Battle of Knock Mary
{{Short description|Battle fought in 1511 (or 1490) between the Murray, Drummond, and Campbell clans}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict=Battle of Knock Mary
| image=Drummond castle - pano.jpg
| image_size=250px
| caption =Drummond Castle, near to the site of where the battle began
| partof = the Scottish clan wars
| coordinates ={{gbmapping|NN8503523453}} {{citation | url=http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/25445/ | title=Site Record for Monzievaird, Old Parish Church And Ochtertyre Mausoleum | publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland }}. Grid reference is of the mausoleum built on the site of the kirk.
{{coord|56|23|22|N|3|51|45|W|type:event|display=title}}
| publisher=
| place = Knockmary near Crieff, Scotland
| casus=
| territory=
| result = Drummond/Campbell victory
| combatant1 = Clan Murray
| commander1 = Murray of Auchtertyre
| strength1 = Unknown
| casualties1 =120–160 in church
| combatant2 = Clan Drummond
Clan Campbell
| commander2 = William Drummond
| strength2 = Unknown
| casualties2 =Unknown
| notes=
}}
The Battle of Knockmary (or Battle of Rottenreoch) was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1511, or 1490 between the Clan Murray against the Clan Drummond and Clan Campbell, north of Crieff, Scotland.
Background
In 1511 (some sources say 1490{{cite book |last=Urquhart |first=Libby |year=1997 |title=The Drummonds|publisher=Lang Syne Publishers Ltd |isbn=1-85217-041-7}}), the Murrays of Ochtertyre took cattle from Drummond of Strathearn, the purpose of this was to pay a debt demanded by the Abbot of Inchaffray. In revenge for this William Drummond, the son of the 1st Lord Drummond attacked the Murrays.{{citation | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KHOlWWbbFy8C&pg=PA58 | pages=58–9 | title=Antiquities of Strathhearn | first=John |last=Shearer | year=1881 | isbn=978-0-554-57176-8}} Link and page number of BiblioBazaar reprint (2008)
The battle
The clans met initially at Knock Mary, a hill on the south bank of the River Earn between the river and Drummond Castle. At first the Murrays were winning, but the battle was turned by the arrival of Campbells from Dunstaffnage under Duncan Campbell, McRobbies from Balloch and Faichneys from Argyllshire. Campbell had come to Strathearn to avenge the Murrays' recent murder of his two brothers-in-law and father-in-law, Drummond of Menie. Traditionally the dead from this battle were believed to be buried in the cairn of Rottenreoch, just north of Knock Mary ({{gbmapping|NN84252063}}, but this appears to be a Neolithic long cairn.{{citation | url=http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/25511/ | title=Site Record for Rottenreoch| publisher=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland }}
Having fled the battlefield, the Murrays crossed the River Earn and took refuge in the Kirk of Monzievaird, about a mile north of the river. Drummond was happy to let them go, but as Campbell returned home, an arrow fired from the church killed one of his men. In revenge the church was burned to the ground, killing those inside. Reports on casualties vary between 120 and 160 Murrays. This became known as the Massacre of Monzievaird.
Aftermath
Gallery
File:Track west of Knock Mary - geograph.org.uk - 81053.jpg|Looking towards the site, of the battle on the hill of Knock Mary
File:Woodland track at Knock Mary - geograph.org.uk - 81043.jpg|A path inside Knock Mary
File:Rottenreoch chambered cairn - geograph.org.uk - 1571565.jpg|The once rumoured burial place of the battle, the cairn of Rottenreoch
Murray Mausoleum and burial ground geograph NN8523-4585976.jpg|The site of the ensuing massacre at the Church of Monzievaird, near Hosh
References
{{reflist}}
{{Scottish clan battles|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knockmary, Battle Of}}
Category:16th-century Scottish clan battles