The Battle of Torran-Roy 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 that took place in the year 1570 in the county of

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It was fought between the forces of

Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland (died 1594) was a Scottish landowner. Early life He was the son of John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland and Marion Seton. When he was about fifteen years old in 1567, his parents were poisoned at Helm ...

(chief of

Clan Sutherland Clan Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland, however in the early 16th century this title passed ...

) and the forces of

George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness George Sinclair (died 1582) was a Scottish nobleman, the 4th Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life He was the son of John Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Caithness and Elizabeth, daughter o ...

(chief of the

Clan Sinclair Clan Sinclair ( gd, Clann na Ceàrda ) is a Highland Scottish clan which holds the lands of Caithness, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians. The chiefs of the clan were the Barons of Roslin and later the Earls of Orkney and Earls of Caithness. Th ...

). The Earl of Sutherland's force consisted primarily of the Murrays (or Morays) of Aberscross who despite their name were not part of the

Clan Murray Clan Murray () is a Highland Scottish clan. The chief of the Clan Murray holds the title of Duke of Atholl. Their ancestors were the Morays of Bothwell who established the family in Scotland in the 12th century. In the 16th century, descendants ...

Atholl Atholl or Athole ( gd, Athall; Old Gaelic ''Athfhotla'') is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in anti-clockwise order, from Northeast) Marr, Badenoch, Lochaber, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth, and Gowrie. Histor ...

, but who were a

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...

of the Clan Sutherland, and who as the principal

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

s of the Earl of Sutherland, were charged with the defense of the shire. The Earl of Caithness's forces consisted primarily of followers of

Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus (died c. 1570) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the son of William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus (died 1543) and his wife Elizabeth Stewart. He was still ...

who was a descendant of the old Sutherland Earls of Sutherland who had been ousted and replaced by the Gordons as earls in the early 16th-century.

Background

In 1570 a feud arose between the Gordon Earl of Sutherland and the

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...

, chief of

. Caithness was supported by his father-in-law

, (a descendant of the old Sutherland Earls of Sutherland). Caithness made Sutherland of Duffus's brother, William Sutherland of

Evelick Evelix or Evelick ( gd, Èibhleag) is a village near Dornoch in south east Sutherland, Scotland. The River Evelix runs through it. Evelix is in the Scottish council area of Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a m ...

, attack the Murrays of Aberscors (Aberscross) in vengeance, taking prisoner John Croy-Murray. Hugh Murray of Aberscors then assembled his friends and made incursions upon the lands of Evelick as well as laying waste to several villages belonging to the Sutherland Laird of Duffus and taking hostage a Sutherland gentlemen to secure the safety of John Croy-Murray. The Sutherland Laird of Duffus then gathered all of his kinsmen at

Skibo Castle Skibo Castle (Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Sgìobail'') is located to the west of Dornoch in the Highland county of Sutherland, Scotland overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Although largely of the 19th century and early 20th century, when it was the hom ...

and proceeded to the town of

Dornoch Dornoch (; gd, Dòrnach ; sco, Dornach) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray ...

with the intention of burning it.

Skirmish of Torran-Roy and Siege of Dornoch

The Murrays went out and met the Sutherlands of Duffus in battle, overthrowing them and pursuing them back to the gates of Skibo. Prisoners were then exchanged for John Croy-Murray. This was known as the skirmish of Torran-Roy. However, on hearing of the news of the skirmish of Torran-Roy, the Earl of Caithness sent the Master of Caithness who, along with the Mackays, besieged the Murrays in

Dornoch Castle Dornoch Castle is situated opposite Dornoch Cathedral in the town of Dornoch, in Sutherland, Scotland, a little over north of Inverness. As of 2021, the castle was operated as a family-run hotel with 24 rooms. History Dornoch Castle was built a ...

and the church. The Murrays held out for a week before surrendering after which three of them were beheaded.

Aftermath

George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness later imprisoned his son, the Master of Caithnes, for making peace with the Murrays. In 1590 John Morray of Aberscross was killed leading the Clan Sutherland against the Earl of Caithness at the

Battle of Clynetradwell The Battle of Clynetradwell was a Scottish clan battle that took place in 1590 in the county of Sutherland between the forces of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland (chief of Clan Sutherland) and George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness (c ...

Background

Skirmish of Torran-Roy and Siege of Dornoch

Aftermath

References

See also