Battle of Drumlui

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Drumlui was a Scottish clan battle that took place in either 1330 or 1337, in the Scottish Highlands between the Clan Cameron and the Clan Mackintosh.

The parents of William Mackintosh, 7th chief of Clan Mackintosh and the confederation of Clan Chattan, had migrated from their lands in Lochaber which were subsequently occupied by the Clan Cameron without disturbance. However, when William became a man he demanded that the lands be restored to him, but this claim was denied to him and refused by the Camerons who claimed that the lands had been deserted and now belonged to themselves as they were the first to seize and occupy them.

The (Mackintosh of) Kinrara MS (manuscript) mentions a great battle at Drumlui in which William Mackintosh defeated the Camerons who were under the leadership of Donald Alin Vic Ian, or Donald Alin Mhic Evin. However, a number of Mackintosh and Clan Shaw men were also mortally wounded.

This battle led to a long-lasting 350 year feud which did not end until near the end of the 17th century. In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Drumlui each clan alternately harried each other's lands, lifting cattle, until the famous Battle of Invernahavon in 1370.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Drumlui lies on Loch Eil Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Drumlui

Caledonian Canal,Corpach Locks and Basin

Scheduled monument · ~5.8 mi

Corpach Locks and Basin is a major engineering work on the Caledonian Canal in Argyllshire, Scotland. The locks and basin form the sea-level terminus of the canal system, managing the transition between freshwater and tidal waters. The structure sits upon psammite bedrock of the Loch Eil Group, f…

Caledonian Canal,Neptune's Staircase,canal locks,Banavie

Scheduled monument · ~6.1 mi

Neptune's Staircase is a flight of eight canal locks at Banavie in Argyllshire, Scotland, forming the most dramatic section of the Caledonian Canal. Completed in the early nineteenth century, the locks descend steeply from Banavie towards Loch Eil, raising or lowering vessels by a total of 64 fee…

Caledonian Canal,Moy Swing Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~6.3 mi

Moy Swing Bridge is a moy swing bridge on the Caledonian Canal in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland. The bridge exemplifies the engineering solutions developed for the Canal's construction in the early nineteenth century, which requir…

Caledonian Canal, Gairlochy Locks, lighthouse and signal lamp

Scheduled monument · ~7 mi

Gairlochy Locks, Lighthouse and Signal Lamp is a scheduled monument in Inverness-shire, forming part of the Caledonian Canal's critical infrastructure. The locks sit upon fault zone bedrock comprising mylonitic rock and fault-breccia, geological features that reflect the ancient tectonic disturba…

Fort William, fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~7.4 mi

Fort William is an Iron Age fort located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The site occupies a naturally defensive position, its bedrock composed of ancient metasedimentary schist formed during the Neoproterozoic and belonging to the Moinian sequence. This metamorphic foundation provided a stable bas…

Other Medieval Battles

Battles near Battle of Drumlui

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• Battle of Drumlui · Wikipedia
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