Battlefields›Battle of Bealach nam Broig
Medieval

Battle of Bealach nam Broig

1452
Inverness-shire, Scotland
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Inverness-shire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Western Wester Ross clans: MacIver, MacAulay, MacLeay and MacLennan (septs later associated with Clan Mackenzie)
VS
Victor
Munro and Dingwall clans (supporting the Earl of Ross)
Outcome
The Munros and Dingwalls won what sources describe as a 'sorrowful' or 'hollow' victory, rescuing the Earl of Ross's kidnapped son but suffering very heavy losses; the western clans were described as 'almost utterly extinguished'.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Bealach nam Broig was a medieval pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought in the area of Inverness-shire, Scotland in 1452. Munro and Dingwall clans (supporting the Earl of Ross) prevailed over Western Wester Ross clans: MacIver, MacAulay, MacLeay and MacLennan (septs later associated with Clan Mackenzie). The Munros and Dingwalls won what sources describe as a 'sorrowful' or 'hollow' victory, rescuing the Earl of Ross's kidnapped son but suffering very heavy losses; the western clans were described as 'almost utterly extinguished'.

The ground

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, semipelite and pelite.

Casualties & Losses
  • According to George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie (1669): Munro of Foulis and 3 sons killed. According to Alexander Mackenzie (1894/1898): 140 Dingwalls killed, 11 Munro heirs of Foulis killed (leaving succession to an infant); western clans (MacIver, MacAulay, MacLeay) described as almost entirely wiped out, with one account giving 26 killed on that side
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview
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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
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Timeline
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 Bealach nam Broig

Knock,dun 1200m NE of
Knock,dun 1200m NE of
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~8.5 mi

Knock dun is an Iron Age fortified settlement located in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands, approximately 1200 metres north-east of Knock. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM922. The dun occupies a position on bedrock of th…

Caisteal Camus or Knock Castle, on site of Dun Horavaig
Caisteal Camus or Knock Castle, on site of Dun Horavaig
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~8.5 mi

Caisteal Camus, also known as Knock Castle, is a fortified settlement occupying the site of the Iron Age dun known as Dun Horavaig in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The castle stands on bedrock of Proterozoic I gneiss, a metamorphic rock formed during the Mesoproterozoic era, which has shaped both th…

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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Bealach nam Broig

Battle of Morar
1602
~8.5 miles away
MacColla western coast operations 1645
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