BattlefieldsBattle of Mam Garvia
Medieval

Battle of Mam Garvia

1187
Scotland
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Mam Garvia, took place in 1187 in Northern Scotland. Domnall Meic Uilleim had resisted the King of Scots since at least 1179, he even had a claim to the throne as a grandson of King Donnchad II of Scotland. Lochlann, Lord of Galloway led an army north where according to Roger of Hoveden they defeated the Meic Uilleim, slew Domnall and cut off his head and carried it south to present it to King William. The actual site of the battle has been quoted as being either in Ross or near Moray, lately it has been reasoned to be in Strath Garve near Dingwall.

McDonald, R. Andrew, Outlaws of Medieval Scotland: Challenges to the Canmore Kings, 1058-1266, East Linton, 2003. ISBN 1-86232-236-8 [McDonald, Outlaws of Medieval Scotland]

Barrow, G.W.S, Scotland and its Neighbours in the Middle Ages, (London, 1992)

Howden, R Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi Benedicti Abbatis, ed. W. Stubbs (Rolls Series, London, 1867).

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Mam Garvia lies on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

Questions & Answers

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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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Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
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 Mam Garvia

Dingwall Castle, 20m SW of The Castle House
Dingwall Castle, 20m SW of The Castle House
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.2 mi

Dingwall Castle is a medieval fortification located in Ross-shire, Scotland, situated approximately twenty metres south-west of The Castle House. The castle represents an important stronghold of the medieval period, serving as a seat of power in the northern Highlands and demonstrating the strate…

Whiteleys, chambered cairn 300m SW of Craig Ruadh
Whiteleys, chambered cairn 300m SW of Craig Ruadh
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~1.9 mi

Whiteleys is a Neolithic chambered cairn located 300 metres south-west of Craig Ruadh in Ross-shire, Scotland. The monument sits on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a mixture of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposited during the Middle Devonian period. This solid foundation…

Urquhart,Old Parish Church
Urquhart,Old Parish Church
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.9 mi

Urquhart Old Parish Church is a medieval parish church located in Ross-shire, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The church stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone dating to the Middle Devonian period, a geological foundation of conglomerate, sands…

Mulchaich, chambered cairn 80m NE of Auchencairn
Mulchaich, chambered cairn 80m NE of Auchencairn
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~2.1 mi

Mulchaich is a Neolithic chambered cairn located 80 metres north-east of Auchencairn in Ross-shire, Scotland. The monument dates to the Neolithic period and belongs to the tradition of megalithic burial structures that characterise Scotland's earliest farming communities. It is protected by Histo…

Mulchaich,settlement 400m NE of
Mulchaich,settlement 400m NE of
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

Mulchaich is a settlement situated 400 metres north-east of Mulchaich in Ross-shire, in the Scottish Highlands. The site lies upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a geological formation dating from the Middle Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that wo…

Henge, 135m SW of Fiodh Mhor
Henge, 135m SW of Fiodh Mhor
Scheduled monument · ~2.5 mi

Henge, 135m SW of Fiodh Mhor is a Neolithic or Early Bronze Age ceremonial monument located in Ross-shire, Scotland. It stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate deposit formed during the Middle Devonian period, which underlies much of this Highland landscape. The site is prot…

Dingwall Churchyard,symbol stone
Scheduled monument · ~0 miles
Uplands,enclosure 350m NE of
Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~1.4 miles
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Sources