Archaeology Notes

Event ID 667041

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/667041

NJ40SW 1.00 c. 431 008

NJ40SW 1.01 4344 0021 Battle of Culblean, Monument

(Name: NJ 431 010) Supposed site of the Battle of Culblean (NR) AD 1335. OS 6"map, Aberdeenshire, 2nd ed., (1902).

The Battle of Culblean, the turning point in Scotland's favour of the second war of Independence, was fought on St Andrew's Day (November 30th) 1335. Sir Andrew de Moray, Regent to David Bruce, with 4,000 men, including 800 knights from the Lothians, had marched to the relief of Kildrummy Castle (NJ41NE 4) besieged by David de Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl. By November 29th Atholl's army of 3,000 men had raised the siege and retreated as far as the east end of Culblean Hill at March- near where it camped about 1/2-mile south of the burn, and Moray's forces had reached the "Hall of Logy Rothwayn" (NG40SW 2).

Simpson, using Wyntoun's Chronicle, proves conclusively that the battle took place on the burn at Marchnear. Atholl's forces were outflanked and routed by a detachment of Moray's men, the Earl of Atholl being slain. The main battle took place west of Lochhead and south and east of the Marchnear burn, centred NJ 431 008.

A monolith 13ft high was erected 16 September 1956, by the Deeside Field Club, to commemorate the battle, just off the Tarland-Burn o' Vat road near the hill where the battle was fought.

W D Simpson 1930; D Rae 1957.

Battle of Culblean - AD. 1335. Commemorative monolith (NJ40SW 1.01) at NJ 4344 0021.

Visited by OS (R L) 21 February 1967.