Battle of Red Ford, 1294

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Red Ford or Battle of the String of Lorne took place in 1294 or else after September 1296 between Clan Campbell and Clan MacDougall in Lorne, Scotland. The battle was fought over disputed lands. It ended in defeat of the Clan Campbell of Lochawe. The battle was on the borders of Loch Awe and Lorne, with the site and battle named Red Ford (Scottish Gaelic: Ath Dearg) after the ford which ran red with blood where the battle took place.

Clan MacDougall allied itself with John Balliol, a competitor for the Scottish crown. After his coronation in 1292, the clan's chief, Alasdair MacDubhgaill, was rewarded by being appointed Sheriff of Argyll in 1293. Clan MacDougall were then able to extend their influence, which led to disputes with other clans like Clan Campbell and Clan Donald. Cailean Mor or "Great Colin/Colin the Great", the 4th Chief of Clan Campbell, signed a Ragman Role Oath of Fealty pledging allegiance to King Edward I of England with other nobles on August 27, 1296, and died in the Battle of the Red Ford on the String of Lorne in Netherlorn, Argyll, which took place some time afterwards.

Although no exact details of the battle are at hand, a great many people died on both sides and the ford ran red with blood of the fallen and the wounded. Cailean Mór Caimbeul (Sir Colin Campbell) was killed in battle.

After the battle, Sir Colin Campbell's body was carried to the church of St. Peter the Deacon at Kilchrenan and buried there.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Red Ford, 1294 lies on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Red Ford, 1294

Inveraray,cross,Front Street

Scheduled monument · ~7.5 mi

Inveraray Cross is a standing cross located on Front Street in Inveraray, Argyllshire. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under designation SM254. As a focal point of the historic town centre, the cross rises from bedrock formed in the Neoproterozoic period, where Argyll G…

Stanley Howe / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Fraoch Eilean,castle

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~7.6 mi

Fraoch Eilean is a medieval castle situated in Argyllshire, Scotland, occupying an island position that provided natural defensive advantages. The castle stands upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, metamorphic rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era, comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite dep…

Dalnacabaig,cairn 260m W of

Scheduled monument · ~8.3 mi

Dalnacabaig is a cairn located in Argyllshire, Scotland, situated 260 metres west of a reference point now lost to modern usage. The monument stands on bedrock composed of Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, formed during the Devonian period as mafic lava and mafic tuff. This ancient volcanic g…

Bonawe, Iron Furnace

Scheduled monument · ~8.9 mi

Bonawe Iron Furnace is a charcoal-fuelled iron smelting works located in Argyllshire, Scotland, established in the mid-eighteenth century as part of the expanding British iron industry. The furnace was constructed around 1753 by English ironmasters to exploit the local abundance of charcoal from…

Bubobubo2 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Kilmore Church

Scheduled monument · ~9.2 mi

Kilmore Church is a medieval ecclesiastical structure located in Argyllshire, Scotland, with origins likely dating to the medieval period. The church represents a significant example of early Christian settlement and religious practice in the region, though detailed documentary evidence of its pr…

Other Medieval Battles

Battles near Battle of Red Ford, 1294

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• Battle of Red Ford · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Red_Ford · Wikipedia