Battle of Drumclog
Who Fought
History & Significance
The Battle of Drumclog was fought on 1 June 1679, between a group of Covenanters and the forces of John Graham of Claverhouse, at Drumclog, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Following the assassination of Archbishop James Sharp on Magus Muir and the Declaration of Rutherglen, the Covenanters were on the verge of open rebellion. A large conventicle was planned to take place at Loudoun Hill, on the boundary of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, in defiance of government persecution of the Covenanters. On the morning of Sunday 1 June, the Rev. Thomas Douglas allegedly broke off his sermon with the words "Ye have got the theory, now for the practice", when it was reported that the dragoons of Claverhouse were heading to the area. Claverhouse, better known to his enemies as 'Bluidy Clavers', had recently been appointed captain, with a mission to disperse conventicles in south west Scotland.
A group of around 200 armed Covenanters moved east, to a boggy moor near the farm of Drumclog. With about 40 mounted men, and armed with muskets and pitchforks, the Covenanter force was no rabble. Commanded by Robert Hamilton, the army took up a strong position behind a bog, or 'stank'. Claverhouse's force arrived, but were unable to engage the enemy directly due to the ground conditions. For some time groups of skirmishers exchanged fire across the stank, and Claverhouse felt he was gaining the upper hand. However, he was still unable to get his troops close to the Covenanters without becoming bogged down.
At this point, the Covenanters decided to press the attack. William Cleland led a force around the stank, and advanced rapidly. Despite heavy fire from the government troops, the attack was entirely successful. The line of Claverhouse's force broke, and the dragoons were soon routed from the battlefield, leaving 36 dead.
The victory was a huge success for the rebellious Covenanters, although euphoria was short lived. Just three weeks later Claverhouse, under the leadership of the Duke of Monmouth, helped to crush the rebellion at the Battle of Bothwell Brig.
In the aftermath of the battle a trumpeter fleeing the battle is said to have been caught and killed by covenanters at Caldermill and the Trumpeter's Well named in his memory.
A dubious account of the battle, attributed to the Laird of Torfoot allegedly written by Thomas Brownlee of the Covenanter army, was published in 1822. This followed a fictionalised version which appeared in Sir Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality in 1816. The battle is also remembered in a Child Ballad Loudoun Hill, or Drumclog. Claverhouse himself also left an account of the battle.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Drumclog lies on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.
This battlefield is listed on the Register of Historic Battlefields — a national designation identifying Britain's most significant battle sites for protection and further research. Reference: HES BTL21.
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Battle of Drumclog · Wikidata
- Battle_of_Drumclog · Wikipedia
- UKFOC 276 · Battlefields Trust (UK Fields of Conflict)
- Battle of Drumclog · Historic Environment Scotland
- Battle of Drumclog · Canmore
- Battle of Drumclog · Battlefields Trust