Battlefields›Battle of Blar Na Pairce
Medieval

Battle of Blar Na Pairce

1480
Scotland
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Clan Donald (MacDonald islanders)
VS
Victor
Clan Mackenzie
Forces involved

Clan Donald (MacDonald islanders) led by Gillespick MacDonald

Clan Mackenzie led by Kenneth Mackenzie

Outcome
Victory for Clan Mackenzie; the MacDonald islanders were defeated with many men drowned in the River Conon.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Blar na Pairce (Scottish Gaelic: Blàr na Pàirce "Battle of the Park") was a Scottish clan battle that took place just outside Strathpeffer some time between 1485 and 1491. It was fought between men of the Clan Donald or MacDonald and the Clan Mackenzie (led by Kenneth Mackenzie).

The chief of Clan Donald, Lord of the Isles, had resigned the title of Earl of Ross to the king in 1477. After this the province of Ross was constantly invaded by the MacDonald islanders. As a result, a battle was fought between the Clan Donald islanders, led by Gillespick MacDonald against the Clan MacKenzie. The MacDonald islanders were defeated with many men being drowned in the River Conon.

Dagg, C (2007). Blar na Pairce, Highland (Contin parish), desk-based assessment and metal detecting survey, Discovery Excav Scot. Vol. 8. Wiltshire, England: Cathedral Communications Limited. p. 109.

Mackenzie, Alexander (1894). History of the Mackenzies, with genealogies of the principal families of the name. Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. pp. 88-96. Retrieved 15 September 2019.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Blar Na Pairce lies on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

Buried history

The MacDonald islanders, who had repeatedly invaded the province of Ross following their chief's resignation of the earldom in 1477, were led into battle by Gillespick MacDonald against the forces of Clan Mackenzie under Kenneth Mackenzie just outside Strathpeffer; the assault ended in a decisive defeat for the islanders, with many men losing their lives by drowning in the River Conon.

Casualties & Losses
  • Many MacDonald men drowned in the River Conon
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview
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Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
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
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Blar Na Pairce

Heights of Brae, chambered cairn 375m NNW of Firth View
Heights of Brae, chambered cairn 375m NNW of Firth View
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~3.8 mi

Heights of Brae is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Ross-shire, standing 375 metres north-north-west of Firth View. Built during the Neolithic period, this stone monument represents one of Scotland's earliest substantial architectural achievements, constructed by farming communities who set…

David's Fort,homestead moat,Balavil Wood
David's Fort,homestead moat,Balavil Wood
Scheduled monument · ~4.6 mi

David's Fort is a homestead moat in Balavil Wood, Ross-shire, in the Scottish Highlands. The monument consists of a defensive earthwork surrounding a residential enclosure, typical of medieval and early modern Scottish domestic fortifications. Such moats provided both practical protection and a v…

Dingwall Castle, 20m SW of The Castle House
Dingwall Castle, 20m SW of The Castle House
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~5.1 mi

Dingwall Castle is a medieval fortification located in Ross-shire, Scotland, situated approximately twenty metres south-west of The Castle House. The castle represents an important stronghold of the medieval period, serving as a seat of power in the northern Highlands and demonstrating the strate…

Muir of Conon,chambered cairn 630m ENE of East End
Muir of Conon,chambered cairn 630m ENE of East End
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~5.2 mi

Muir of Conon is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands, situated 630 metres to the east-north-east of East End. The monument occupies a landscape underlain by Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock, a formation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone dat…

Little Garve Bridge, 80m E of Tigh Na Drochit
Little Garve Bridge, 80m E of Tigh Na Drochit
Scheduled monument · ~6.1 mi

Little Garve Bridge is a stone arch bridge located in Ross-shire, Scotland, situated approximately 80 metres east of Tigh na Drochit. The bridge is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2720. The monument stands upon bedrock of the Morar Group, psamm…

Dun Fhamhair,fort
Dun Fhamhair,fort
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~6.2 mi

Dun Fhamhair is a Iron Age fort located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The fort sits upon bedrock belonging to the Loch Eil Group, a psammite formation dating to the Neoproterozoic era. This sandy metamorphic stone would have provided a firm foundation for the defensive structures built here durin…

Loch Kinellan,crannog
Scheduled monument · Iron Age–Medieval · ~0.4 miles
Clachan Corrach, chambered cairn 375m E of Beallach Farm
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~0.9 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Blar Na Pairce

Battle of the James River (1667)
1667
~0.3 miles away
Blar Nan Ceann
~0.5 miles away
Battle of Drumchatt (1497)
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Siege of Brahan
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~2.8 miles away
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Sources
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