BattlefieldsNorse raid on Portmahomack 800
Early Medieval

Norse raid on Portmahomack 800

800
Ross-shire, Scotland
Also known as: Norse attack Tarbat 800
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Ross-shire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Pictish monastic community
Forces
Pictish monks c.50–150
VS
Victor
Norse raiders
Forces
Norse raiders c.200–500
Outcome
Norse raiders attacked the Portmahomack monastery destroying its scriptorium and craft works
The Battle

History & Significance

Archaeological evidence at Portmahomack confirms major destruction event ca.800; earliest Norse violence in northern Scotland

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Ross-shire

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 Ross-shire