Mackay vs. Ross

It is believed that this feud may have gone back as far as the 13th century when Kenneth MacHeth, an ancestor of the Mackay Clan tried to invade the lands owned by an ancestor of the Rosses.  MacHeth was defeated, his head was cut off and sent to King Alexander of Scotland.

The historic feud escalated in 1486 when the Rosses came upon a raiding party of Mackays at the village of Portmahomack on the Tarbat peninsula.  The Rosses, led by Alexander Ross of Balnagowan, killed many of the Mackay raiders and the survivors hid in a nearby church.  The Rosses pursued the surviving Mackays and set it on fire, killing all inside.  Angus Mackay of Strathnaver, chief of Clan Mackay was killed in this battle.

In 1487, a year after the the Battle of Tarbat, the Mackay clan was joined by Clan Sutherland during an attack on Clan Ross.  This attack was led by the chief of Clan Mackay, seeking revenge for his father’s death.  The Chief of Clan Ross assembled his forces and met the invaders at Alt a’Charrais in Stratchcarron.  After a long and bloody battle the Rosses were unable to hold there line and disbanded.  The Mackay forces pursued the retreating Rosses and slaughtered them, including the Ross’s chief.  As retribution for this slaughter, James IV of Scotland awarded the lands of Strathoikel and Strathcarron, previously owned by the Mackay Clan to David Ross of Balnagown.  In 1496 the Earl of Argyle, The Lord High Chancellor of Scotland called together the leadership of both clans in an attempt to end the feud under a penalty of 500 merks

In 1517 the two clans met for battle at Torran Du, located near Rogart and Strathfleet in the county of Sutherland.  The Mackays were supported by Clan Matheson and Clan Polson.  The Rosses were accompanied to the battlefield by Clan Murray.  In the beginning the Mackays were winning but Clan Gunn arrived with reinforcements to support the Rosses.  Clan Mackay and Clan Matheson, realizing that the battle was lost, retreated from the battlefield.   Unfortunately, Clan Polson was trapped and lost most of their men.

The Mackays continue to stage attacks on the Rosses and their neighboring clans.  A few months after their defeat at Torran Dun, they attacked the Murrays and Rosses at Loch Salchie, near Strathoike.  William Mackay the chieftain of Aberach and his brother were killed along with John Murray of Aberscross.  Shortly after this battle the Mackays again went on the attack burning the town of Pitfure in Strathfleet.

In 1550 the Mackays once again raided the Rosses of Balnagown.  Records show that Donald Mackay and others of the clan were charged with the slaughter of several Rosses.  The Mackays were let go when Alexander Ross of Balnagown failed to deliver the required evidence to the courts in order to prosecute the Mackays.

The fued between the two clan eventually came to an end in the late 16th century when the Mackays began quarreling with another very powerful neighbor, Clan Sutherland.