Clan Lindsay vs. Clan Ogilvie
In the 1440’s the monks of the Abbey of Abroath, located in Angus Scotland, appointed Alexander Lindsay, Master of Crawford and the chief of Clan Lindsay to the position of the Bailie of Regality. This position gave Alexander a lot of power in the Angus district, he was tasked with dispensing justice and authority. Lindsay quickly lost favour with the Abroath Monks due to the fact that he was using the abbey to quarter his men, many who were boisterous and were disturbing the peace of the solemn monks. Lindsay was also accused of embezzling large sums of money and using his wild temperament to bully his rivals. The Monks became fed up with Lindsay and removed him from his position and awarded it to his rival, Sir Alexander Ogilvie, the second baron of Inverquharity. On Janurary 23rd, 1446, Alexander Lindsay, who was also known as “Tiger Earl” due to his ferocity, gathered an army of over one thousand of his clansmen and marched to the gates of the abbey. Supported by members of Clan Hamilton he demanded to be reinstated to the position of Bailie of Regality. Ogilvie was fortunately entertaining guest at the abbey including clansmen from the Oliphants, Seatons, Gordons and Forbes and was able to draw up a defensive line with members of those clan supporting the Ogilvies.
Alexander Lindsay’s father, the current Earl of Crawford, who had received word in Dundee that his son had amassed an army and was on the verge of a bloody clan battle, jumped on his horse and headed to Abroath with a plan to avert the hostilities. The Earl road into the centre of the battlefield with the intent of meeting Lord Oligvie, however he was mistaken as a hostile force and one of Ogilvies launched a spear striking the Earl in the head and killing him instantly, ending any chance of peaceful negotiations. Both Clans engaged in hand to hand combat until the outnumbered Ogilvies became overwhelmed and retreated from the Abbey. The Ogilvies along with their allies regathered with their remaining troops three miles away at the village of Leysmill. The battle at Leysmill was bloody and lasted into the evening until the Ogilvie’s, after losing around 500 men, finally broke and retreated again to Kinnell. The Lindsays, themselves suffered heavy casualties and thus were not able to pursue the Ogilvie’s any further. The Ogilvie’s decided to bury their dead, including their chief Alexander Ogivlie, who they carried from the battlefield in Leysmill, at the church in Kinnell. Their chief was buried under the floorboards of the church under an aisle, this section of the church was then known as Ogilvie Aisle. In 1885, during demolition in the village of Kinnell, the body of Alexander was discovered along with his boots and spurs. These relics were displayed in the church vestibule.
After the battle Alexander Lindsay, now the Earl of Crawford, used his remaining men to seek revenge on the decimated Ogilvies. They slaughtered their vassals, plundered their property and captured the wives and children of their slaughtered men. They even went as far as attacking the Ogilvie stronghold castle of Inverquharity.