The Battle of Alltan-Beath was a Scottish clan skirmish fought in 1542 near the village of Knockarthur (also recorded as Knockartel or Knockartoll) in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands, between men of Clan Mackay and men of Clan Sutherland, whose chiefs were the Gordon Earls of Sutherland. The background to the conflict is disputed between historians. Sir Robert Gordon, a son of the Earl of Sutherland writing in the 17th century, held that Donald Mackay of Strathnaver took advantage of the minority of the young Earl of Sutherland following the death of Adam, Earl of Sutherland, to raid into Sutherland, burning the village of Knockartoll and seizing a great prey of goods from Strathbrora, before later encamping as far south as Skibo Castle. The historian Angus Mackay, however, disputed this, arguing that Donald Mackay had advanced into Sutherland at the request of Robert Stuart, Bishop of Caithness, to protect the bishop's castles and church-lands, and that it was Neil Mackay of the Aberach branch who was placed in command at Skibo Castle.
According to the account preserved in Conflicts of the Clans, published by the Foulis Press in 1764 and based on Gordon's original manuscript, Sir Hugh Kennedy of Griffen Mains, who was then residing in Sutherland, was warned of Mackay's incursion. He took counsel with Hutcheon Murray of Abirscors and Gilbert Gordon of Garty, and they resolved to engage the enemy. Gathering a company of men, they overtook Mackay unawares beside the place called Ailtan-Beath, having passed his scouts unseen, and fell upon him suddenly. After a brief skirmish the Strathnaver men fled, the seized goods were recovered, and one of the Mackay chieftains, John MacIan-MacAngus, was slain along with a number of his men. Donald Mackay himself, though in flight, killed with his own hand one William Sutherland, who had been pursuing him most eagerly in the chase. Following the battle, Donald Mackay was eventually apprehended and imprisoned in the Castle of Fowlis in Ross by order of the Queen Regent and the Governor, though he later escaped through the connivance of a Strathnaver man named Donald Mackay.
The account in Conflicts of the Clans captures the sudden nature of the engagement at Alltan-Beath: Kennedy's force had managed to pass Mackay's scouts unseen and fell upon the Strathnaver men unawares, so that after only a brief skirmish the raiders fled and the stolen goods were rescued. Even in retreat, however, Donald Mackay distinguished himself, for he slew with his own hand one William Sutherland who pressed him most keenly in the pursuit, a detail which the chronicler recorded as proof that Mackay "played the part of a good soldier" even in defeat.
John MacIan-MacAngus (a Mackay chieftain) killed along with divers Strathnaver men; William Sutherland killed by Donald Mackay during the pursuit
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