Skirmish of Dunfermline

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Skirmish of Dunfermline was a conflict that took place on 24 October 1715 in Dunfermline, Scotland and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1715. It was fought between the forces of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll who supported the British-Hanoverian Government against a Jacobite force.

On 23 October 1715 during the Jacobite rising of 1715, John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, learned that a party of rebel Jacobites were passing by Castle Campbell. The Jacobite force consisted of approximately 80 horse and 300 Highlanders and Argyll had heard from one of his outposts that they were heading for Fife, where they were going to levy supplies to support the main Jacobite army at Perth. Argyll dispatched a squadron of dragoons under Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Cathcart to intercept them. On 24 October Cathcart had caught up with the Jacobites at Dunfermline.

The Jacobites' security was poor: Their commander, James Malcolm of Grange, was confident that he knew the area and its approaches well and so he only posted one sentry at the bridge into the Stirling end of the town. He also allowed his forces to be divided up when they took quarters. The Highlanders were under John Gordon of Glenbucket and they camped in a ruined abbey on the edge of the town. The Jacobite horse took up residence without any order in the taverns and private houses throughout the town. The Jacobites did not fix any rendezvous point where they were to meet in any alarm post and the officers settled down for a bottle of wine.

The Jacobite position was scouted by Cathcart in the night and he attacked at 5 a.m. from the eastern side of Dunfermline with 120 mounted dragoons. This was preceded by a noisy fire fight with the Highlanders in the abbey that had been commenced by 30 of Cathcart's dismounted men. This brought the Jacobite cavalry scrambling out of their beds and into the street in confusion, trying to find their horses and get mounted. Cathcart then charged them, killing four and mortally wounding two more. He then rode through the town and rejoined his dismounted detachment and had taken seventeen prisoners. Cathcart only suffered one man and one horse wounded. Another account says that about twenty Jacobites were taken prisoner.

The Skirmish of Dunfermline was the only occasion when the Duke of Argyll launched a major raid on the Jacobites before December 1715 when Dutch and Swiss reinforcements arrived. This meant that the Jacobites were allowed free rein to recruit and otherwise do as they please in Fife until late December. This boosted their confidence and resources available to them.

The ground they fought on

The site of Skirmish of Dunfermline lies on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Skirmish of Dunfermline

Dunfermline Abbey

Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

Dunfermline Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in the eleventh century by Malcolm III and his queen Margaret, becoming one of Scotland's most important religious houses and a royal burial place. The surviving remains, predominantly of Romanesque and later Gothic character, include the subst…

Dunfermline, stretch of abbey precinct wall on Canmore Street

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.1 mi

Dunfermline Abbey precinct wall on Canmore Street is a surviving stretch of medieval masonry that once defined the boundary of one of Scotland's most significant monastic establishments. Built from stone quarried from the local Clackmannan Group bedrock that underlies this part of Fife, the wall…

Malcolm Canmore's Tower

Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

Malcolm Canmore's Tower is a medieval stone tower located in Fife, Scotland, traditionally associated with King Malcolm III of Scotland who reigned in the eleventh century. The structure represents a significant example of early medieval fortification, though its exact construction date and origi…

Dunfermline Abbey, Nether Yett, 10m NNE of Old Kirk Cottage

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Dunfermline Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in the eleventh century by Queen Margaret of Scotland, establishing one of medieval Scotland's most important religious and political centres. The abbey church, begun around 1150, became the burial place of Scottish kings and queens, including…

Paul McIlroy / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

North Wood, Dunfermline, cairn 140m NNW of crematorium

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2.1 mi

North Wood, Dunfermline, is a cairn located 140 metres north-north-west of Dunfermline Crematorium in Fife, Scotland. The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8556. Dating to the Iron Age, it represents an important funerary structure fr…

Craigluscar, shielings and enclosure 350m WNW of

Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~2.8 mi

Craigluscar shielings and enclosure is a post-medieval pastoral settlement located in Fife, Scotland, situated on bedrock of the Clackmannan Group. The monument comprises structures associated with shieling activity—the seasonal herding of livestock to upland or marginal pastures—together with an…

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• Skirmish of Dunfermline · Wikipedia