BattlefieldsAyrsmoss killing — Richard Cameron falls 1680
English Civil War

Ayrsmoss killing — Richard Cameron falls 1680

1680
Ayrshire, Scotland
Also known as: Battle of Airsmoss 1680 · Death of Richard Cameron 1680
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Ayrshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Cameronian Covenanters (Richard Cameron)
Forces
Cameron band c.60
VS
Victor
Government (Captain Bruce)
Forces
Government dragoons c.120
Outcome
Richard Cameron and his brother were killed in the moorland of Airsmoss; Cameron's hands and head taken to Edinburgh as trophies; the Cameronian movement continued
The Battle

History & Significance

Richard Cameron — the Lion of the Covenant — had declared open war on Charles II at the Sanquhar Declaration in June 1680, renouncing his allegiance. Six weeks later he and his band were caught at Airsmoss by government dragoons. He died fighting. His head and hands were displayed in Edinburgh. His followers became the Cameronians — the most extreme wing of the Covenanting movement. The Cameronian Regiment of the British Army was raised from his followers in 1689 and survived until 1968.

Casualties & Losses

Cameron killed; several Covenanters killed; some captured

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Ayrshire

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Ayrshire