The Battle of Skibo and Strathfleet, 1480

The Battle of Skibo and Strathfleet was a series of conflicts that took place in 1480 in northern Scotland between Clan Donald and the local clans of Clan Sutherland and the Murrays of Aberscross. The conflict was sparked by the invasion of the area around Dornoch by John MacDonald of Islay, Earl of Ross, who was attempting to reclaim land that he believed had been taken from him by James III of Scotland.

John MacDonald and his forces landed a few miles from Dunrobin Castle, home to Clan Sutherland, and initially camped in front of Skibo Castle, a possession of the Bishop of Caithness. In response, the Earl of Sutherland sent a force under Neill Murray to confront the invaders. The two sides clashed, and the MacDonalds were driven off, losing a captain and 50 men.

In response to this defeat, MacDonald sent some of his men and allies from Ross up the coast to Loch Fleet, just south of Dunrobin. Sutherland and his men met the attackers on the sands of Strathfleet and after a fierce struggle, the MacDonalds and their allies were defeated with great slaughter. The survivors were pursued as far as Bonar.

This marked the end of hostilities between Clan Sutherland and Clan Donald, and the two sides later sealed an alliance through the marriage of Sutherland to Margaret, MacDonald’s sister. However, the heavy defeat suffered by Clan Donald at the Battle of Skibo and Strathfleet may have played a role in the subsequent conflict between John MacDonald and his son Angus Og, which resulted in the Battle of Bloody Bay in 1480 or 1483.