The Battle of the Spoiling Dyke, 1578

The Battle of the Spoiling Dyke was a violent and tragic event that took place in the Scottish Highlands during the 16th century. It involved the MacDonalds of Uist and the Clan MacLeod, who were involved in a long-standing feud.

The conflict between these two clans can be traced back to the Cave of Frances on the Isle of Eigg, where the MacLeods had perpetrated a massacre of MacDonald clan members a few years prior to the Battle of the Spoiling Dyke. The MacDonalds were seeking revenge for this atrocity, and they found an opportunity to do so when they burned down the Trumpan Church, also known as Kilconan Church, on the east shore of Ardmore Bay.

The MacDonalds barred the doors of the church and set it on fire with all of the worshipers inside. Only one girl managed to escape and raise the alarm, but by the time the news reached the chief of the Clan MacLeod and his men, it was too late. The MacDonalds had killed almost everyone inside the church.

Upon hearing the news, the chief of the Clan MacLeod and his men set off for Ardmore Bay, where they engaged in a battle with the MacDonalds. The MacDonalds were killed almost to a man, and their bodies were dragged and buried in a turf dyke. The incident was remembered as the “Battle of the Spoiling Dyke,” and it was seen as a tit-for-tat revenge for the MacDonalds, who were seeking retribution for the earlier massacre of their clan members by the MacLeods in the Cave of Frances on the Isle of Eigg.