The Battle of Cromdale took place at the Haugh of Cromdale in Speyside on April 30 and May 1, 1690. Despite being a relatively minor encounter, this battle marked the effective end of the Jacobite rising. Cromdale is a small, growing village in the Highland council area of Scotland, on the A95 road, where it crosses Cromdale Burn, between Grantown-on-Spey and Aberlour. ... Strathisla distillery in Keith, Strathspey Strathspey is the area around the valley of the River Spey, Scotland. ... Each Jacobite Rising formed part of a series of military campaigns by Jacobites attempting to restore the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland (and after 1707, Great Britain) after James VII of Scotland and II of England was deposed in 1688 and the thrones claimed by his...

After their defeat at the battle of Dunkeld in 1689, the Highland clans had returned to their homes in low spirits. Sir Ewen Cameron assumed control over the army's remnant. Sir Ewen and the other Jacobite chiefs complained to King James over the precarious state of his support in Scotland, and the necessity of sending them aid. Unfortunately, James was occupied with preparations for resisting a threatened invasion of Ireland. To aid his supporters in Scotland, James sent clothing, arms, ammunition and provisions. He also directed a few Irish officers to Lochaber, among whom was Major-General Buchan, as commander-in-chief of the Jacobite forces in Scotland. The Battle of Dunkeld was fought between Highland clans supporting James II and a government regiment of covenanters supporting William of Orange, in the streets around Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunkeld, Scotland, on August 21, 1689, and formed part of the first Jacobite rising. ... Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, wearing the Jacobite blue bonnet Jacobitism was (and, to a very limited extent, is) the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland. ... James II of England and VII of Scotland (14 October 1633–16 September 1701) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685. ... For the context of this war see Jacobitism and Glorious Revolution. ...

On Buchan’s arrival, a meeting of the chiefs and principal officers was held at Keppoch to formulate a plan of action. While some of the clans proposed to submit to the government, this proposition was resisted by Sir Ewen. The meeting unanimously resolved to continue the war, but not until the labors of the spring season were complete in the Highlands. The large scaled muster of the clans was postponed. In the mean time a detachment of 1,200 infantrymen was to be placed at Buchan's disposal, to weaken the enemy’s quarters along the borders of the Lowlands.

General Buchan advanced his men through Badenoch, intending to march down Speyside into the Duke of Gordons country, where he expected to muster additional forces. Due to desertion, Buchan’s force had dwindled to 800 men. Ignoring counsel from his Scottish officers, to not advance past Culnakill, Buchan marched down the Spey as far as Cromdale, where he encamped on the last day of April. Badenoch, a district of south-east Inverness-shire in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath mountains, on the east by the Cairngorms and Braemar, on the south by Atholl and the Grampians, and on the west by Lochaber. ... The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of England and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ...

He was met at Cromdale by a larger government force under Sir Thomas Livingston, commander of the garrison of Inverness. As Livingston approached with his men, on the opposite bank of the Spey, the Jacobite forces started to retreat. Livingston's cavalry crossed the river and intercepted the Jacobites, who made a brief stand at the foot of the hill of Cromdale. Fortunately for the outnumbered Jacobites, a thick fog came down the side of the mountain and enveloped them, compelling Livingston to discontinue the pursuit. According to reports, the Highlanders had 400 men killed and taken prisoners. Livingston's losses were reported as between none and 100 killed. Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ...

A group of around 100 men, who had separated from the main Jacobite force, crossed the Spey the following day. After being pursued by some of Livingston’s men, they were overtaken and dispersed on the moor of Granish near Aviemore, where some of them were killed. They attempted to seize the castle of Lochinclan, but their attack was repelled by the proprietor and his tenants. Aviemore (Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr) is a tourist resort in the Highlands of Scotland. ...

The defeat at Cromdale effectively ended the rebellion in Scotland. Nevertheless, Jacobite propagandists declared the action a victory for the royalist forces, and compsosed a popular song to promote that viewpoint. The last verse reads:

Strangely, the hero of the song, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, died forty years before the battle took place. The tune has remained popular, and is still played by pipe bands. 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. ... A Pipe band is a traditional Scottish musical group consisting of bagpipes and drums. ...

The battlefield now lies near Grantown-on-Spey (founded 1765) in Highland. Grantown-on-Spey is a small burgh in the Scottish Highlands founded in 1765, on the River Spey with a population of 3,409 [1]. It lies at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about twenty miles south east of Inverness. ... 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Highland unitary authority area (Roinn na Gàidhealtachd in Gaelic) is a local government area in the Scottish Highlands and the largest local government area in Scotland. ...

External links

• The lyrics to The Haughs o' Cromdale