Battle of Carbisdale
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Carbisdale (also known as Invercarron) took place close to the Village of Culrain
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
.
in January 1649, Scotland entered a period of complex political maneuvering. His son was immediately proclaimed as Charles II
in Edinburgh, though it was soon to be made clear to him that if he were ever to exercise real power he would be obliged to subscribe to a radical Presbyterian agenda. Amongst other things he would be required to take the Covenants of 1638 and 1643, a move his father had always resisted.
In exile at the Hague, Charles was anxious to take the quickest way back to the throne. He initially favoured calling on the assistance of the Catholic Irish authorities at Kilkenny
, until this option was removed by Oliver Cromwell
in the summer of 1649. In falling back on the Covenanters Charles hoped to put them in a more accommodating frame of mind. One way of doing this was to take the advice of the ultra-royalist James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
, who had led a military campaign against the Covenanters in 1644 and 1645, enjoying some notable successes..
On 22 February 1649 Charles appointed Montrose as Lieutenant-Governor of Scotland and Captain General of all of his forces there. Although he was about to receive a deputation from the government in Edinburgh
he was prepared to listen to Montrose's more militant advice, especially as there were already some stirrings against the Covenanters in northern Scotland.
, as well as Sweden
and Denmark
. This met with limited success; but by September he had managed to raise and equip a small force of 80 officers and 100 Danish soldiers. Under the leadership of the Earl of Kinnoul these men were sent as an advance party to occupy the Orkney Isles, charged with recruiting local forces, while Montrose remained on the Continent employing professional troops.
In March 1650 Montrose came in person, landing a Kirkwall
with some more foreign mercenaries to join his advance party and the Orcadian levies. Amongst his officers was Sir John Hurry
, his old opponent at the Battle of Auldearn
in 1645. Altogether he had 40 horse, 500 mercenaries and 700 Orcadians, completely unskilled in the arts of war. On board his ship, the Herderinnan, anchored in Scapa Flow
, Montrose issued his orders to Hurry at a conference on 9 April. He was instructed to cross to Caithness
that same evening with part of the little army and advance to Ord of Caithness, a high hill overhanging the sea just north of Kildonan. Montrose crossed with the rest of his force a few days later.
Montrose had heard that the local Highland Scottish clans of Clan Munro
, Clan Ross
and Clan MacKenzie
were up in arms and were likely to join him, although as it turned out, they did not. Montrose hoped to meet up with the Clan Munro and Clan Ross. When none of the clans arrived he pressed on the Strathoikell and into the narrow valley of Carbisdale. For two days he waited in the valley for the Munros and Rosses. Waiting for them was his biggest mistake as the clans had sided with the Scottish government, and Argyll had already set his counter plans in operation
, the executive authority of the Scottish Parliament, was soon aware that Montrose had crossed to the mainland. General David Leslie, Lord Newark was instructed to take his forces north to prevent this incursion from developing into a major rising. A rendezvous was held at Brechin
on 25 April. From here Colonel Archibald Strachan
was sent ahead to gather the cavalry that had wintered in the north. He now had five troops of horse under his command, including three that had been with him at the rout of an anti-Covenanter army at Balvenie Castle
near Dufftown
in May 1649. This episode, known as the 'Bourd of Balvenie', convinced Strachan and the more extreme Covenanters that all that was needed to disperse the mighty was a small band of righteous men, after the example of Gideon
in the Book of Judges
. Strachan now rode on to Rossshire, convinced that victory was already his.
, garrisoned for the government by the tenants of the Earl of Sutherland
, as were the smaller fortresses at Skelbo Castle
, Skibo Castle
and Dornoch Castle
. Avoiding these obstacles, the royalists turned aside, marching up Strathfleet towards Strathoykell. The Oykell was forded just to the west of its junction with the Cassley, and the trek continued along the southern bank. Montrose had counted on the support of the Mackenzies, but their chief, the Earl of Seaforth
, was in exile, and even his brother, Sir Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine, who led the rising the previous year, remained quiet. With no support in the hills the rebels continued back towards the coastal plain, halting at Carbisdale on the southern side of the Kyle of Sutherland on 27 April. By now Strachan was at Tain
conferring with the earl of Sutherland. Learning of Montrose's whereabouts, he decided on an immediate surprise attack.
. To his rear the ground rose up to the wooded hill of Creag a' Choineachan. With a good view of the surrounding countryside he would be able to deploy his men on the hill if subject to a sudden attack. Yet, believing there was only a small body of enemy horse in the area, he failed to carry out a thorough reconnaissance, thus making the same mistake that led to the disaster at the Battle of Philiphaugh
.
Strachan had now reached Wester Fern to the south-east of Carbisdale. On his onward march he still had the River Carron
to cross by a ford which left him some miles short of the enemy position. A direct approach would only alert the royalists to his position. Fortunately, much of the way was covered by thick broom, which ended just before the Culrain Burn was reached. Close to the Burn, Strachan concealed his men in a gully overshadowed by broom, allowing only a single troop to emerge into the open. Montrose sent his cavalry under Major John Lisle to investigate, while the infantry took cover in the woods of Creag a' Choineachan.
Before these deployments were complete Strachan's whole force emerged and charged. Lisle was immediately overwhelmed, as the Covenanters rode on towards the infantry. The Germans and Danes, seeing their cavalry defeated, retreated into nearby Scroggie Wood. Here Clan Munro and Clan Ross joined in the fight, eager to grab their share of any plunder. The Germans and Danes fought gallantly, retreating deeper and deeper into the wood, but they were losing the battle. The need for self preservation took over and those that were left attempted to flee, with the bloodshed in the wood continuing for over two hours. Even after the battle ended the slaughter did not cease; the clansmen of Ross-shire and Sutherland for many days after continued pursuing and killing those who had escaped the battle.
Hurry and some of the Danish and German musketeers attempted to make a stand, but the Orcadians crumbled in panic. Two hundred of them were drowned trying to escape across the waters of the Kyle of Sutherland. In a matter of minutes the whole affair was over. Carbisdale was not a battle: it was a rout. The defeated soldiers were hunted over the slopes of Creag a' Choineachan by Strachan's troopers and local hostile clansmen for two hours. Four hundred were killed, and over four hundred and fifty taken prisoner, including Sir John Hurry, whose amazing career as a soldier was shortly to come to an end.
Despite his wounds Montrose managed to escape from the debacle at Carbisdale with help from Major Sinclair
. For some days he managed to avoid capture, disguised as a shepherd, until he finally fell captive to Neil Macleod of Assyant at Ardvreck Castle
. MacLeod was an ally of the Earl of Sutherland
. Already condemned to death in absentia, he was taken to Edinburgh where he heard his fate read out by Archibald Johnston at Parliament House. He was to be hanged at the town cross with a copy of De Rebus, Bishop George Wishart's laudatory history of the marquess' life and exploits, round his neck. He was to swing on the scaffold for three hours, after which time he would be taken down, his head cut off and his body divided in four quarters. His head would be displayed on a spike at the Tollbooth Prison, while his arms and legs would be sent for similar display at Glasgow
, Perth
, Stirling
and Aberdeen
. Only his trunk was to be shown any mercy: for, if he repented his crimes, it would be buried in consecrated ground at Greyfriars, otherwise it would be deposited in a common grave outside the city on the nearby Burgh Muir
. Needless to say, he would concede nothing to his enemies. Sentence was carried out on 21 May. He accepted his fate with courage and, like the king before him, was transfigured in death. Hurry followed soon after.
With all options now exhausted Charles took the Covenants, against his conscience and judgement. He arrived in Scotland that summer. Unfortunately for him so did Cromwell.
Culrain, Scotland
Culrain is a small village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland.-Location :It lies west of Ardgay, beside the Kyle of Sutherland, where several rivers converge to flood into the sea through lush water meadows.- History :...
on 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
. It was fought by the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
, against the Scottish Government of the time, dominated by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, was the de facto head of government in Scotland during most of the conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, also known as the British Civil War...
and a grouping of radical Covenanters, known as the Kirk Party
Kirk Party
The Kirk Party were a radical Presbyterian faction of the Scottish Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They came to the fore after the defeat of the Engagers faction in 1648 at the hands of Oliver Cromwell and the English Parliament...
.
Charles and Montrose
After the execution of Charles ICharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
in January 1649, Scotland entered a period of complex political maneuvering. His son was immediately proclaimed as Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in Edinburgh, though it was soon to be made clear to him that if he were ever to exercise real power he would be obliged to subscribe to a radical Presbyterian agenda. Amongst other things he would be required to take the Covenants of 1638 and 1643, a move his father had always resisted.
In exile at the Hague, Charles was anxious to take the quickest way back to the throne. He initially favoured calling on the assistance of the Catholic Irish authorities at Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, until this option was removed by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
in the summer of 1649. In falling back on the Covenanters Charles hoped to put them in a more accommodating frame of mind. One way of doing this was to take the advice of the ultra-royalist James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
, who had led a military campaign against the Covenanters in 1644 and 1645, enjoying some notable successes..
On 22 February 1649 Charles appointed Montrose as Lieutenant-Governor of Scotland and Captain General of all of his forces there. Although he was about to receive a deputation from the government in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
he was prepared to listen to Montrose's more militant advice, especially as there were already some stirrings against the Covenanters in northern Scotland.
Landing in Orkney
Throughout the course of the year Montrose kept busy using his commission in an attempt to raise troops and money in the German state of BrandenburgBrandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, as well as Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. This met with limited success; but by September he had managed to raise and equip a small force of 80 officers and 100 Danish soldiers. Under the leadership of the Earl of Kinnoul these men were sent as an advance party to occupy the Orkney Isles, charged with recruiting local forces, while Montrose remained on the Continent employing professional troops.
In March 1650 Montrose came in person, landing a Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
with some more foreign mercenaries to join his advance party and the Orcadian levies. Amongst his officers was Sir John Hurry
John Hurry
Sir John Hurry was a Scottish soldier.He was born in Aberdeenshire, and saw military service as a young man in Germany.In 1641 he returned home and became Lieutenant-Colonel in a Scottish regiment. At the end of the same year he was involved in the plot known as the "Incident"...
, his old opponent at the Battle of Auldearn
Battle of Auldearn
The Battle of Auldearn was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It took place on 9 May 1645, in and around the village of Auldearn in Nairn. It resulted in a victory for the royalists led by the Earl of Montrose and Alasdair MacColla over a Covenanter army under the command of Sir John...
in 1645. Altogether he had 40 horse, 500 mercenaries and 700 Orcadians, completely unskilled in the arts of war. On board his ship, the Herderinnan, anchored in Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, Montrose issued his orders to Hurry at a conference on 9 April. He was instructed to cross to Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
that same evening with part of the little army and advance to Ord of Caithness, a high hill overhanging the sea just north of Kildonan. Montrose crossed with the rest of his force a few days later.
Montrose had heard that the local Highland Scottish clans of Clan Munro
Clan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
, Clan Ross
Clan Ross
Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.-Origins:Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in 1160...
and Clan MacKenzie
Clan MacKenzie
Clan Mackenzie is a Highland Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire.-Origins:The Mackenzies, a powerful clan of Celtic stock, were not among the clans that originated from Norman ancestry. Descendants of the long defunct royal Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, they...
were up in arms and were likely to join him, although as it turned out, they did not. Montrose hoped to meet up with the Clan Munro and Clan Ross. When none of the clans arrived he pressed on the Strathoikell and into the narrow valley of Carbisdale. For two days he waited in the valley for the Munros and Rosses. Waiting for them was his biggest mistake as the clans had sided with the Scottish government, and Argyll had already set his counter plans in operation
Strachan's Ride
In Edinburgh the Committee of EstatesCommittee of Estates
The Committee of Estates governed Scotland during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms when the Parliament of Scotland was not sitting. It was dominated by Covenanters of which the most influential faction was that of the Earl of Argyll....
, the executive authority of the Scottish Parliament, was soon aware that Montrose had crossed to the mainland. General David Leslie, Lord Newark was instructed to take his forces north to prevent this incursion from developing into a major rising. A rendezvous was held at Brechin
Brechin
Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
on 25 April. From here Colonel Archibald Strachan
Archibald Strachan
Archibald Strachan was a Scottish soldier who fought in the War of the Three Kingdoms, reaching the rank of Colonel.His greatest achievement was defeating the Royalist general Montrose at the Battle of Carbisdale....
was sent ahead to gather the cavalry that had wintered in the north. He now had five troops of horse under his command, including three that had been with him at the rout of an anti-Covenanter army at Balvenie Castle
Balvenie Castle
Balvenie Castle is a ruined castle near Dufftown in the Moray region of Scotland.Originally known as Mortlach, it was built in the 12th century by a branch of the powerful Comyn family and extended and altered in the 15th and 16th centuries.The castle fell out of use in the early 14th century when...
near Dufftown
Dufftown
Dufftown is a burgh in Banffshire, Scotland.The town was originally named Mortlach in the Middle Ages, until the 19th century when the Earl of Fife built the town as a housing for soldiers returning home from war...
in May 1649. This episode, known as the 'Bourd of Balvenie', convinced Strachan and the more extreme Covenanters that all that was needed to disperse the mighty was a small band of righteous men, after the example of Gideon
Gideon (Judges)
Gideon or Gedeon , which means "Destroyer," "Mighty warrior," or "Feller " was judge of the Hebrews. His story is recorded in chapters 6 to 8 of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible....
in the Book of Judges
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
. Strachan now rode on to Rossshire, convinced that victory was already his.
Montrose Moves South
Montrose joined Hurry at the Ord of Caithness. From here their combined force advanced along the coast to Dunrobin CastleDunrobin Castle
Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is the seat of the Countess of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie, and approximately south of Brora, on the Dornoch Firth close to the A9 road. Nearby Dunrobin Castle railway...
, garrisoned for the government by the tenants of the Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
, as were the smaller fortresses at Skelbo Castle
Skelbo Castle
Skelbo Castle is a ruined 14th century keep, located on the high shore at the mouth of Loch Fleet in the Highlands in Scotland. The remaining wall is best preserved at the northern side of the castle...
, Skibo Castle
Skibo Castle
Skibo Castle is located to the west of Dornoch in the Highland county of Sutherland, Scotland overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Although the castle dates back to the 12th century, the present structure is largely of the 19th century, and early 20th century, when it was the home of industrialist...
and Dornoch Castle
Dornoch Castle
Dornoch Castle is situated opposite Dornoch Cathedral in the village of Dornoch, in Sutherland, Scotland, a little over north of Inverness.-History:...
. Avoiding these obstacles, the royalists turned aside, marching up Strathfleet towards Strathoykell. The Oykell was forded just to the west of its junction with the Cassley, and the trek continued along the southern bank. Montrose had counted on the support of the Mackenzies, but their chief, the Earl of Seaforth
Earl of Seaforth
Earl of Seaforth was a title in the Peerage of Scotland and Peerage of Great Britain. It was held by the family of Mackenzie from 1623 to 1716, and again from 1771 to 1781....
, was in exile, and even his brother, Sir Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine, who led the rising the previous year, remained quiet. With no support in the hills the rebels continued back towards the coastal plain, halting at Carbisdale on the southern side of the Kyle of Sutherland on 27 April. By now Strachan was at Tain
Tain
Tain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...
conferring with the earl of Sutherland. Learning of Montrose's whereabouts, he decided on an immediate surprise attack.
Carbisdale
Montrose's army was in a narrow glen, where the Culrain Burn flows into the Kyle of SutherlandKyle of Sutherland
Kyle of Sutherland is a river estuary that separates Sutherland from Ross-shire. It flows into the Dornoch Firth and is fed by the rivers Oykel, Shin, River Cassley and Carron.The downstream extent of the Kyle of Sutherland is the bridge at Bonar Bridge...
. To his rear the ground rose up to the wooded hill of Creag a' Choineachan. With a good view of the surrounding countryside he would be able to deploy his men on the hill if subject to a sudden attack. Yet, believing there was only a small body of enemy horse in the area, he failed to carry out a thorough reconnaissance, thus making the same mistake that led to the disaster at the Battle of Philiphaugh
Battle of Philiphaugh
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquess of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.-Prelude:When...
.
Strachan had now reached Wester Fern to the south-east of Carbisdale. On his onward march he still had the River Carron
River Carron, Sutherland
The River Carron is a river in Sutherland, in the Highlands of Scotland.It begins as the Abhainn a' Ghlinne Mhoir, which joins with the Alladale River to form the River Carron...
to cross by a ford which left him some miles short of the enemy position. A direct approach would only alert the royalists to his position. Fortunately, much of the way was covered by thick broom, which ended just before the Culrain Burn was reached. Close to the Burn, Strachan concealed his men in a gully overshadowed by broom, allowing only a single troop to emerge into the open. Montrose sent his cavalry under Major John Lisle to investigate, while the infantry took cover in the woods of Creag a' Choineachan.
Before these deployments were complete Strachan's whole force emerged and charged. Lisle was immediately overwhelmed, as the Covenanters rode on towards the infantry. The Germans and Danes, seeing their cavalry defeated, retreated into nearby Scroggie Wood. Here Clan Munro and Clan Ross joined in the fight, eager to grab their share of any plunder. The Germans and Danes fought gallantly, retreating deeper and deeper into the wood, but they were losing the battle. The need for self preservation took over and those that were left attempted to flee, with the bloodshed in the wood continuing for over two hours. Even after the battle ended the slaughter did not cease; the clansmen of Ross-shire and Sutherland for many days after continued pursuing and killing those who had escaped the battle.
Hurry and some of the Danish and German musketeers attempted to make a stand, but the Orcadians crumbled in panic. Two hundred of them were drowned trying to escape across the waters of the Kyle of Sutherland. In a matter of minutes the whole affair was over. Carbisdale was not a battle: it was a rout. The defeated soldiers were hunted over the slopes of Creag a' Choineachan by Strachan's troopers and local hostile clansmen for two hours. Four hundred were killed, and over four hundred and fifty taken prisoner, including Sir John Hurry, whose amazing career as a soldier was shortly to come to an end.
Death and Transfiguration
Clan Sinclair
Clan Sinclair is a Highland Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians which they received from the Kings of Scots...
. For some days he managed to avoid capture, disguised as a shepherd, until he finally fell captive to Neil Macleod of Assyant at Ardvreck Castle
Ardvreck Castle
Standing on a rocky promontory jutting out into Loch Assynt in Sutherland, north west Highland, Scotland, Ardvreck Castle is a ruined castle dating from the 16th century. The ruins can be reached by driving along the A837 which follows the north shore of Loch Assynt from the village of Inchnadamph...
. MacLeod was an ally of the Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
. Already condemned to death in absentia, he was taken to Edinburgh where he heard his fate read out by Archibald Johnston at Parliament House. He was to be hanged at the town cross with a copy of De Rebus, Bishop George Wishart's laudatory history of the marquess' life and exploits, round his neck. He was to swing on the scaffold for three hours, after which time he would be taken down, his head cut off and his body divided in four quarters. His head would be displayed on a spike at the Tollbooth Prison, while his arms and legs would be sent for similar display at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
and Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. Only his trunk was to be shown any mercy: for, if he repented his crimes, it would be buried in consecrated ground at Greyfriars, otherwise it would be deposited in a common grave outside the city on the nearby Burgh Muir
Burgh Muir
The Burgh Muir was an area to the south of Edinburgh city centre upon which much of the southern portion of the city now rests, following expansions of the 18th and 19th centuries...
. Needless to say, he would concede nothing to his enemies. Sentence was carried out on 21 May. He accepted his fate with courage and, like the king before him, was transfigured in death. Hurry followed soon after.
With all options now exhausted Charles took the Covenants, against his conscience and judgement. He arrived in Scotland that summer. Unfortunately for him so did Cromwell.