Battlefields›Battle of Red Ford, 1294
Medieval

Battle of Red Ford, 1294

1294
Argyllshire, Scotland
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Argyllshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Clan Campbell (Campbells of Loch Awe)
VS
Victor
Clan MacDougall (MacDougalls of Lorn)
Outcome
Clan MacDougall defeated the Campbells of Loch Awe in a dispute over lands on the Lorn/Ardscotnish border; Campbell chief Cailean Mór (Sir Colin Campbell) was shot and killed by a MacDougall archer, ending the fight and the ford was afterwards named Red Ford (Ath Dearg, 'red ford') for running red with blood.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Red Ford or Battle of the String of Lorne took place in 1294 or else after September 1296 between Clan Campbell and Clan MacDougall in Lorne, Scotland. The battle was fought over disputed lands. It ended in defeat of the Clan Campbell of Lochawe. The battle was on the borders of Loch Awe and Lorne, with the site and battle named Red Ford (Scottish Gaelic: Ath Dearg) after the ford which ran red with blood where the battle took place.

Clan MacDougall allied itself with John Balliol, a competitor for the Scottish crown. After his coronation in 1292, the clan's chief, Alasdair MacDubhgaill, was rewarded by being appointed Sheriff of Argyll in 1293. Clan MacDougall were then able to extend their influence, which led to disputes with other clans like Clan Campbell and Clan Donald. Cailean Mor or "Great Colin/Colin the Great", the 4th Chief of Clan Campbell, signed a Ragman Role Oath of Fealty pledging allegiance to King Edward I of England with other nobles on August 27, 1296, and died in the Battle of the Red Ford on the String of Lorne in Netherlorn, Argyll, which took place some time afterwards.

Although no exact details of the battle are at hand, a great many people died on both sides and the ford ran red with blood of the fallen and the wounded. Cailean Mór Caimbeul (Sir Colin Campbell) was killed in battle.

After the battle, Sir Colin Campbell's body was carried to the church of St. Peter the Deacon at Kilchrenan and buried there.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Red Ford, 1294 lies on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
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The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Red Ford, 1294

Loch Awe,Innis Errich,chapel & burial ground
Loch Awe,Innis Errich,chapel & burial ground
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~4.7 mi

Loch Awe, Innis Errich, chapel and burial ground is a medieval sacred site occupying an island within Loch Awe in Argyllshire. The innis errich—an island burial ground—sits upon bedrock formed from Neoproterozoic mafic lava and tuff, ancient volcanic material that creates the dark rocky foundatio…

Loch Awe,Ceann Mara,crannog 150m SW of
Loch Awe,Ceann Mara,crannog 150m SW of
Scheduled monument · Iron Age–Medieval · ~4.9 mi

Loch Awe, Ceann Mara, crannog is an Iron Age to medieval settlement located on Loch Awe in Argyllshire, Scotland. The monument comprises the remains of a ceann mara, a crannog or artificial island dwelling situated approximately 150 metres south-west of the loch shore. These structures, construct…

Loch Avich,Caisteal na Nighinn Ruaidhe,castle
Loch Avich,Caisteal na Nighinn Ruaidhe,castle
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~6.5 mi

Caisteal na Nighinn Ruaidhe is a medieval castle situated on the shores of Loch Avich in Argyllshire. The name translates as the Castle of the Red-haired Girl, reflecting the Gaelic heritage of the region. The monument stands on bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, formed during the Middle Cam…

Ardanaiseig,crannog 300m NE of
Ardanaiseig,crannog 300m NE of
Scheduled monument · Iron Age–Medieval · ~6.6 mi

Ardanaiseig crannog is an Iron Age to medieval settlement site located 300 metres north-east of Ardanaiseig in Argyllshire, Scotland. Crannogs were artificial or semi-artificial islands constructed in lochs and shallow water, serving as defensive homesteads that exploited Scotland's abundant fres…

Inistrynich,crannog 300m ESE of
Inistrynich,crannog 300m ESE of
Scheduled monument · Iron Age–Medieval · ~6.9 mi

Inistrynich Crannog is an Iron Age to medieval settlement located in Argyllshire, Scotland, situated approximately 300 metres east-south-east of Inistrynich. The monument represents a type of artificial or semi-artificial island dwelling characteristic of ancient and medieval Scotland, particular…

Inveraray Castle, cross
Inveraray Castle, cross
Scheduled monument · ~7.2 mi

Inveraray Castle Cross is a cross monument located in Argyllshire, Scotland, and is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM253. The cross stands upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic formation comprising metamorphic rocks of psammite, semipelite and pelite, whic…

Ballimeanoch,chapel & burial ground
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.4 miles
Carn Dubh,crannog E of Inverinan
Scheduled monument · Iron Age–Medieval · ~0.9 miles
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Battles near Battle of Red Ford, 1294

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