The Battle of Dalry or the Battle of Dail Righ-the King's Field- was fought in the summer of 1306 near Tyndrum, Scotland, between the army of Robert Bruce and the Macdougalls of Argyll, kinsmen of the murdered John Comyn, and allies of the English. Bruce's army reeling westwards after defeat by the English at the Battle of Methven was intercepted and all but destroyed, Bruce himself narrowly escaping capture. The exact date cannot be established, but it took place sometime between late July and early August. The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. ... Events March 25 - Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scotland June 19 - Forces of Earl of Pembroke defeat Bruces Scottish rebels at the Battle of Methven Philip IV of France exiles all the Jews from France and confiscates their property In London, a city ordinance degrees that heating with... Tyndrum is a small village in in Scotland. ... Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is one of the traditional counties of Scotland. ... Clan MacDougall is a Scottish clan traditionally associated with the lands of Argyll and Lorn in Scotland. ... Robert I, the Bruce, in a conjectural drawing Robert I, (Roibert a Briuis in medieval Gaelic, Raibeart Bruis in modern Scottish Gaelic and Robert de Brus or Robert de Bruys in Norman French), usually known in modern English today as Robert the Bruce (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), was... The early period of the First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the outbreak of the war in 1296 until the coronation of Robert the Bruce as King of Scots in 1306. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Richard Siward John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey Strength Approx. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Andrew Moray William Wallace Surrey Cressingham† Strength 7,000 infantry and 150 cavalry 30,000[citation needed] infantry and 750 cavalry Casualties  ? Over 7,000 killed The Battle of Stirling Bridge was one of the series of conflicts of the Wars of... Combatants Scotland England Commanders William Wallace Edward I of England Strength 500 cavalry, 9,500 infantry 2,000 cavalry, 12,000 infantry. ... The Battle of Roslin took place on 24 February 1303 at Roslin, Scotland. ... There have been at least chippermunkey sieges of Stirling Castle. ... Combatants Scotland England Commanders Robert I of Scotland Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Strength 4,500 soldiers 3,000 soldiers Casualties 3,500+  ? The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... The Battle of Glen Trool was a battle in the Scottish Wars of Independence in March 1307. ... The Battle of Loudon Hill was fought in 1307 between the Scots and the English. ... // Battle of the Pass of Brander The Battle of the Pass of Brander forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlaping conflict. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Robert Bruce Edward II of England Strength about 8,000 20,000 Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Bannockburn (June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314) was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... The Battle of Faughart was fought in 1318 between the forces of England, and a Scots-Irish army. ... Combatants Scotland England Commanders Sir James Douglas and Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray William Melton Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown, but light unknown, but heavy The Battle of Myton, more properly known as the Chapter of Myton, was a minor engagement in the ongoing Scottish Wars of Independence, fought... The Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence, and set out to confirm Scotlands status as an independent, sovereign state and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. ... The Battle of Boroughbridge was a small but important battle in the conflicts between Edward II of England and his rebellious barons. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Robert Bruce John de Bretagne, 1st Earl of Richmond Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Old Byland was a significant encounter between Scots and English troops in Yorkshire in October 1322, forming part of the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... The Treaty of Corbeil (1326) renewed the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. ... The Battle of Stanhope Park was fought in northern England in August 1327 and forms part of the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Prior to the Treaty of Edinbugh-Northampton, Edward II claimed he adhered to a truce, but he allowed English privateers to attack Flemish vessels trading with Scotland. ... The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. ... The early period of the First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the outbreak of the war in 1296 until the coronation of Robert the Bruce as King of Scots in 1306. ... The Second War of Scottish Independence began properly in 1333 when Edward III overturned the 1328 Treaty of Northampton, under which England recognised the legitimacy of the dynasty established by Robert Bruce. ... Events March 25 - Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scotland June 19 - Forces of Earl of Pembroke defeat Bruces Scottish rebels at the Battle of Methven Philip IV of France exiles all the Jews from France and confiscates their property In London, a city ordinance degrees that heating with... Tyndrum is a small village in in Scotland. ... Motto: (Eng: No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... Robert I, King of Scots, usually known as Robert the Bruce (July 11, 1274 – June 7, 1329, reigned 1306 – 1329), was, according to a modern biographer (Geoffrey Barrow), a great hero who lived in a minor country. ... Argyll, archaically Argyle (Airthir-Ghaidheal in Gaelic, translated as [the] East Gael, or [the] East Irish), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a traditional county of Scotland. ... John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red Comyn, (died 10 February 1306) was a Scottish patriot and royal Competitor. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Combatants Scotland England Commanders Robert I of Scotland Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Strength 4,500 soldiers 3,000 soldiers Casualties 3,500+  ? The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. ...

The Macdougalls

By the late thirteenth century the Clan MacDougall had emerged as the most powerful of the descendants of Somerled, a former king of the Western Isles. Alexander Macdougall, the head of the family, was related by marriage to John Balliol and his nephew John Comyn. He attained high office when Balliol was king, being appointed sheriff of Lorn in February 1293. Alexander managed to extend his power still further at the expense of the Macdonalds of Islay and the Campbells of Loch Awe, whom he defeated in battle sometime in the mid-1290s. The outbreak of the War of Independence in 1296 placed the Macdougalls on the side of the Scottish patriots. This changed in the most dramatic fashion in February 1306, when Robert Bruce murdered John Comyn. Soon after Bruce seized the crown, and the Macdougalls and other families with Balliol and Comyn associations became firm allies of the English. Clan MacDougall is a Scottish clan traditionally associated with the lands of Argyll and Lorn in Scotland. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... John Balliol, the son of Devorguilla Balliol and John, 5th Baron de Balliol, was the king of Scotland from November 17, 1292-1296. ... John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red Comyn, (died 10 February 1306) was a Scottish patriot and royal Competitor. ... Map of Scotland showing the historic district of Lorne Lorne is a region and historic district in the west of Scotland, now part of the Argyll and Bute council area. ... Islay shown within Argyll. ... Loch Awe is a large body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. ... The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of campaigns launched after the English invasion of Scotland in 1296. ... Robert I, the Bruce, in a conjectural drawing Robert I, (Roibert a Briuis in medieval Gaelic, Raibeart Bruis in modern Scottish Gaelic and Robert de Brus or Robert de Bruys in Norman French), usually known in modern English today as Robert the Bruce (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), was...

The King's Field

In June 1306 Robert Bruce and his army were caught unprepared at Methven to the west of Perth by Aymer de Valence, an English general acting for Edward I. What was left of his army retreated westwards, towards the mountains of Argyll. When they reached Strathfillan they found their path blocked at Tyndrum by a large force of Macdougalls, said to have numbered 1000 men, commanded by Alexander's son, John of Lorn, also known as John Bacach-'the Lame.' We do not know Valence's exact location at this time, but it is likely that his army was not far to the east in pursuit of his defeated enemy. Unable to retreat Bruce's little army was forced into battle in disadvantageous circumstances. The exact site of the battle is known in Gaelic as Dail Righ-the King's Field-though it is uncertain if this was the name at the time or added afterwards by the chroniclers. The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1270-1324) was an English nobleman. ... Edward I; illustration from Cassells History of England circa 1902. ...

The only sources we have for the Battle of Dalry are pro-Bruce, and tend at every turn to put a favourable interpretation upon the King's actions. John Barbour has him 'boldly waiting' to engage John in battle, though 'his followers were all too few'. However, Bruce's army had just been defeated and would have needed time to recoup; so it is possible that the Macdougalls took him by surprise. Barbour provides some justification for such an interpretation, providing no description of preparations or dispositions-as he does elsewhere-, just an account of a quick and very close engagement.

Bruce's remaining horses were killed by the Macdougall axemen, who also wounded many of his men, including James Douglas and Gilbert de la Haye. Under considerable pressure Bruce did his best to disengage; Sir James Douglas (the Good, the Black Douglas), (1286 – August 25, 1330), was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence. ...

They thereupon withdrew. In this

There was no mark of cowardice.

They kept together; and the king

Was ever busy rescuing

The rearmost of his company.

With skill and valour there wrought he,

And safely all his men withdrew.

He daunted those that would pursue

So none durst leave their cloe array,

For he was never far away.

Bruce was so heavily involved in action with the rearguard that he found himself at one point alone and under attack between a hill and the lochside, a pass so narrow that he could not turn his horse. For the king to be placed in such a position, seemingly unsupported, provides some further evidence of the weakness of the royal forces. The enemy was fought off and the army retreated to safety; but not long after it ceased to exist as an organised military force.

Flight

After Dalry Bruce, now styled dismissively as 'King Hob' in English propaganda, was little better than a fugitive, closely pursued by his many enemies, both domestic and foreign. For a time his party took refuge in the mountains of Atholl. From here the king sent Queen Elizabeth, his daughter, Marjory, his sister, Mary, and the Countess of Buchan to the relative safety of Kildrummy Castle, near the River Don in Aberdeenshire. With James Douglas and a few others he then escaped southwards into the territory of his friend Maol Choluim II, Earl of Lennox. From here he was helped to cross over to the Kintyre Peninsula by way of Bute, where he was aided by Angus Og, chief of the Macdonalds and a bitter enemy of the Macdougalls. Bruce was given temporary refuge in Dunaverty Castle, a location far too exposed and dangerous to remain in for long. He fled from here into a very uncertain future, not fully reappearing on the stage of history until the early spring of 1307. The recovery of his cause from this point counts as one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of warfare. Two years after Dalry the Macdougalls were destroyed at the Battle of Pass of Brander. The Highlands district of Atholl or Athole in the north of Perthshire in Scotland lies between Braemar, Badenoch, Breadalbane and Lochaber. ... Robert the Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh, from the Seton Armorial. ... Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Kintyre shown within Argyll Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland in the south-west of Argyll. ... Bute could refer to: Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, Scotland County of Bute or Buteshire, Scotland Bute, South Australia, a small town on the Yorke Peninsula, Australia Bute County, North Carolina, United States Bute (mythology), the Lithuanian goddess of wisdom Bute, another name for phenylbutazone, a common drug used... Angus Og may refer to: Angus Og: Celtic God of Love Angus Og: A comic strip which ran in The Daily Record Angus Og, the Lord of the Isles at the time of Robert I of Scotland (Bruce) This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the... // Battle of the Pass of Brander The Battle of the Pass of Brander forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlaping conflict. ...

References

PRIMARY

• Barbour, John, The Bruce, trans, A. A. H. Duncan, 1964.
• Bower, Walter, Scoticronicon, ed. D. E. R. Watt, 1987-96.
• Fordun, John of, Chronicles of the Scottish Nation, ed. W. F. Skene, 1872.

SECONDARY

• Barrow, G., Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, 1976.
• Barron, E. M., The Scottish Wars of Independence, 1934.