Glendochart skirmish — MacGregor vs government 1603

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Glen Fruin was a Scottish clan battle fought on 7 February 1603 between the Clan Gregor and its allies on one side, and the Clan Colquhoun and its allies on the other. The Clan Gregor (or MacGregor) and Clan Colquhoun were at feud due to the MacGregors carrying out raids on the Colquhoun's lands. The Colquhouns gained royal support and raised an army against the MacGregors. However, during the subsequent battle of Glen Fruin, the Colquhouns were comprehensively defeated. Glen Fruin is in the Loch Lomond area, in the county of Dunbartonshire, Scotland. In the aftermath of the battle royal policy punished the MacGregors for 150 years.

Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, was responsible for keeping the Clan Gregor under restraint and in January 1593 he had received a commission to charge all those of the surname MacGregor for not keeping the peace. On 5 March 1594 he became bound so that he should keep himself and all those answerable to him to keep his Majesty's peace under surety of £20,000. In July 1596, upon paying a sum of money into the royal treasury, he received a commission as the King's lieutenant in the bounds of Clan Gregor "wherever situated". Subsequently, on 22 April 1601 Allaster MacGregor of Glenstra, chief of Clan Gregor, gave Argyll who was the King's lieutenant, a bail-bond for the whole clan, one clause of which was that any offence committed by the clan was to be understood as a forfeiture of any lands that they possessed. However, despite this, Argyll, instead of repressing the Clan Gregor used his power over them to stimulate them into various acts of aggression against Alexander Colquhoun of Luss, chief of Clan Colquhoun. Among the Luss Papers, there are lists of items stolen by the MacGregors from the Colquhouns in the year 1594 and in other years previous to this up to 1600, showing how much the Colquhouns had suffered from the MacGregors.

In 1602 the MacGregors began to make more formidable inroads into the lands of Luss and Colquhoun of Luss complained to King James VI of Scotland who despite having passed an Act of Parliament forbidding the carrying of arms, granted permission to Colquhoun and his tenants to wear various offensive weapons. However, the right granted to Colquhoun and his followers to carry arms seems to have caused resentment from the MacGregors and resulted in the conflicts at both Glenfinlas and Glen Fruin. In 1602, Colquhoun made a complaint to the King against Argyll, who as the King's lieutenant in the bounds of Clan Gregor, had permitted the latter and others to commit outrages upon him and his tenants. Argyll was fined under the terms of the bond, but was later acquitted of the charge brought against him because Colquhoun had failed to prove it.

The ground they fought on

The site of Glendochart skirmish — MacGregor vs government 1603 lies on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Glendochart skirmish — MacGregor vs government 1603

Balquhidder Parish Church

Scheduled monument · ~4.8 mi

Balquhidder Parish Church is a medieval parish church situated in Perthshire, Scotland, with origins traceable to the medieval period. The church occupies a site of considerable antiquity, associated with early Christian settlement in the Balquhidder glen, and has undergone significant reconstruc…

Innes Bhuidhe, forts, NE of Bridge of Dochart

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~5.2 mi

Innes Bhuidhe is an Iron Age fort situated in Perthshire, Scotland, north-east of Bridge of Dochart. The monument occupies a defensive position in terrain underlain by Southern Highland Group bedrock comprising psammite and pelite deposits formed during the Middle Cambrian period. This geological…

Tirai,settlement and standing stone

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~5.6 mi

Tirai is a Bronze Age settlement and standing stone located in Perthshire, Scotland. The site comprises the remains of a prehistoric dwelling settlement alongside a standing stone, representing two significant elements of Bronze Age habitation and ritual practice. The monument is protected by His…

Finlarig Castle,castle,earthworks & mausoleum

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~5.8 mi

Finlarig Castle is a medieval castle with associated earthworks and mausoleum located in Perthshire, Scotland. The monument occupies a site underlain by metamorphic limestone and marble of the Argyll Group, Neoproterozoic bedrock that provided hard, durable stone for construction. This geological…

Edinchip,chambered cairn 650m SSW of

Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~5.9 mi

Edinchip is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated on moorland 650 metres south-south-west of Edinchip in Perthshire. The monument stands on bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, a geological formation of psammite and pelite that dates to the Middle Cambrian period. This underlying geology of fin…

Loch Dochart, castle

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~6.1 mi

Loch Dochart Castle is a medieval fortification situated on the shores of Loch Dochart in Perthshire, Scotland. The castle occupies a naturally defensive position on bedrock formed from psammite and pelite of the Southern Highland Group, ancient sedimentary rocks laid down during the Middle Cambr…

Other Tudor Battles

Battles near Glendochart skirmish — MacGregor vs government 1603

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• Battle of Glen Fruin · Wikipedia
• Clan Gregor · Wikipedia
• The Battle of Glen Fruin (1603): A Historical Essay · American Clan Gregor Society
• Battle of Glen Fruin 1603 · ScotWars
• Glen Dochart · Wikipedia