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MHG4188 - Battle Site, Inverlochy

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Type and Period (2)

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(Name: NN 118 752) Site of (NAT) Battles of Inverlochy (NR) (AD 1431 and 1645) (NAT)
OS 6" map (1904)

The battles of Inverlochy were fought where the British Aluminium Works now stand (notice erected by the Lochaber History Society in 1969) as relics were found during the construction of the works and were donated to the West Highland Museum in Fort William.
Visited by OS (NKB) 11 May 1970

'A': The Battle of Inverlochy, fought in January 1431, seems to have been centred on the castle of Inverlochy (NN17NW 1). It was one of a series of battles in which James I attempted to break the power of Alexander, Lord of the Isles. Donald Balloch, cousin of Alexander, with the island clansmen, sailed up Loch Linnhe, landed near Inverlochy, where the royal forces were stationed and attacked it from the S, while Alasdair Carrach of Tor Castle (NN17NW 2) attacked simultaneously from the N. The royal forces were routed.

'B': The second Battle of Inverlochy was fought on the 22nd February 1645 by the royalist army, under the Marquis of Montrose, and the Covenanters, under the Marquis of Argyll. Argyll, based on Inverlochy, faced Montrose approaching from the NE down the Great Glen. The battle commenced a short distance SE of the castle, i.e. towards the mouth of Glen Nevis. Argyll's forces lined the ridge at Tomnahara (Tomnaharry - NN 119 751) overlooking the present highway, having left about 50 men to guard the castle against a surprise attack. Montrose and his men occupied the almost parallel ridge to that of Argyll which stretches across the mouth of Glen Nevis to the E of the railway, i.e. the vicinity of the present carbon factory ground which used to be called Goirtean Odhar (dun-coloured arable ground) (NN123 750). As the Campbells were pressed back by the forces of Montrose, the final scenes of the battle developed on the plain to the S of the castle which is now bisected by the Fort William to Mallaig railway. The Covenanters made the first onset but were repulsed by the royalists ad pressed back with heavy losses, before they broke and fled. (This would place the initial phases of the battle at about NN 1215 7510 with the later phases being conducted in the vicinity of the published site). <1>

In September 2007, the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology and Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) conducted a metal detector survey of an area near Inverlochy Castle in search of remains of the battle fought there in 1645 as part of a programme of archaeological investigations at Fort William. The survey at resulted in the recovery of two musket balls which may relate to the battle, but the sparsity of material did not allow any firm conclusions to be drawn about the exact location of the engagement. <2>

The site of the second of these battles, fought in 1645, has been added to the Inventory of Historic Battlefields. See the link to Historic Scotland's website for full information. <3>

A metal detector survey was carried out by Alder Archaeology in 2012 along the route of a proposed Scottish and Southern Energy powerline development through the Registered Battlefield sites. The survey was required in advance of the erection of a new switchroom at Inverlochy substation and the undergrounding of an overhead cable at Blar Mhor, in order to mitigate the potential impact upon the sites of two battles. No positively identifiable items from medieval or post-medieval military equipment or weapons were found and nothing of historic interest was identified. <4>

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NN 1237 7534 (2531m by 1610m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NN17NW
Civil Parish	KILMONIVAIG
Geographical Area	LOCHABER

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