The Battle of Coire na Creiche (Battle of Benquhillan) was a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official ...

battle fought on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

in 1601. It was the culmination of a year of feuding between

Clan MacLeod Clan MacLeod (; gd, Clann Mac Leòid ) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, whose chief is MacLeod of MacLeod, are known in Gaelic as ' ("see ...

of Dunvegan and the

Clan MacDonald of Sleat A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

, that ended with a MacDonald victory in Coire na Creiche on the northern slopes of the

Cuillin The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin ('), which lie to the east of Glen Sliga ...

hills. It was the last clan battle in Skye.

Background

The Macleod and MacDonald Clans had been long at feud. Rory Mòr MacLeod (''Ruaraidh MacLeòid'') attempted to make peace, offering the hand of his sister, Margaret Macleod, in marriage to Donald Gorm Mòr MacDonald (''Dòmhnall Gorm Mòr MacDhòmhnall''). The marriage itself was subject to a contract called a handfast. In a handfast arrangement, a man and woman lived together as man and wife for up to a year and a day. If, during this period, the woman bore a male child to be heir, then marriage would result. If not, then both parties returned to their respective families. After a year and a day, Margaret MacLeod had not borne a child, male or female. Furthermore, at some point during this year, she had lost the sight in one eye. Donald MacDonald, having no further use for Margaret MacLeod, decided to send her back to her brother. He tied her, facing backwards, onto a one-eyed horse, led by a one-eyed servant and followed by a one-eyed mongrel dog, and sent all four back to Dunvegan Castle. Rory MacLeod, incensed by the insult to his sister, and ultimately to himself and his clan, once again declared war on the clan MacDonald. He devastated the

Trotternish Trotternish or Tròndairnis (Scottish Gaelic) is the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye, in Scotland. Its most northerly point, Rubha Hùinis, is the most northerly point of Skye. One of the peninsula's better-known features is the Trot ...

peninsula in the north of Skye, which prompted MacDonald to attack MacLeod land in

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

. These battles became known as the Wars of the One-Eyed Woman.

Carinish

MacLeod responded with a raid on

North Uist North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Etymology In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and ...

, sending 40 men under his cousin Donald Glas MacLeod to seize goods that the locals had put for safety in the Trinity Temple at Carinish. As the raiders ate breakfast in the church, they were surprised by twelve MacDonalds led by Donald MacIain 'ic Sheumais (''Donald, son of John, son of James'') of Clan Ranald, who led the MacLeods into an ambush. Only two MacLeods survived the Battle of Carinish; Donald MacLeod was among the dead. On his way back to Skye to report his victory, a storm forced Donald MacIain 'ic Sheumais to seek shelter at Rodel in Harris. He was entertained there by Rory MacLeod, even after Rory learned the identity of his guests. However the MacDonalds wisely left secretly during the night; before dawn, MacLeod clansmen set fire to their quarters without the knowledge of their chief.

The final battle at Coire na Creiche

The feud continued to escalate, causing much suffering among the people. MacDonald decided to end it with a decisive battle. When Rory MacLeod went to seek the assistance of

Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll (c. 1575–1638), also called ("Archibald the Grim"), was a Scottish peer, politician, and military leader. Life Campbell was the son of Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll and Agnes Keith. His nickn ...

, MacDonald took the opportunity to launch an all-out invasion of northern Skye. The cattle seized in this attack were driven south to a traditional refuge for raiders, the Coire na Creiche ( gd, Corrie of the Foray) overlooking Glen Brittle below

Bruach na Frìthe Bruach na Frìthe is one of the principal summits on the Black Cuillin ridge, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Like the rest of the range it is composed of gabbro, a rock with excellent grip for mountaineering. The Bruach cannot be seen in the po ...

. Here the MacLeod forces led by Rory's brother Alasdair caught up with the MacDonalds. They joined battle late in the day and continued well into the night. The MacLeods were utterly defeated, with the capture of Alasdair MacLeod and 30 of his kinsmen.

Aftermath

The

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

now intervened to end the feud. MacDonald was ordered to surrender himself to

George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns. Biography The son o ...

, and Rory MacLeod was to surrender to the Earl of Argyll. MacDonald agreed to release his prisoners, and the end of the feud was celebrated with three weeks of feasting and festivities at

Dunvegan Castle , native_name_lang =Gaelic , alternate_name = , image = Dunvegan Castle.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = The south-west face of the castle , map = , map_type = Scotland Isle of Skye ...

. Aside from a brief flare-up in 1603, that was the end of violence between the two clans.

In popular culture

The events are the subject of a comic folk song by Glasgow folk singer Matt McGinn. The song is called The One-Eyed Woman. Also referenced in Season 1, Episode 3 of the Amazon series Good Omens.

References

Bibliography

* Seems largely based on the account in ''Conflicts of the Clans''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coire Na Creiche 1601 in Scotland 17th-century Scottish clan battles Clan Donald Clan Macleod battles Conflicts in 1601 Isle of Skye