Document record MAB54865 - BATTLE OF HARLAW

Site of the Battle of Harlaw, in which Domhnall MacDonald, Lord of the Isles was defeated by Alexander Stewart, the Earl of Mar, on the 24th July 1411.

Site of the Battle of Harlaw, in which Domhnall MacDonald, Lord of the Isles was defeated by Alexander Stewart, the Earl of Mar, on the 24th July 1411. The battle was one of the bloodiest of the medieval period in Scotland. The battle was fought between Domhnall MacDonald, with an army of somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 Highlanders and Islanders, and the Earl of Mar, with an army of 1,500 to 2,000. Domhnall's army were encamped at the northern end of a plateau of high ground north of Inverurie. On the night of 23 July 1411, the Earl of Mar mustered an army of men drawn from Buchan, Angus and Kincardineshire at Inverurie. There was also a small group of burgesses from Aberdeen under Provost Robert Davidson. In the early dawn on 24 July they moved up onto the plateau, probably where the village of Balhalgardy now stands. The van of Mar's army advanced, to be met halfway by a charge of Islesmen that pushed them back substantially, according to the 16th century ballad of the battle, Mar's men were pushed back three acres or more. Sir James Scrymgeour led a counter-charge of Mar's cavalry, which relieved the pressure on the schiltrons but resulted in the deaths of several of the cavalry including Scrymgeour. From that point, it was a long and bloody infantry action that seems to have lasted for the entire day. Fighting would have broken off at intervals because of the sheer physical effort involved, but by the end of the day, neither side had made a breakthrough and had taken heavy casualties. Later historians writing of the battle describe the battle ending as darkness fell. Mar apparently remained on the field with his surviving men, while Domhnall withdrew towards Inverness. Mar seems not to have been aware of the Islesmen's withdrawal and was surprised to find them gone the next morning. Hector Boece (a 16th century Scottish philosopher who wrote The History of the Scottish People in 1527) suggested that both sides withdrew at the end of the fighting, with Domhnall retiring completely while Mar remained in the area. Whether this was the real situation or not, Domhnall withdrew having lost around 900 men including his main captain, Hector Maclean of Duart, and having inflicted around 600 casualties on Mar's better-armoured men. It has long been celebrated as a defeat for the Lord of the Isles and a famous victory for the men of the northeast. However, the casualty rate for the Islesmen were around 9-15 percent (900 casualties from his army of 6-10,000, depending on the historical source), while the rate for Mar was between 30 and 40 percent (600 casualties from an army of 1,500-2,000) and included many of the leading nobility of the area. The impact of the battle was undoubtedly far worse for Mar and his men than for Domhnall, who had lost Maclean of Duart but no other significant figures. In contrast, Mar's losses included the Sheriff of Angus, the Constable of Dundee, the Provost of Aberdeen and many of the nobility of eastern Scotland. The only ground evidence for the site of the battle is a monument erected in July 1914 by the Burgh of Aberdeen to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the battle, and in memory of Provost Robert Davidson and the Burgesses of Aberdeen who fell at the battle. The monument takes the form of a late gothic style hexagonal turret, circa 12.2 m high, with pyramidal roof. Constructed of dark granite rubble with red granite dressings, and banded inscriptions: 'Harlaw / July 24 / AD 1411' and 'Erected by the / Burgh of Aberdeen / AD 1911 / Adam Maitland Lord Provost'.

Period Notes
Battle concluded on 24 July 1411; monument built 1914.

MARTIN, DE, 1997, THE BATTLEFIELDS OF SCOTLAND: A REPORT ON THEIR PRESERVATION FOR HISTORIC SCOTLAND, 8-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5073.

Apr 4 2007 , DG 1170-81, DG 1170-81 (Ground Photograph). SAB19150.

Aug 8 1984 , BO 34-35, BO 34-35 (Ground Photograph). SAB14211.

Aug 8 1984 , BP 23-37, BP 23-37 (Ground Photograph). SAB14212.

Author unknown, n.d., SCOTTISH HISTORICAL REVIEW, No9(1912) 111-2 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1907.

ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL, undated, THE BATTLE OF HARLAW (Bibliographic reference). SAB6550.

Record last edited

Mar 17 2026 12:41PM