Battle of Carbisdale

Battle of Carbisdale
Part of Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

The Royalists were in the field to the left of the village, and fled up the hill in the top-left of this photo
Date27 April 1650[2]
Location
Carbisdale Farm, near Culrain, Sutherland, Scotland[3]
57°55′03″N 04°25′03″W / 57.91750°N 4.41750°W / 57.91750; -4.41750
Result Covenanter victory[4]
Belligerents
Covenanter clans

Scottish Royalists

  • Danish, Swedish & German mercenaries[1]
  • Orcadian infantry
Commanders and leaders
Strength
  • 50 cavalry[5]
  • 1,000 infantry (from Orkney)[5]
  • 500 mercenaries (Swedish, German and Danish)[5]
Casualties and losses
Two men wounded and one drowned,[6] "low"[1]
  • 450+ killed + 200 drowned[7]
  • 400 plus captured[8]
Designated30 November 2011
Reference no.BTL19
Battle of Carbisdale is located in Scotland
Battle of Carbisdale
Location within Scotland

The Battle of Carbisdale (also known as Invercarron) took place close to the village of Culrain, Sutherland, Scotland on 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought by the Royalist leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, against the Scottish Government of the time, dominated by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll and a grouping of radical Covenanters, known as the Kirk Party. The Covenanters decisively defeated the Royalists. The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.[9] Although Carbisdale is the name of the nearest farm to the site of the battle, Culrain is the nearest village.[3]

  1. ^ a b Nolan 2008, p. 70.
  2. ^ Lynch 2011, p. 112.
  3. ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland & BTL19.
  4. ^ Way & Squire 1994, p. 149.
  5. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference MontroseSociety was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Mackenzie 1898, p. 489.
  7. ^ Wishart, Murdoch & Simpson 1893, p. 493.
  8. ^ Buchan 1913, p. 233.
  9. ^ "Inventory battlefields". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 12 April 2012.