Battle of Bealach nam Broig

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Bealach nam Broig (Scottish Gaelic: Pass of the Brogue; also known as the Great Battle of Bealach nam Broig, Bealach nam Brog, Beallighne-Broig, and Bealach na Broige) was fought between Scottish clans from the lands of north-west Ross, against north-eastern clans of Ross who supported the Earl of Ross. The actual date of the battle is debated, it probably occurred in 1452 but the Conflicts of the Clans suggests a date as early as 1299.

Bealach nam Brog lies about 20 miles northwest of Inverness in the parish of Fodderty, overlooking the A835 road that goes west past Loch Glascarnoch to Ullapool. The pass separates the high ridge of Ben Wyvis from the lower summit of Carn Mòr, overlooking Loch Bealach Cùlaidh to the east. Thomas describes it as 2 miles north west of Garbat, at the watershed between the Strathrannock River and Garbat River, and also as being between Ferrin-Donald and Lochbroom. The Garbat and Strathrannock both run into the Blackwater, a tributary of the River Conon that flows east from Loch Glascarnoch.

"A perfect specimen of an arrowhead" was found near the battlefield in 1913.

The earliest account of the Battle of Bealach nam Broig was written by Sir Robert Gordon (1580–1656) in his manuscript of around 1630. This was published in a book in 1813, entitled A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland, and says the battle was fought in around 1275. However, an earlier book based on the same manuscript, published in 1764 and again in 1780, Conflicts of the Clans, gives the year of the battle as 1299.

There was a rising against the Earl of Ross by highlanders living in the mountains, consisting of the "Clan-juer" (Clan Iver), "Clantalvigh" (Clan-t-aluigh, i.e. Clan Aulay), and "Clan-leajwe" (Clan-leaive, i.e. Clan Leay).

The Earl Ross responded by capturing the leader of the insurrection, and imprisoned him at Dingwall Castle. Incensed, the revolting clans seized the earl's second son at Balnagown, to aid in the release of their leader, and carried him with them. The Munros and Dingwalls in response pursued and overtook the rising clans at Bealach nam Broig. A bitter battle ensued, fuelled by old feuds and animosities. In the end the MacIvers, MacAulays and MacLeays were almost utterly extinguished and slain, and the Munros and Dingwalls won a hollow victory: though the earl's son had been rescued, they had lost a great number of men. According to Gordon's account there were killed 140 Dingwalls and eleven Munros of the house of Foulis that were to succeed one another, so that the succession fell to a child lying in a cradle.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Bealach nam Broig lies on Morar Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Bealach nam Broig

Little Garve Bridge, 80m E of Tigh Na Drochit

Scheduled monument · ~5.3 mi

Little Garve Bridge is a stone arch bridge located in Ross-shire, Scotland, situated approximately 80 metres east of Tigh na Drochit. The bridge is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2720. The monument stands upon bedrock of the Morar Group, psamm…

Heights of Brae, chambered cairn 375m NNW of Firth View

Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~8.2 mi

Heights of Brae is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Ross-shire, standing 375 metres north-north-west of Firth View. Built during the Neolithic period, this stone monument represents one of Scotland's earliest substantial architectural achievements, constructed by farming communities who set…

Loch Kinellan,crannog

Scheduled monument · Iron Age–Medieval · ~8.9 mi

Loch Kinellan crannog is an Iron Age to medieval settlement site constructed on the bed of a freshwater loch in Ross-shire. Crannogs were artificial or semi-artificial islands built from timber, stone and brushwood, providing defensive settlements and refuge in times of unrest. This example was c…

Carn Na Buaile fort, 780m NNW of Comrie

Scheduled monument · ~8.9 mi

Carn Na Buaile fort is a hillfort situated 780 metres north-north-west of Comrie in Ross-shire, in the northern Highlands of Scotland. The monument occupies ground underlain by psammite bedrock of the Loch Eil Group, a Neoproterozoic geological formation that gives this landscape its characterist…

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• Battle of Bealach nam Broig · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Bealach_nam_Broig · Wikipedia