The Battle of Invernahavon was a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from 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 structure recognised ...

battle between the

Clan Cameron Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Chie ...

and the confederation of

Clan Chattan Clan Chattan ( gd, Na Catanaich or gd, Clann Chatain) is a unique confederation of Highland clans. The clan is distinctive in highland clan history in that it was acknowledged to be a community or confederation, of twelve separate Scottish cla ...

that consisted of the

Clan Mackintosh Clan Mackintosh (''Clann Mhic an Tòisich'') is a Scottish clan from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The chiefs of the clan are the Mackintoshes of Mackintosh. Another branch of the clan, the Mackintoshes of Torcastle, are the chiefs of Cl ...

Clan Macpherson Clan Macpherson (, ) is a Highland Scottish clan and a member of the Chattan Confederation. History Origins The Scottish Gaelic surname for Macpherson is ''Mac a' Phearsain'' which means ''son of the parson''. The Celtic church allowed pries ...

, and Clan Davidson. Some sources give the date as 1386, others as 1370.

Background

During the chiefship of Lachlan Mackintosh, 8th chief of Clan Mackintosh, a feud had raged for some years with the Clan Cameron, apparently over the disputed lands of Glenlui and Loch Arkaig. Each side had raided each other's lands, lifting property.

Battle

In 1370, it is recorded in the ''Mackintosh MSS'' (manuscript) that around 400 Camerons made a raid into

Badenoch Badenoch (from gd, Bàideanach, meaning "drowned land") is a traditional district which today forms part of Badenoch and Strathspey, an area of Highland Council, in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath Mountains, on the east by t ...

and when they were returning home with their captured booty they were overtaken at Invernahavon by the Clan Chattan who were led in person by the Mackintosh chief. In the first engagement Mackintosh was defeated by the Camerons despite having a numerically superior force. This was apparently because there had been a dispute among the Clan Chattan between the Macphersons and Davidsons over who should have command of the right wing of their force, which was the post of honour. The Mackintosh chief favoured the Davidsons and as a result the Macphersons withdrew in disgust. Thus with the loss of the Macphersons, Mackintosh's force together with the Davidsons was numerically inferior and was totally defeated by the Camerons. However, soon after the Macphersons rejoined the battle and attacked the Camerons turning their victory into a defeat. The Camerons then retreated towards the

Pass of Drumochter The Pass of Drumochter ( gd, Druim Uachdair) meaning simply 'high ridge' is the main mountain pass between the northern and southern central Scottish Highlands. The A9 road passes through here, as does the Highland Main Line, the railway be ...

, skirting the end of

Loch Ericht Loch Ericht (Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Eireachd'') is a freshwater loch on the border between the former Perthshire, now Perth and Kinross and the former Inverness-shire, now Highlands Council areas of Scotland. It has a north-east to south-west ...

then turning westwards towards the River Treig. In the author's introduction to the ''Lochiel Memoirs'' published in 1842, it is stated that the Mackintosh chief had sent a man to taunt the Macphersons as cowards for not fighting the Camerons which subsequently coerced them back into the battle. According to Lachlan Shaw, the leader of the Camerons was one Charles Macgilony who was killed in the battle. However, Alexander Mackintosh-Shaw states that this is contrary to the tradition of the locality that the chief of the Camerons, Dhomhnuil Duibhe, commanded in person.

Aftermath

According to Lachlan Shaw the Battle of Invernahavon gave occasion to the

Battle of the North Inch The Battle of the North Inch (also known as the Battle of the Clans) was a staged battle between the Clan Chattan and the "Clan Quhele" in September 1396. Thirty men were selected to represent each side in front of spectators, including King Ro ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

in 1396 that was also fought between the Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron. Alexander Mackintosh-Shaw also stated that it is highly likely that the combat at Perth had some connection with that at Invernahavon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Invernahavon, Battle of Conflicts in 1370 Conflicts in 1386 1370 in Scotland 14th-century Scottish clan battles