Battlefields›Battle of Dorsum Crup
Early Medieval

Battle of Dorsum Crup

965
Scotland
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Victor
Dub's men
Outcome
Victory for Dub's men.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Dorsum Crup, also known as the Battle of Duncrub was fought in 965 in Duncrub, Scotland, between men loyal to Cuilén mac Illuilb and men loyal to Dub mac Maíl Coluim. The battle was a victory for Dub's men.

In 962, Dub's cousin, king Ildulb mac Causantín was slain in battle, famously referred to as the Battle of Bauds against Norwegian Vikings near Cullen. Dub succeeded him as king due to the system of tanistry in place, but Ildulb's son, Cuilén, competed with him for the throne, and raised an army in an attempt to overthrow him.

Eventually, in 965, the 2 opposing armies met in the village of Duncrub, and a battle ensued. The available details of the battle are scarce, but the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba records the deaths of 2 men: Abbot Donnchad of Dunkeld, and Mormaer Dubdon of Atholl. Dub triumphed over Cuilén, yet the internal power struggle continued until 967, when Cuilén eventually defeated Dub, and either drove him out, or slayed him.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Dorsum Crup lies on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.

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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.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Dorsum Crup

St Serf's Church, Dunning
St Serf's Church, Dunning
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~0.6 mi

St Serf's Church, Dunning is an Iron Age fortification situated in Perthshire, Scotland, built upon bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group. This geological formation, comprising sandstone interspersed with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone, dates to the Pragian period and provides the foundat…

Pit Alignment, 160m SE of Wellhill House
Pit Alignment, 160m SE of Wellhill House
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Pit Alignment, 160m SE of Wellhill House is a prehistoric linear monument located in Perthshire, Scotland. The site comprises a series of pits arranged in a deliberate alignment across the landscape, a monument type characteristic of Iron Age communities in eastern Scotland. Such alignments typic…

Barrows, 630m and 860m NE of Nether Garvock
Barrows, 630m and 860m NE of Nether Garvock
Scheduled monument · ~1.5 mi

Barrows, 630m and 860m NE of Nether Garvock is a pair of Bronze Age burial monuments located in Perthshire, Scotland. The two barrows lie on bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a Pragian sandstone formation interspersed with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone that characterises this part o…

Masterfield, ring-ditches and associated features 500m ENE of
Masterfield, ring-ditches and associated features 500m ENE of
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

Masterfield is a ring-ditches and associated features monument located in Perthshire, Scotland, lying approximately 500 metres east-north-east of the settlement from which it takes its name. The site sits on bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a geological formation dating to the Pragian per…

Gray Stone,standing stone,250m NNE of Knowes
Gray Stone,standing stone,250m NNE of Knowes
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~2 mi

Gray Stone is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Perthshire, Scotland, situated 250 metres north-north-east of Knowes. The monument stands upon bedrock belonging to the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a geological formation of Pragian age comprising primarily sandstone with subordinate bands of con…

Castle Craig, fort SSW of Pairney
Castle Craig, fort SSW of Pairney
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2.5 mi

Castle Craig is an Iron Age fort situated on high ground south-south-west of Pairney in Perthshire, Scotland. The site occupies a prominent hilltop position built upon Silurian to Devonian bedrock composed of mafic lavas and tuffs, geology that provided both natural defensive advantages and chall…

Millhaugh,enclosure and pit alignment 300m E of
Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~0.4 miles
Dunning, standing stone 300m SE of Leadketty Holdings
Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~0.5 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Dorsum Crup

Bordie Moor, 'Standard Stone'
~17.5 miles away
Battle of Inverkeithing
1651
~19.8 miles away
Battle of Pitreavie
~19.9 miles away
Ferry Hills
~21.6 miles away
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