Hotel in Fort William, Highlands

The initial protective website at Inverlochy ended up being most likely sacked by the Vikings although building of a substantial Inverlochy Castle about 1280 signified the strategic significance of the site which saw its reasonable share of bloodshed in medieval times.

The First Battle of Inverlochy in 1431 was throughout the hopeless challenge between your Lords regarding the Isles and also the Royalists. Donald Balloch, 18 yr old relative associated with after that imprisoned Lord of this Isles led 600 clansmen up Loch Linnhe to strike the Royalists inside Castle. At the same time his uncle from Torcastle attacked through the North. 1000 guys put lifeless and struggle was commemorated in a famous pipeline track, the Pibroch of Donald Dubh.

The Second Battle of Inverlochy was in 1645 during Covenanting times, James Graham, Earl of Montrose, ended up being regarding the Royalist part into the Civil Wars. With just 1500 males, and after a long forced march through the winter season hills of Lochaber, he attacked the Duke of Argyll’s bigger military as you're watching Castle at dawn. Argyll had retreated across the loch to Camasnagaul bay and observed, from a distance, the defeat of his men therefore the slaughter of 1500.

The Battle had been witnessed because of the neighborhood bard Iain Lom which overlooked the battleground from a hillock just the west of this Castle. He typed associated with battle, in his local gaelic, a lengthy poem that part means:

'Twas the Sabbath that rose, 'twas the Feast of St. Bride,
Whenever rush of clans shook Ben Nevis's side;
We, the bard of the battles, ascended the height
O'er dark Inverlochy that shadow'd the fight,
And I also saw the Clan Donald resistless in might.

Those who fled had been pursued by Montrose’s men and additional skirmishes occurred. The location where in actuality the MacDonalds quit the chase is marked even today by a Cairn 6 miles down near Lundavra from the West Highland Method. This Cairn had been commemorated locally with a tradition that each and every MacDonald passing by would add a stone to the Cairn, while every and each Campbell would eliminate one. The Cairn quickly disappeared completely when a local Campbell took away even more stones than the one allotted to him by tradition. Using development associated with the western Highland Method there clearly was both a fantastic surfeit of MacDonald’s – as at some point the cairn ended up being of these dimensions as to threaten the path. It is currently well signposted and a bit more moderate!

The Siege of Fort William 20th March - 3rd April 1746

During Jacobite uprising of 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie at the start of their march South initially avoided the Fort of Fort William in very early March of 1746 a choice was meant to make the Fort.

Fort Augustus had already fallen toward rebels, but meanwhile Campbell militia with respect to the Government had been burning up and pillaging. The assault regarding the Fort may have been viewed as retribution – the Fort ended up being under the demand of Major General Campbell.

Siege Cannon were obtained from Fort Augustus and also the Fort bombarded, initially from the “Sugar Loaf” on Cow hill – today plainly noticeable with a big Saltire painted onto it. The length towards the Fort had been past an acceptable limit nonetheless (as evidenced by Cannon Balls found beside Belford Road whenever Inverlochy spot was built final century). They then relocated their particular cannon toward Craigs burial-ground, nevertheless Fort had been easily supplied by ocean and also the jacobites inflicted only restricted harm – and an early on early morning sortie by the Government soldiers grabbed several of their particular cannon and effectively put an end to the siege after a couple of weeks.

Battle of Bun Garbheill c.1570

During an unsure period in Clan Cameron record the Clan MacIntosh chose to use the Cameron’s apparent disarray, whenever chief Allan Cameron was an infant and his tutors made a decision to claim the chieftain ship. The MacIntosh with 200 men arrived towards Achnacarry from the south, without obvious opposition, until on Loch Arkaig side they met with Donald “Taillear Dubh” Cameron – the “Black Tailor”, a near relative of younger Allan, who'd rallied the Clan to fulfill the task.

Though outnumbered, the Camerons fought ferociously along with their particular Lochaber Axes and place the rest of the MacIntosh’s to trip. They retreated right back on the hills toward mind of Loch Eil where in fact the main of the MacIntosh Clan halted and standing atop a giant boulder (nonetheless there and called Clach Mhic an Toisich – the MacIntosh’s Stone); he rallied their men and when much more the slaughter began. If took the courage for the “Black Tailor” to unseat him, along with his males after that retreated more holding their hurt chief.

They headed south once again throughout the hills toward Ardgour, resting in Glen Scaddle at a tiny hollow in which they thought they certainly were safe. Not too whilst the Tailor stayed in goal and killed every last man as of this remote site that may continue to have signs and symptoms of the graves associated with vanquished MacIntosh’s.

Battles amongst the Camerons therefore the Garrison at Inverlochy 1654

The building regarding the Fort of Inverlochy (later on to become Fort William) in 1654 to suppress regional insurrection and warfare, inevitably generated much conflict between your English Soldiers of Cromwell and Clan Cameron, led by their particular main Ewen Cameron. Significant skirmishes were held at Achdalieu, Strone Nevis and Achintore, all in the entire year 1654.

It started whenever two thousand Cromwellian soldiers, under General Monk came built with 12 months's materials, workmen, servants and sufficient products to make the garrison. Ewen Cameron been aware of their particular entry into Lochaber and hurried back home and was almost certainly shocked with what he'd discover. Within a-day the Cromwellians, utilising the abundant forests for the location as a resource, had currently securely entrenched themselves in Lochaber behind a wooden stockade.