Battle of Arbroath
Who Fought
History & Significance
The Battle of Arbroath was fought on Sunday, 24 January 1446 at Arbroath in Scotland between rival claimants to the post of Baillie of the Regality. While the Auchinleck Chronicle recorded that in "The yer of God M.CCCC.XLV, the xxiii. day of Jannar 1445 [the year of God, 1445, the 12th day of January], the Eril of Huntlie, and Ogilbeis with him, on the ta part, and the Eril of Craufurd on the tother part, met at the yettis of Arbroth on ane Sonday laite, and faucht", the new year was not designated as 1446 on the calendar in Britain until March 25, 1446. January 1 to March 24 were a continuation of 1445, which had started in Britain on March 25, 1445.
The conflict began after the monks of the Abbey of Arbroath appointed Alexander Lindsay, Master of Crawford, as the "Bailie of the Regality", a position charged with dispensing justice throughout the jurisdiction of the monastery.
The monks soon regretted this appointment, as Crawford began quartering large numbers of his men in the abbey, whose behaviour was considered by the monks to be vile and cruel. The monks described the Master of Crawford as "uneasy to convent", and soon dismissed him from his position. In his place they appointed Alexander Ogilvy, 2nd Baron of Inverquharity. Alexander Ogilvy not only had the right of election, but also had hereditary claims to the office.
The Master of Crawford disputed the rights which Ogilvy claimed. When unable to reconcile the dispute, rather than arbitrate, they went to battle.
The Master of Crawford, who would become the 4th Earl of Crawford, was the son of David Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Crawford, and son of Marjory Ogilvy, daughter of Alexander Ogilvie of Auchterhouse.
On 24 January 1445, the Master of Crawford arrived at the gates of the abbey with over one thousand men: mostly from Clan Lindsay, but also a group from Clan Hamilton of Clydesdale. Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity was fortunate that he was entertaining guests on the day of the attack; Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly, Sir John Oliphant of Aberdagie, Maxwell of Tealing, Brucklay of Gartley, Forbes of Pitsligo, and Gordon of Borrowfield were all in the Baron's company. Though outnumbered, Ogilvy and his allies drew up the lines of battle. Alexander Ogilvy's force was supported by men from Clan Oliphant, Clan Seton, Clan Gordon, and Clan Forbes.
Meanwhile, the Earl of Crawford rode with great haste from Dundee in order to avert hostilities. The Earl rode across the centre of the battlefield, between the two armies, in order to confer with Ogilvy. However, one of Ogilvy's infantry mistook the Earl's approach for hostilities and threw a spear, striking the Earl in the mouth and piercing his neck, killing him instantly. Although an accident, this ended any chance for a peaceful resolution. The battle began, both lines with spears at the ready. It is said in an account of the battle by Buchanan that the Lindsays cried out "Why do you bring those goads with you, as if you had to do with oxen? Pray, throw them away, and let us fight it out without swords, hand to hand, by true valour, as becomes men." As a result, both sides abandoned their spears, with the exception of a hundred of the Clydesdale men, who held the points of their spears in their hands behind them. When they entered combat, the Clydesdale men held the spears out, creating a spear wall, which broke the ranks of the Ogilvy line.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Arbroath lies on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.
- Clan Ogilvy; Clan Gordon; Clan Oliphant; Clan Seton; Clan Forbes: 500.
- Clan Lindsay: At least 100.
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- Battle of Arbroath · Wikipedia
- Arbroath · Canmore