English Civil War/Scottish Civil War
Part of Scottish Civil War
Ardvreck Castle where Montrose surrended to Neil Macleod of Assyant after the Battle of Carbisdale
Date 27th April 1650 Location Scroggie Wood, Ross-shire Result Scottish Argyll Government Victory Territorial changes Clan Munro & Clan Ross
Combatants
Scottish Argyll Government including clans Munro, Ross and Sutherland	Royalist supporters: Danish & German mercenaries, Orcadian infantry.
Commanders
Colonel Alexander Strachan	Marquess of Montrose
Strength
five troops of cavalry, 220 men approx, plus local irregular foot.	1,200 soldiers & around 200 cavalry.
Casualties
50	450

The Battle of Carbisdale took place on the 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought by the Royalist Marquess of Montrose, against the Scottish Government of the time, dominated by the Marquess of Argyll and a grouping of radical Covenanters, known as the Kirk Party. The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ... Map of Scotland The Scottish Civil War The Scottish Civil War of 1644-47 was part of wider conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which included the Bishops Wars, the English Civil War and Irish Confederate Wars. ... Map of Scotland The Scottish Civil War The Scottish Civil War of 1644-47 was part of wider conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which included the Bishops Wars, the English Civil War and Irish Confederate Wars. ... Image File history File links Ardvreck_Castle. ... Ardvreck Castle // Location Standing on a rocky promontory jutting out into Loch Assynt in north west Scotland, Ardvreck Castle is a ruined castle dating from the 16th century. ... Munro Crest: Dread God (Fear God) and a Golden Eagle Clan Munro is a Highland Scottish clan. ... Crest: A dexter hand holding a garland of laurel, all proper // History Balnagowan castle Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV in 1160. ... Munro Crest: Dread God (Fear God) and a Golden Eagle Clan Munro is a Highland Scottish clan. ... Crest: A dexter hand holding a garland of laurel, all proper // History Balnagowan castle Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV in 1160. ... Clan Sutherland is a Scottish clan whose traditional territory is located in the region of Sutherland in northern Scotland and was for a time one of the most powerful Scottish clans. ... James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 - 21 May 1650), was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed. ... Map of Scotland The Scottish Civil War The Scottish Civil War of 1644-47 was part of wider conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which included the Bishops Wars, the English Civil War and Irish Confederate Wars. ... Battle of Tippermuir Conflict Wars of the Three Kingdoms Date September 1, 1644 Place Perth, Scotland Result Royalist Victory The Battle of Tippermuir (September 1, 1644) was the first battle James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose fought for the king during the Scottish Civil War. ... Battle of Aberdeen Conflict Wars of the Three Kingdoms Date September 13, 1644 Place Aberdeen, Scotland Result Royalist Victory The Battle of Aberdeen was an engagement in the Scottish Civil War which took place between Royalist and Covenanter forces outside the city of Aberdeen on September 13, 1644. ... Combatants Royalist Irish and Highland Scots Scots Covenanters Commanders Lord Montrose Alasdair MacColla Sir Thomas Ogilvie Duncan Campbell of Auchinbreck Strength 1500 3000 Casualties 8? 1500 The Battle of Inverlochy (February 2, 1645) was a battle of the Scottish Civil War in which Montrose routed the pursuing forces of the... Battle of Auldearn Conflict Wars of the Three Kingdoms Date May 9, 1645 Place Auldearn, Nairnshire Result Royalist Victory The Battle of Auldearn was an engagement of the Scottish Civil War, which took place on May 9, 1645, near the village of Auldearn in Nairnshire. ... The Battle of Alford was an engagement of the Scottish Civil War, which took place near the village of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on July 2, 1645. ... Battle of Aberdeen Conflict Wars of the Three Kingdoms Date August 15, 1645 Place Aberdeen, Scotland Result Royalist Victory The Battle of Kilsyth was an engagement of the Scottish Civil War which took place on August 15, 1645. ... The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on September 13th, 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and took place outside the town of Philiphaugh near Selkirk in Scotland between the armies of the Royalist Marquis of Montrose, and the Covenanter army of General Leslie. ... Combatants Scottish Parliment & the Earl of Lanerick Rebel Forces of the Marquis of Argyll Commanders Sir George Munro MacKenzie Strength unknown around 1000 soldiers Casualties unknown 200 dead & 400 captured. ... Cromwell at Dunbar, Andrew Carrick Gow The Battle of Dunbar (3 September 1650) was a battle of the Third English Civil War. ... The Battle of Inverkeithing [1] (20 July 1651) was a battle in the Third English Civil War. ... The Battle of Worcester was the final battle of the English Civil War. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ... The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, Ireland, and England between 1639 and 1651 at a time when these countries had come under the Personal Rule of the same monarch. ... Headline text Cavalier has multiple meanings: Cavalier is a male ballet dancer. ... James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 - 21 May 1650), was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed. ... The title Duke of Argyll was created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. ... The Covenanters, named after the Solemn League and Covenant, were a party that, originating in the Reformation movement, played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England, during the 17th century. ... The Kirk Party were a radical Presbyterian faction of the Scottish Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. ...

Charles and Montrose

After the execution of Charles I in January 1649, Scotland entered a period of complex political maneuvering. His son was immediately proclaimed as Charles II in Edinburgh, though it was soon to be made clear to him that if he were ever to exercise real power he would be obliged to subscribe to a radical Presbyterian agenda. Amongst other things he would be required to take the Covenants of 1638 and 1643, a move his father had always resisted. Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Ireland, and King of Scots from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... The Covenanters, named after the Solemn League and Covenant, were a party that, originating in the Reformation movement, played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England, during the 17th century. ...

In exile at the Hague, Charles was anxious to take the quickest way back to the throne. He initially favoured calling on the assistance of the Catholic Irish authorities at Kilkenny, until this option was removed by Oliver Cromwell in the summer of 1649. In falling back on the Covenanters Charles hoped to put them in a more accommodating frame of mind. One way of doing this was to take the advice of the ultra-royalist Marquess of Montrose, who had led a military campaign against the Covenanters in 1644 and 1645, enjoying some notable successes.. Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... For the Monty Python song based on the historical figure, see Oliver Cromwell (song) Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599 – September 3, 1658) was an English military and political leader, considered by critics to be a dictator, best known for making England a republic and leading the Commonwealth of England. ... The title of Duke of Montrose was created in the peerage of Scotland in 1488 for David Lindsay. ...

On 22 February 1649 Charles appointed Montrose as Lieutenant-Governor of Scotland and Captain General of all of his forces there. Although he was about to receive a deputation from the government in Edinburgh he was prepared to listen to Montrose's more militant advice, especially as there were already some stirrings against the Covenanters in northern Scotland. Edinburgh (pronounced ; Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic) is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. ...

Landing in Orkney

Throughout the course of the year Montrose kept busy using his commission in an attempt to raise troops and money in the German state of Brandenburg, as well as Sweden and Denmark. This met with limited success; but by September he had managed to raise and equip a small force of 80 officers and 100 Danish soldiers. Under the leadership of the Earl of Kinnoul these men were sent as an advance party to occupy the Orkney Isles, charged with recruiting local forces, while Montrose remained on the Continent employing professional troops.   (Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ...

In March 1650 Montrose came in person, landing a Kirkwall with some more foreign mercenaries to join his advance party and the Orcadian levies. Amongst his officers was Sir John Hurry, his old opponent at the Battle of Auldearn in 1645. Altogether he had 40 horse, 500 mercenaries and 700 Orcadians, completely unskilled in the arts of war. On board his ship, the Herderinnan, anchored in Scapa Flow, Montrose issued his orders to Hurry at a conference on 9 April. He was instructed to cross to Caithness that same evening with part of the little army and advance to Ord of Caithness, a high hill overhanging the sea just north of Kildonan. Montrose crossed with the rest of his force a few days later. Location within the British Isles Kirkwall is the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands, off the coast of northern Scotland. ... Battle of Auldearn Conflict Wars of the Three Kingdoms Date May 9, 1645 Place Auldearn, Nairnshire Result Royalist Victory The Battle of Auldearn was an engagement of the Scottish Civil War, which took place on May 9, 1645, near the village of Auldearn in Nairnshire. ... Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. ... Caithness (Gallaibh in Gaelic)[1] is a committee area of Highland Council, Scotland; a lieutenancy area; and a registration county, Caithness was formerly a district within the Highland region from 1975 to 1996 and a local government county with its own county council from 1891 to 1975. ...

Montrose had heard that the local Highland Scottish Clans of Munro, Ross and MacKenzie were up in arms and were likely to join him, although as it turned out, they did not. Montrose hoped to meet up with the Clan Munro and Clan Ross. When none of the clans arrived he pressed on the Strathoikell and into the narrow valley of Carbisdale. For two days he waited in the valley for the Munros and Rosses. Waiting for them was his biggest mistake as the clans had sided with the Scottish government, and Argyll had already set his counter plans in operation Munro Crest: Dread God (Fear God) and a Golden Eagle Clan Munro is a Highland Scottish clan. ... Crest: A dexter hand holding a garland of laurel, all proper // History Balnagowan castle Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV in 1160. ... Clan MacKenzie Crest: I Shine, Not Burn. ...

Strachan's Ride

In Edinburgh the Committee of Estates, the executive authority of the Scottish Parliament, was soon aware that Montrose had crossed to the mainland. General David Leslie was instructed to take his forces north to prevent this incursion from developing in to a major rising. A rendezvous was held at Brechin on 25 April. From here Colonel Archibald Strachan was sent ahead to gather the cavalry that had wintered in the north. He now had five troops of horse under his command, including three that had been with him at the rout of an anti-Covenanter army at Balvenie near Dufftown in May 1649. This episode, known as the 'Bourd of Balvenie', convinced Strachan and the more extreme Covenanters that all that was needed to disperse the mighty was a small band of righteous men, after the example of Gideon in the Book of Judges. Strachan now rode on to Rossshire, convinced that victory was already his. See also David Leslie the Scottish rugby player. ... The Royal Burgh of Brechin is a burgh in Angus, Scotland. ... Dufftown is a burgh in Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom. ... Gideon (גִּדְעוֹן, Standard Hebrew Gidʻon, Tiberian Hebrew Giḏʻôn), also known as Jerubbaal, is a character that appears in the Book of Judges, in the Bible. ... Book of Judges (Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים) is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. ... Ross-shire (Siorrachd Rois in Gaelic), a traditional county of Scotland, borders on Sutherlandshire, Cromartyshire (of which it contains many enclaves), Inverness-shire and on an exclave of Nairnshire. ...

Montrose Moves South

Montrose joined Hurry at the Ord of Caithness. From here their combined force advanced along the coast to Dunrobin Castle, garrisoned for the government by the tenants of the Earl of Sutherland, as were the smaller fortresses at Skelbo, Skibo and Dornoch. Avoiding these obstacles, the royalists turned aside, marching up Strathfleet towards Strathoykell. The Oykell was forded just to the west of its junction with the Cassley, and the treck continued along the southern bank. Montrose had counted on the support of the Mackenzies, but their chief, the Earl of Seaforth, was in exile, and even his brother, Sir Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine, who led the rising the previous year, remained quiet. With no support in the hills the rebels continued back towards the coastal plain, halting at Carbisdale on the southern side of the Kyle of Sutherland on 27 April. By now Strachan was at Tain conferring with the earl of Sutherland. Learning of Montrose's whereabouts, he decided on an immediate surprise attack. Dunrobin Castle and Gardens Dunrobin Castle Rear of Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, and the seat of the Earls of Sutherland. ... The title of Earl of Sutherland is an ancient one in the Peerage of Scotland, created circa 1230. ... Location within the British Isles The Royal Burgh of Dornoch is a burgh and seaside resort in Sutherland, Highland, on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands, and the north shore of the Dornoch Firth. ... Earl of Seaforth, a Scottish title held by the family of Mackenzie from 1623 to 1716, and again from 1771 to 1781. ... Tain (Ordnance Survey grid reference NH779821) is a royal burgh in the county of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. ...

Carbisdale

Montrose's army was in a narrow glen, where the Culrain Burn flows into the Kyle of Sutherland. To his rear the ground rose up to the wooded hill of Creag a' Choineachan. With a good view of the surrounding countryside he would be able to deploy his men on the hill if subject to a sudden attack. Yet, believing there was only a small body of enemy horse in the area, he failed to carry out a thorough reconnaissance, thus making the same mistake that led to the disaster at Philiphaugh. The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on September 13th, 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and took place outside the town of Philiphaugh near Selkirk in Scotland between the armies of the Royalist Marquis of Montrose, and the Covenanter army of General Leslie. ...

Strachan had now reached the Wester Fern to the south-east of Carbisdale. On his onward march he still had the River Carron to cross by a ford which left him some miles short of the enemy position. A direct approach would only alert the royalists to his position. Fortunately, much of the way was covered by thick broom, which ended just before the Culrain Burn was reached. Close to the Burn, Strachan concealed his men in a gully overshadowed by broom, allowing only a single troop to emerge into the open. Montrose sent his cavalry under Major John Lisle to investigate, while the infantry took cover in the woods of Creag a' Choineachan.

Before these deployments were complete Strachan's whole force emerged and charged. Lisle was immediately overwhelmed, as the Covenanters rode on towards the infantry. The Germans and Danes, seeing their cavalry defeated, retreated into nearby Scroggie Wood. Here Clan Munro and Clan Ross joined in the fight, eager to grab their share of any plunder. The Germans and Danes fought gallantly, retreating deeper and deeper into the wood, but they were losing the battle. The need for self preservation took over and those that were left attempted to flee, with the bloodshed in the wood contining for over two hours. Even after the battle ended the slaughter did not cease; the clansmen of Ross-shire and Sutherland for many days after continued pursuing and killing those who had escaped the battle.

Hurry and some of the Danish and German musketeers attempted to make a stand, but the Orcadians crumbled in panic. Two hundred of them were drowned trying to escape across the waters of the Kyle of Sutherland. In a matter of minutes the whole affair was over. Carbisdale was not a battle: it was a rout. The defeated soldiers were hunted over the slopes of Creag a' Choineachan by Strachan's troopers and local hostile clansmen for two hours. Four hundred were killed, and over four hundred and fifty taken prisoner, including Sir John Hurry, whose amazing career as a soldier was shortly to come to an end.

Death and Transfiguration

Despite his wounds Montrose managed to escape from the debacle at Carbisdale. For some days he managed to avoid capture, disguised as a shepherd, until he finally fell captive to Neil Macleod of Assyant at Ardvreck Castle. MacLeod was an ally of the Earl of Sutherland. Alredy condemned to death in absentia, he was taken to Edinburgh where he heard his fate read out by Archibald Johnston at Parliament House. He was to be hanged at the town cross with a copy of De Rebus, Bishop George Wishart's laudatory history of the marquess' life and exploits, round his neck. He was to swing on the scaffold for three hours, after which time he would be taken down, his head cut off and his body divided in four quarters. His head would be displayed on a spike at the Tollbooth Prison, while his arms and legs would be sent for similar display at Glasgow, Perth, Stirling and Aberdeen. Only his trunk was to be shown any mercy: for, if he repented his crimes, it would be buried in consecrated ground at Greyfriars, otherwise it would be deposited in a common grave outside the city on the nearby Bourough Muir. Needless to say, he would conceed nothing to his enemies. Sentence was carried out on 21 May. He accepted his fate with courage and, like the king before him, was transfigured in death. Hurry followed soon after. Ardvreck Castle // Location Standing on a rocky promontory jutting out into Loch Assynt in north west Scotland, Ardvreck Castle is a ruined castle dating from the 16th century. ... The title of Earl of Sutherland is an ancient one in the Peerage of Scotland, created circa 1230. ... Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston (1611-1663) was a Scottish judge and statesman, son of James Johnstone (d. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... Broad St at the heart of Stirlings Old Town area called Top of the Town by locals on a rare snowy day Stirling Castle (Southwest aspect) The main courtyard inside Stirling Castle. ... For other uses, see Aberdeen (disambiguation). ...

With all options now exhausted Charles took the Covenants, against his conscience and judgement. He arrived in Scotland that summer. Unfortunately for him so did Cromwell.

References

• Cown, E., Montrose-For Covenant and King, 1995.
• Hewison, J. K. The Covenanters, 1913.
• Hutton, R., Charles the Second, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, 1989.
• Napier, M., Memoirs of the Marquis of Montrose, 1852.
• Reid, S., The Campaigns of Montrose, 1990.
• Stevenson, D., Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Scotland, 1644-1651, 1977.

External link

• ScotWars.com: Battle of Carbisdale, 1650