Battle of Bealach nam Broig
The Battle of Bealach nam Broig (Scottish Gaelic: Pass of the Brogue; also known as the Great Battle of Bealach nam Broig, Bealach nam Brog, Beallighne-Broig, and Bealach na Broige) was fought between Scottish clans from the lands of north-west Ross, against north-eastern clans of Ross who supported the Earl of Ross. The actual date of the battle is debated, it probably occurred in 1452 but the Conflicts of the Clans suggests a date as early as 1299.
| Battle of Bealach nam Broig | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Scottish clan wars | |||||||
Ben Wyvis seen from the west. Carn Mòr is the smaller hill on the far left, the pass lies between the two. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Allies of the Earl of Ross: Clan Munro Dingwall family Clan Fraser of Lovat |
Septs of Clan Mackenzie: Clan MacIver Clan Macaulay Clan MacLeay Clan MacLennan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
George Munro, 10th Baron of Foulis † William Dingwall, Baron of Kildun † Hugh Fraser, 1st Lord Lovat |
Supporters of Alexander Mackenzie, 6th of Kintail: Donald Garbh MacIver Duncan Macaulay. | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
According to Sir Robert Gordon (1630): "lost a great number of men" According to George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie (1669): Munro of Foulis and 3 sons killed According to Alexander Mackenzie (1894): 140 Dingwalls killed 11 Munros killed |
According to Sir Robert Gordon (1630): "Utterly Extinguished" According to George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie (1669): All 26 men killed According to Alexander Mackenzie (1894): "Extirpated" (Extinct) | ||||||
Bealach nam Brog lies about 20 miles northwest of Inverness in the parish of Fodderty, overlooking the A835 road that goes west past Loch Glascarnoch to Ullapool. The pass separates the high ridge of Ben Wyvis from the lower summit of Carn Mòr, overlooking Loch Bealach Cùlaidh to the east. Thomas describes it as 2 miles north west of Garbat, at the watershed between the Strathrannock River and Garbat River, and also as being between Ferrin-Donald and Lochbroom. The Garbat and Strathrannock both run into the Blackwater, a tributary of the River Conon that flows east from Loch Glascarnoch.