⚔ Battlefields of Britain

Battle of Drumnacoub 1400

Battle of Drumnacoub: Ben Loyal and Ben Hope, from above Tongue.
Image: djmacpherson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).

Key facts

Date (year)1400Wikidata P585 point in time
Century14th centuryderived
PeriodWars of the Roses & late medievalderived
CountryScotlandderived
ParticipantsClan Mackay, Clan SutherlandWikidata

About the battle

The Battle of Drumnacoub (Battle of Druim na coub, Drum-ne-coub) was a Scottish clan battle involving factions of the Clan Mackay fought in the far northwest of Scotland, some time between 1429 and 1433. It took place on a hill called Carn Fada at the southern end of the Kyle of Tongue, between Ben Loyal and the village of Tongue. It was fought between members of the Clan Mackay and men of the Clan Sutherland. The battle was recorded by the 15th century chronicler, Walter Bower, in his work Scotichronicon.

On one side was the old chief, Angus Du (Dow) Mackay and his second son John Aberach Mackay. On the other side were Angus's cousins Morgan Neilson Mackay and Niel Neilson Mackay who were backed by troops from the Clan Sutherland, led by Angus Murray. Niel Nielson Mackay and Morgan Nielson Mackay were attempting to take the Mackay lands from their cousin, chief Angus Du Mackay.

Visiting the battlefield

Location

  • Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 58.4333, -4.4500

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Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Drumnacoub (revision 1370439373), 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 · Wars of the Roses & late medieval · 14th century battles

Further reading