Battle of Alford 1645
Who Fought
Royalists: c. 2,000 foot, 250-300 cavalry; Covenanters: c. 2,000 foot, 500-600 cavalry
History & Significance
The Battle of Alford was an engagement of the Scottish Civil War. It took place near the village of Alford, Aberdeenshire, on 2 July 1645. During the battle, the Royalist general James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose defeated the forces of the Covenanter-dominated Scottish government, commanded by William Baillie.
The battlefield is included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment (Amendment) Act 2011.
Following the Scottish Parliament's decision to intervene in the First English Civil War on the Parliamentarian side, King Charles I had appointed Montrose as his Captain-General in Scotland and charged him with conducting the Royalist resistance. It was hoped that by carrying out a disruptive campaign in Scotland, Montrose would tie down government troops that would otherwise be used in the war in England.
Aided by 2,000 men sent by Confederate Ireland, Montrose won surprise victories at Tippermuir and Aberdeen in September 1644. His troops plundered large parts of the west Highlands that winter, before routing and destroying the forces of key government supporter the Marquess of Argyll at Inverlochy on 2 February. Finally, Montrose defeated a larger government army under Sir John Urry at Auldearn on 9 May.
Following Auldearn, the commander of the Irish contingent, Alasdair Mac Colla, departed for the western Highlands in an attempt to raise more men. Montrose himself made an effort to engage the remaining Covenanter army under Major-General Baillie. Baillie, a veteran soldier, had seen his forces reduced in size by the controlling body of the Scottish Parliament, the Committee of Estates, which had the power to overrule his orders. The Committee, which comprised the Earl of Argyll, the Earls of Crawford and Tullibardine, and the Lords of Elcho, Burleigh, and Balcarres, together with a number of Calvinist clergy, had ordered the detachment of around 1,200 of Baillie's most experienced foot to create a second army, intended to be commanded by the Earl of Lindsay. Some of the resulting gaps were filled by inexperienced militia. Conscious of the weakened state of his army, Baillie spent the early summer months trying to evade contact with Montrose, and both forces manoeuvred through Moray and Aberdeenshire for several weeks in an attempt to secure an advantage.
Montrose caught Baillie on 24 June near Keith, but the latter formed up for battle in a strong defensive position. Montrose refused to attack and, after several days of waiting, moved his force on and across the River Don. Baillie was now compelled to follow, otherwise Montrose would have had a clear route of march into central Scotland. By 1 July, Montrose occupied high ground near the village of Alford, probably at Gallows Hill. Early on the morning of 2 July, he received word that the Covenanters were rapidly approaching the ford of the Don and made a decision to attack, mainly as he knew that Lindsay was finally en route to reinforce Baillie.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Alford 1645 lies on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is felsic-rock.
- Royalists: several hundred (including Lord Gordon); Covenanters: approximately 1,500
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 BTL1.
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Battle of Alford · Wikidata
- Battle_of_Alford · Wikipedia
- UKFOC 340 · Battlefields Trust (UK Fields of Conflict)
- Battle of Alford · Historic Environment Scotland
- Battle of Alford · Canmore
- Alford · Canmore
- Battle of Alford · Battlefields Trust