.

According to Sir Robert Gordon, in 1522, Alexander Gordon, the Master of Sutherland, defeated John Mackay of Strathnaver at Lairg. He forced Mackay to promise loyalty and service to the Earl of Sutherland.

After Alexander Sutherland's death, William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus, who was related to an earlier Earl of Sutherland, also claimed the Earldom. However, William Sutherland was killed by Andrew Stewart, the Bishop of Caithness, in 1530.

Adam Gordon and Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland's oldest son, Alexander Gordon, died in 1530. His son, John Gordon, became the 11th Earl of Sutherland.

Is This Story True?

The historian Sir William Fraser, from the 1800s, questioned Sir Robert Gordon's story of the Battle of Torran Dubh. Fraser said that Alexander Sutherland, who Gordon claimed was convinced by his sister Elizabeth to fight Mackay, was actually in prison for all of 1517. This was the year the battle supposedly happened.

Angus Mackay's Story

Battle of Torran Du
Part of the Scottish clan wars
Torran Du
Date 1517 Location Torran Du, near Rogart and Strathfleet, county of Sutherland, Scotland Result Victory for Murrays, Rosses and Gunns
Belligerents
Murrays of Aberscross Clan Ross Clan Gunn	Clan Mackay Clan Matheson Polsons
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Fight (Angus Mackay's Version)

According to Angus Mackay, a historian from the early 1900s, the Battle of Torran Du in 1517 was fought between Clan Mackay (supported by Clan Matheson and the Polsons) and the Murrays of Aberscross, the Clan Ross, and the Clan Gunn.

Angus Mackay agreed with Sir William Fraser that the battle did not happen as Sir Robert Gordon described it. It is confirmed that Alexander Sutherland was in prison in 1517 when the battle was supposed to take place.

Angus Mackay said there was no fighting in the area controlled by Adam Gordon, Earl of Sutherland. However, he did say that Alexander Sutherland was killed by Gordon's messengers in 1519.

Historian Angus Mackay used an old manuscript called the MS Account of the Gunns as his source for the Battle of Torran Du. According to this account, the battle was at first going well for the Mackays. But then the Gunns appeared over the top of a hill and charged. The Mackays and Mathesons wisely left the battle, but many of the Polsons were killed.

Angus Mackay shared a Scottish Gaelic poem from the manuscript that says:

Thainig na Gunich 's gu'n tainig iad, 'S ann an deagh am a thainig iad, Thair iad as Macaoidh 's sial Mhothan, Mharbhadh leo siol Phail gun acain.

This translates to English as:

The Gunns came and came they did, T'was in an hour of need they came. The Mackays and the Mathiesons fled, But the Polsons were mercilessly slain.

What Happened Next (Angus Mackay's Version)

Angus Mackay said that a few months after the battle, another small fight happened near the border of Ross, in the Rogart area. In this fight, William Mackay, a leader of the Mackay of Aberach family, was killed, as was his brother Donald. On the other side, John Murray of Aberscross was also killed.

Soon after, the Mackays burned the town of Pitfure in Rogart. However, this was quickly followed by a peace agreement between the Mackays and Adam Gordon, Earl of Sutherland, signed on August 16, 1518.

Angus Mackay said that Sir Robert Gordon was wrong to call these small fights "defeats" for the Mackays. He also said that Gordon failed to mention that the Mackays ended the year by gaining legal ownership of lands in Rogart. This was confirmed by old documents called the Reay Papers.

Angus Mackay also disagreed with Sir Robert Gordon's story that in 1522, Sir Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland, defeated John Mackay of Strathnaver at Lairg and forced Mackay to submit to him. Angus Mackay explained that the Earl was simply renewing the peace agreement he had made with Mackay in 1518, this time with his son Alexander.