⚔ Battlefields of Britain

Battle of Barry 1010

Battle of Barry: Carnoustiehighstreet
Image: Ollie Lloyd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).

Key facts

Date (year)1010Wikidata P585 point in time
Century11th centuryderived
PeriodEarly medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Vikingderived
CountryScotlandderived

About the battle

The Battle of Barry is a legendary battle in which the Scots, purportedly led by Malcolm II, defeated a Danish invasion force in 1010 AD. Its supposed site in Carnoustie, Angus can be seen in early Ordnance Survey maps. The history of the event relies heavily on tradition and it is considered to be apocryphal. The battle was named for the Parish of Barry, rather than the village, and was formerly thought to have taken place at the mouth of the Lochty burn, in the vicinity of the area that is now occupied by Carnoustie High Street. While the battle is not historically authentic, its romantic appeal continues to capture the popular imagination.

Visiting the battlefield

Location

  • Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 56.5011, -2.7083

Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.

Directions (Google Maps) OpenStreetMap

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Barry (revision 1370433472), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.

Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).

Nearby battlefields

Browse more: battles in Scotland · Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking · 11th century battles

Further reading