Battle of Inverlochy 1431
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary.
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1431 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 15th century | derived |
| Period | Wars of the Roses & late medieval | derived |
| Country | Scotland | derived |
| Local authority | Highland | HES |
| Registered area | 174.1 ha | HES |
| HES inventory reference | BTL34 | HES |
| Designated | 2012-12-14 | HES |
About the battle
The Battle of Inverlochy (1431) (Scottish Gaelic: Blàr Inbhir Lòchaidh) was fought after Alexander of Islay (Alasdair Ìle, Rìgh Innse Gall), Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross, had been imprisoned by King James I. A force of Highlanders led by Donald Balloch, Alexander's cousin, defeated Royalist forces led by the Earls of Mar and Caithness at Inverlochy, near present-day Fort William. Over 1000 men were supposedly killed, among them the Earl of Caithness. Balloch then went on to ravage the country of Clan Cameron and Clan Chattan, clans who had been disloyal to Alexander. King James himself soon after led an army into the Highlands, and Highland forces left off.
Alexander was liberated by King James in October 1431, it is said as a part of a royal amnesty granted to several upon the birth of the king's son James II. but the timing for that doesn't fit. When King James finally set Alexander free, he was the only magnate who could offer security in the Highlands. Upon the king's murder in 1437, Alexander was again recognized as the Earl of Ross, and not only received control of Dingwall, but Inverness, too, which he would hold until at least 1447.
The pibroch The End of the Great Bridge is traditionally held to have been composed during the battle and Piobaireachd Domhnull Dubh, named for clan chief Donald Dubh Cameron, commemorates the battle.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- Local authority: Highland
- Approximate centre of registered area: 56.8278, -5.0846
- Registered area: 174.1 hectares
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Inverlochy (1431) (revision 1370443764), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs and trimming at sentence boundaries; citations removed. No text added.
Contains Historic Environment Scotland and OS data © Historic Environment Scotland and Crown Copyright and database right 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Inverlochy 1645 · 1 km
- Battle of Corpach 1470 · 2 km
- Highbridge Skirmish 1745 · 11 km
- Battle of Drumlui 1330 · 12 km
- Battle of Bun Garbhain 1570 · 14 km
- Stand-off at the Fords of Arkaig 1665 · 15 km
Browse more: battles in Scotland · Wars of the Roses & late medieval · 15th century battles