The Battle of Stalc was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1468 in Appin, pitting the Clan Stewart of Appin and their allies the Clan MacLaren against a coalition of the Clan MacDougall, the Clan MacFarlane, and possibly men from the Clan Campbell. The conflict had its roots in the murder of John Stewart, Lord of Lorne, at Dunstaffnage Castle in 1463, carried out by Alan MacCaul (also known as MacDougall or MacCoul) and his supporters. In the years that followed, Dugald Stewart, John's son, lost the title of Lord of Lorne through the treachery of his uncle Walter Stewart and the Lord of Argyll, yet he retained Appin and Lismore, fortified what would later become Castle Stalker on the Cormorant's Rock in Loch Laich, and kept up regular raids on the surrounding Campbell territory.
In 1468 the long-running feud culminated in the battle itself, when Colin Campbell and Walter Stewart organised a massive raid against Dugald and his clan, with Alan MacCaul once again involved. As the enemy force approached, Dugald deployed his men along a ridge, thereby securing the advantage of higher ground. The fighting was bloody: Dugald lost many of his own men, and 130 of the MacLarens also fell. Nevertheless, Dugald's forces virtually destroyed the military strength of the MacFarlanes, a blow from which that clan never recovered. Alan MacDougall, the murderer of John Stewart, was killed in the battle, apparently by Dugald himself, at the place the Scottish Gaelic name of which, "Lagna an Phail", translates as "treacherous hollow".
The battle's aftermath proved consequential for the Stewarts of Appin. In the autumn of 1469 Dugald relinquished his claim to the Lordship of Lorne to his uncle Walter Stewart in order to secure his hold on Appin, but the victory had firmly consolidated his authority there. On 14 April 1470 King James III of Scotland formally granted Appin and the surrounding area to Dugald. He continued to lead his clan until he was killed fighting against the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch at the Battle of Black Mount in 1497 or 1498.
As the coalition raiding force of the Clan MacDougall, the Clan MacFarlane, and possibly Campbell men bore down on Appin in 1468, Dugald Stewart deployed his men along a commanding ridge, turning the terrain to his advantage. The fighting cost Dugald dearly, with 130 MacLaren allies among the fallen, yet his force virtually destroyed the military strength of the MacFarlanes, a wound from which they never recovered, and the battle ended with Alan MacCaul, murderer of Dugald's father, slain in the blood-soaked hollow the Gaels would call "Lagna an Phail", the treacherous hollow, apparently at Dugald's own hand.
130 MacLarens killed; many men lost on Dugald Stewart's side; the MacFarlanes suffered losses so severe they never recovered their military strength
Clan Stewart of Appin and Clan MacLaren versus Clan MacDougall, Clan MacFarlane, and possibly men from Clan Campbell
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