5 (or more) interesting things within a mile of your house - 1 A Battle!
7:23pm, 10th Jan 2024 | 5 Comments
Blog by 57.5 Degrees of Pain
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This was suggested by Chrisity on the 'Fetch Treasure Hunt' thread as a January challenge, and I'm up for it. The first two 'things' are easy, beyond that I'll have to think harder.
I live in the village of Auldearn, east of Nairn which in turn lies east of Inverness. Within 15 miles we have lots of history (Culloden battlefield, a rich valley of neolithic remains at Clava, the site of Macbeth's Castle, the well preserved remains of Rait Castle and Lochindorb Castle which were strongholds of supporters of Edward, king of England in the years of the Scottish Wars of Independence, the site of Moyness Castle where Mary Queen of Scots once stayed, the remains of Culbin village, destroyed in a storm in the 17th century, mighty Fort George), but our local historical event was the Battle of Auldearn.
Battlefield from my house, looking west. The Royalists occupied my hill and the village to the right of the picture, the Covenanters were advancing from the flatter land around the distant farm buildings towards the small hill in the field, Garlic Hill.
The Scottish rebelled against Charles I in 1638-9 when he tried to impose Bishops on the Scottish Presbyterian church, took over the country and allied with the English Roundheads. This led to an active war in 1644-5 between Royalists and Covenanters (supporters of the National Covenant who had pledged to defend church independence). Alliegances in this war were complex, clan enmity was a strong factor especially the traditional Campbell vs MacDonald feud. Both sides supported the King's right to rule, but disagreed on his treatment of the church. Both leaders at the battle had previously fought for the other side.
In 1644 there were Royalist strongholds in the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, but much of the rest of the country was dominated by Covenanters. The First Earl of Montrose who had supported the Covenant then returned to the Royalist side led a small Scottish army bolstered by an Irish contingent, to harry Covenanters, winning a series of audacious battles around Scotland, usually being outnumbered.
John Urry or Hurry had been a Roundhead soldier, briefly defected to the English Royalists and then defected back. His military skills were prized even if his loyalty wasn't, so he ended up being sent to deal with Montrose. He found out that the enemy were camped at the village of Auldearn and approached in secret from the southwest on May 8th 1645. There is a battlefield map here: battlefieldstrust.com
The Royalists main force lined up from the hill I'm taking the picture from along the line of the modern houses
His surprise move might have worked but as his soldiers advanced in the rain early in the 9th some soldiers fired guns to clear their wet powder and Montrose's men were alerted. Montrose had his main force in front of the village with reserves and cavalry who were able to approach while hidden by the gentle hills. The main battlefield was flanked by marshes, I can attest to getting wet feet even now when running through fallow fields either side of Garlic Hill after persistent rain.
The battlefield in May, better weather than on the day of the battle. The Covenanters lined up on the far right
The Royalists attacked over Garlic Hill prematurely, before their cavalry were in position, and were driven back into the village. Then the Covenanters tried to send their cavalry south as a flanking manoeuvre, but they were slowed in a marshy area (another spot for wet feet today despite a modern drainage ditch). The Royalists brought up their reserves and cavalry and this was decisive with the Covenanters driven back over Garlic Hill and finally routed before fleeing southwest and south southeast.
Montrose went on to win his biggest victory at Kilsyth, north of Glasgow (close to where I grew up) in August, but the Royalist defeat by Cromwell at Naseby in June was the end of the road for Charles' cause. In a curious twist, however, the Covenanters fell out with Cromwell, crowned Charles II king and were invaded by the New Model Army in 1650. This led to both Montrose and Urry losing on the Royalist side at the Battle of Carbisdale (a lovely spot north of Inverness that once had the UKs finest Youth Hostel, Carbisdale Castle) and being executed for treason in Edinburgh in 1650.
I live in the village of Auldearn, east of Nairn which in turn lies east of Inverness. Within 15 miles we have lots of history (Culloden battlefield, a rich valley of neolithic remains at Clava, the site of Macbeth's Castle, the well preserved remains of Rait Castle and Lochindorb Castle which were strongholds of supporters of Edward, king of England in the years of the Scottish Wars of Independence, the site of Moyness Castle where Mary Queen of Scots once stayed, the remains of Culbin village, destroyed in a storm in the 17th century, mighty Fort George), but our local historical event was the Battle of Auldearn.
The Scottish rebelled against Charles I in 1638-9 when he tried to impose Bishops on the Scottish Presbyterian church, took over the country and allied with the English Roundheads. This led to an active war in 1644-5 between Royalists and Covenanters (supporters of the National Covenant who had pledged to defend church independence). Alliegances in this war were complex, clan enmity was a strong factor especially the traditional Campbell vs MacDonald feud. Both sides supported the King's right to rule, but disagreed on his treatment of the church. Both leaders at the battle had previously fought for the other side.
In 1644 there were Royalist strongholds in the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, but much of the rest of the country was dominated by Covenanters. The First Earl of Montrose who had supported the Covenant then returned to the Royalist side led a small Scottish army bolstered by an Irish contingent, to harry Covenanters, winning a series of audacious battles around Scotland, usually being outnumbered.
John Urry or Hurry had been a Roundhead soldier, briefly defected to the English Royalists and then defected back. His military skills were prized even if his loyalty wasn't, so he ended up being sent to deal with Montrose. He found out that the enemy were camped at the village of Auldearn and approached in secret from the southwest on May 8th 1645. There is a battlefield map here: battlefieldstrust.com
His surprise move might have worked but as his soldiers advanced in the rain early in the 9th some soldiers fired guns to clear their wet powder and Montrose's men were alerted. Montrose had his main force in front of the village with reserves and cavalry who were able to approach while hidden by the gentle hills. The main battlefield was flanked by marshes, I can attest to getting wet feet even now when running through fallow fields either side of Garlic Hill after persistent rain.
The Royalists attacked over Garlic Hill prematurely, before their cavalry were in position, and were driven back into the village. Then the Covenanters tried to send their cavalry south as a flanking manoeuvre, but they were slowed in a marshy area (another spot for wet feet today despite a modern drainage ditch). The Royalists brought up their reserves and cavalry and this was decisive with the Covenanters driven back over Garlic Hill and finally routed before fleeing southwest and south southeast.
Montrose went on to win his biggest victory at Kilsyth, north of Glasgow (close to where I grew up) in August, but the Royalist defeat by Cromwell at Naseby in June was the end of the road for Charles' cause. In a curious twist, however, the Covenanters fell out with Cromwell, crowned Charles II king and were invaded by the New Model Army in 1650. This led to both Montrose and Urry losing on the Royalist side at the Battle of Carbisdale (a lovely spot north of Inverness that once had the UKs finest Youth Hostel, Carbisdale Castle) and being executed for treason in Edinburgh in 1650.
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