The Battle of Glenboultachan, 1522

The Battle of Glenboultachan was a clan battle that took place in 1522 in Glen Boultachan, Perthshire, Scotland, between the Clan Macnab and the Clan Neish or MacNeish. The two clans had a long history of conflict and were known to be at odds with each other due to a series of petty jealousies and grievances. The final battle between the two clans occurred when Finlay Macnab, chief of the Macnabs, gathered all of his fighting men in an effort to assert supremacy over the northern Loch Earn district. The MacNeishes, led by their chief, fought fiercely but were eventually overcome and only a small number of them were able to escape. According to tradition, the chief of the MacNeishes died with his back against a boulder, which still bears the stains of his blood. The Macnabs emerged victorious in the battle, with only around 30 of the 500 MacNeishes surviving.

After the battle, the remaining MacNeishes settled on Neish Island in Loch Earn under the leadership of a relative of their former chief. The feud between the Macnabs and MacNeishes, however, did not end with the battle. In 1612, the MacNeishes ambushed a party of Macnabs who were returning from Crieff with supplies for their Christmas feast, leading to a massacre on the Neish island stronghold in which most of the MacNeishes were killed, with only a young boy and girl surviving. The Macnabs beheaded the MacNeish chief and brought his head back with them as proof of their revenge.

The Macnab chief’s coat of arms includes an image of an open boat, and the MacNeish chieftain’s head appears on the crest badge for the Clan Macnab. The feud between the two clans left a lasting impact on the region, with stories and traditions surrounding the Battle of Glenboultachan being passed down through the generations. The conflict also had lasting consequences for the MacNeish clan, which was largely wiped out in the battle and subsequent massacre.