Battlefields›Lochmaben Ambush - Johnstone vs Maxwell, 1593
Tudor

Lochmaben Ambush - Johnstone vs Maxwell, 1593

1593
Scotland
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
ambush
Location
Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Clan Maxwell (Captain Oliphant's advance party)
VS
Victor
Clan Johnstone
Outcome
Johnstones ambushed and killed Captain Oliphant and his advance Maxwell troopers near Lochmaben; survivors sheltering in Lochmaben parish church were burned to death when the Johnstones set the church alight. The incident enraged Lord Maxwell and directly precipitated his march into Annandale, leading to the Battle of Dryfe Sands a few days later on 6 December 1593.
The Battle

History & Significance

Lochmaben Ambush - Johnstone vs Maxwell, 1593 was a Tudor ambush, fought in Scotland in 1593. Clan Johnstone prevailed over Clan Maxwell (Captain Oliphant's advance party). Johnstones ambushed and killed Captain Oliphant and his advance Maxwell troopers near Lochmaben; survivors sheltering in Lochmaben parish church were burned to death when the Johnstones set the church alight. The incident enraged Lord Maxwell and directly precipitated his march into Annandale, leading to the Battle of Dryfe Sands a few days later on 6 December 1593.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Lochmaben Ambush - Johnstone vs Maxwell, 1593 lies on Stewartry Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Permian. The rock here is sandstone, breccia and conglomerate.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Monuments
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Battlefields
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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
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Lochmaben Ambush - Johnstone vs Maxwell, 1593

Castle Hill, motte-and-bailey castle
Castle Hill, motte-and-bailey castle
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.3 mi

Castle Hill is a motte-and-bailey castle occupying a prominent position in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument consists of the earthwork remains typical of this castle form: a substantial mound, or motte, likely originally crowned with a timber or stone structure, accompanied by an adjoining ba…

Gallaberry Hill, fort
Gallaberry Hill, fort
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2 mi

Gallaberry Hill is a Iron Age fort situated in Dumfriesshire, in south-west Scotland. The site occupies a commanding hilltop position where the underlying bedrock comprises sandstone, breccia and conglomerate of the Stewartry Group, laid down during the Early Permian period. This solid geological…

Torwood, enclosure 270m SW of
Torwood, enclosure 270m SW of
Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~2.4 mi

Torwood enclosure is a post-medieval earthwork situated in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland. The monument consists of an enclosed area defined by banks and ditches typical of early modern agricultural or pastoral management. It lies on bedrock of the Stewartry Group, Early Permian sandstone, br…

Murder Loch,Roman fortlet 120m NNW of Ivy Cottage
Murder Loch,Roman fortlet 120m NNW of Ivy Cottage
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~3.6 mi

Murder Loch is a Roman fortlet located 120 metres north-north-west of Ivy Cottage in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The site sits upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock-age wacke formation that provided the local stone for Roman construction in this region. Protected by Historic Environment Scotla…

Range Castle, fort
Range Castle, fort
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~3.9 mi

Range Castle is a hillfort of Iron Age date situated in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument occupies a defensible position on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a hard wacke formation of Wenlock age that provides a naturally strong foundation for fortification. The site exploits the geological streng…

The Hass, settlement 550m E of, Quhytewoollen Hill
The Hass, settlement 550m E of, Quhytewoollen Hill
Scheduled monument · ~4.1 mi

The Hass is a settlement situated 550 metres east of Quhytewoollen Hill in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The site lies upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, wacke deposits formed during the Wenlock period, which provides the underlying geology of this upland landscape. The settlement is protected as a sch…

Woody Castle, fort, Lochbank, Lochmaben
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~0.9 miles
Lochmaben Peel and Castle
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 miles
More from this era

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Skirmish at Newark
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Simnel March into Yorkshire 1487
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In the same landscape

Battles near Lochmaben Ambush - Johnstone vs Maxwell, 1593

Battle of Lochmaben Fair
1484
~0.1 miles away
Maxwell-Johnstone feud: Lochmaben skirmish, 1585
1585
~0.7 miles away
Albie Thorn
~2 miles away
Battle of Dryfe Sands
1593
~2.1 miles away
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