Battle of Aldy Charrish


The Battle of Aldy Charrish was a Scottish clan battle that took place on 11 July 1487. The Clan Mackay and possibly the Clan Sutherland defeated the Clan Ross and their allies in the Scottish Highlands, probably on the south side of Strathoykel.

Background

The second half of the 15th century had seen a series of raids by the Mackays of Strathnaver on the Rosses of Balnagowan. According to the Blackcastle MS the Rosses had made "a predatory incursion" into the territory of the Mackays. Sir Robert Gordon, however, says that the Mackays "often molested with incursions and invasions" the lands of the Rosses. According to historian Angus Mackay, the evidence is ample that the Mackays managed to recover some of the lands in Ross-shire that had belonged to their relatives and enemies, Neil Neilson Mackay, his brother Morgan Neilson Mackay, and Neil and Morgan's father-in-law Murray of Cubin, all three of whom had been defeated and killed by the Mackays of Strathnaver at the Battle of Drumnacoub in 1433. The evidence is also ample that the Rosses managed to secure some of these lands lying in the parishes of Edderton and Kincardine in Ross-shire. So it appears that the feud between the Mackays and the Rosses arose out of a scramble for disputed lands. Finally the Rosses, led by Alexander Ross of Balnagowan, gathered their forces to attack the invaders who were led by Angus Roy Mackay of Strathnaver and who they defeated and killed at the Battle of Tarbat, some time in the 1480s. Angus Roy Mackay's son John Mackay returned in the late 1480s to attack the Rosses in revenge for the death of his father.
According to 17th-century historian Sir Robert Gordon, who was a younger son of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland, the Clan Sutherland joined the side of the Clan Mackay at this battle. However, 19th-century historian Angus Mackay disputes the Sutherland's presence at the battle stating that it would be unlikely that John Sutherland, 8th Earl of Sutherland at the time would have assisted against the Rosses as he was married to a daughter of the Ross chief of Balnagowan, and also that the feudal superiority of the Sutherlands over the Mackays "nowhere existed save in his own fertile imagination".

Contemporary evidence

Contemporary evidence for the battle is found in The Calendar of Fearn which is a manuscript of the Clan Ross. It dates the conflict to 11 July 1487 and gives eleven names of those killed at Aldecharwis.

Location and date

Most sources follow Gordon in giving the date of the battle as 11 July 1487. Gordon quotes this to The Calendar of Fearn. Some later sources have quoted The Calendar of Fearn as putting it in June 1486, but this is clearly a mistake as the Calendar clearly gives the year of 1487. Mackay dates the Battle of Tarbat to 1475 and "Allta-charrish" to 1478 or "a few years after".
The location of the battle remains elusive. Most sources say that it took place in Strathoykel or Strathcarron. Whilst some interpret the latter as the River Carron in Wester Ross, it is more likely to be the Carron in Sutherland, that lies immediately south of the Oykel. Mackinnon's map locates it on the banks of the lower Carron, between Braelangwell and Invercharron. The most probable location is the Allt a'Charraigh, a burn between Braelangwell and Rosehall that flows into the Kilmachalmack Burn on the Strathoykel side of Meall Dheirgidh.

Accounts of the battle

17th century manuscripts

Sir Robert Gordon (1630)

's manuscript, A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland, was written in about 1630 and says the following for the battle:

James Fraser of Wardlaw (1674)

James Fraser of Wardlaw wrote the Wardlaw Manuscript in about 1674. It gives the year of 1438 for the events at Tarbat and 1479 for the Battle of Aldy Charrish. It states that 70 landed gentlemen were slain with Alexander Ross of Balnagowan as well as a considerable number of common soldiers. It also says that 150 Mackays were killed as well as 6 Mackay gentlemen. It quotes as sources the manuscripts of Fern and Beuly:

18th, 19th and 20th century publications

Conflicts of the Clans (1764)

An account of the battle was recorded in the book Conflicts of the Clans, published by the Foulis press in 1764 and which was written from Sir Robert Gordon's 17th century manuscript, A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland:

Robert Mackay (1829)

Robert Mackay wrote an account of the battle in his book the History of the House and Clan of the Name Mackay, quoting from the historian Sir Robert Gordon :

Donald MacKinnon (1957)

Donald MacKinnon wrote an account in his book The Clan Ross, again quoting from the historian Sir Robert Gordon :

Aftermath

In 1490, James IV of Scotland granted to David Ross, nephew and heir of John Ross, and grandson of John Ross of Balnagown, the lands of Strathoikel and Strathcarron, which had formerly belonged to Morgan Neilson Mackay, who along with his brother Neil Neilson Mackay, had attempted in 1433 to take over the lands of Strathnaver from their cousin, Angus Du Mackay, 7th of Strathnaver, but had been defeated and killed at the Battle of Drumnacoub by Angus's forces. Although John Rivach Mackay received a remission from the king in 1494, the blood feud with the Rosses appears to have continued as David Ross of Balnagown and Iye Roy Mackay of Strathnaver were summoned to appear before the Earl of Argyll who was the Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. On 4 October 1496, each of them were bound by extending their hand to Argyll in the king's name to keep the peace towards each other and that their "folks sal be harmless and skaithles", under the penalty of 500 merks if they failed. Notwithstanding the apparent reconciliation, David Ross of Balnagown and his brother Hucheon Ross, brought an action to the Lords of Council against the Mackays for spoils taken from their lands eight years earlier. On 15 March 1504, Iye Roy Mackay, 10th of Strathnaver secured from the king the lands of Ferencostrig, Strathhalladale, Creichmore, Assent, Coigach, Gruids, and Strathfleet. On 15 February 1506, Iye Roy Mackay caused the charter that had been granted by Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles in 1415 to the Mackays who laid claim to these lands. However, the Lords of Council decided that the lands had belonged to Euphemia II, Countess of Ross. The Mackays continued to raid the Rosses well into the 16th century and did not stop until they became caught up in quarrels with their neighbours, the powerful Clan Sutherland.