Cromwellian Fort at Inverlochy 1654
Who Fought
History & Significance
Fort William is a town in the Lochaber region of the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe in the Highland Council of Scotland.
At the 2011 census, Fort William had a population of 15,757, making it the second-largest settlement both in the Highland council area and in the whole of the Scottish Highlands; only the city of Inverness has a larger population.
Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the east, and Glenfinnan to the west. It is the start and end of the Road to the Isles. It is a huge centre for hillwalking and climbing due to its proximity to Ben Nevis, the largest mountain in Scotland and the United Kingdom, and many other Munros. It is also known for its nearby downhill mountain bike track.
It is at one end of both the West Highland Way (a walk/cycleway, Milngavie – Fort William) and the Great Glen Way (a walk/cycleway, Fort William – Inverness).
Around 726 people (7.33% of the population) can speak Scottish Gaelic.
The earliest recorded settlement on the site is a Cromwellian wooden fort, known as the Garrison of Inverlochy, built in 1654 as a base for the New Model Army to "pacify" Clan Cameron after the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The post-1688 revolution fort was named Fort William after William of Orange, who ordered that it be built to control some of the Scottish clans. The settlement that grew around it was called Maryburgh, after his wife Mary II of England. This settlement was later renamed Gordonsburgh, and then Duncansburgh before being renamed Fort William, this time after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.
There have been various suggestions over the years to rename the town (for example, to Invernevis).
The origin of the Gaelic name for Fort William, An Gearasdan, is not recorded but could be a loanword from the English garrison, having entered common usage some time after the royal garrison was established during the reign of William of Orange, or perhaps after the earlier Cromwellian fort.
Historically, the Fort William area of Lochaber was old Clan Chattan and then Clan Cameron country, and there were a number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area (such as Blarmacfoldach). Before the building of the fort, Inverlochy was the main local settlement and was also the site of two battles—the first Battle of Inverlochy in 1431 and the second Battle of Inverlochy in 1645.
The town grew in size as a settlement when the fort was constructed to control the population after Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and then to suppress the Jacobite risings after the 1688 overthrow of the House of Stuart.
The ground they fought on
The site of Cromwellian Fort at Inverlochy 1654 lies on Proterozoic III mica, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is major:{mica schist}, Minor{marble,quartzite}; undifferentiated metamorphic.
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Everything a full report reveals about Cromwellian Fort at Inverlochy 1654
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Scheduled Monuments near Cromwellian Fort at Inverlochy 1654
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Battles near Cromwellian Fort at Inverlochy 1654
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- Fort William, Scotland · Wikipedia
- Cromwell's Citadels · Worcester College, Oxford
- Citadels · cromwellscotland.tripod.com