The Battle of Glen Fruin, 1603

The Battle of Glen Fruin was one of the most significant conflicts in Scottish history, fought between the Clan Gregor (MacGregor) and its allies and the Clan Colquhoun and its allies on 7 February 1603. The battle, which took place in Glen Fruin, in the Loch Lomond area of Dunbartonshire, Scotland, resulted in a comprehensive defeat for the Colquhouns and led to severe consequences for the MacGregors.
The MacGregors and Colquhouns had a long-standing feud that dated back to the days of Robert the Bruce, who stripped the MacGregors of much of their land. The MacGregors, in turn, frequently raided the Colquhouns’ property, which led to increasing tensions between the two clans. Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, was responsible for keeping the MacGregors in check, but instead of repressing the clan, he used his power to stimulate them into various acts of aggression against Alexander Colquhoun of Luss, chief of Clan Colquhoun.
The Battle of Glen Fruin was sparked by a raid led by Duncan Mackewin MacGregor, tutor of Glenstra, against the Colquhouns on 7 December 1602. The MacGregors plundered the houses and took away three hundred cows, one hundred horses and mares, four hundred sheep, and four hundred goats. Two Colquhouns were killed in the raid, one of them a household servant of Colquhoun of Luss. This incident led to the conflicts at both Glenfinlas and Glen Fruin.
On 7 February 1603, the Colquhouns were ready to protect themselves, with permission granted by King James VI to pursue their foes. The Colquhoun ranks were swelled by men from Dumbarton and Cardross, with the clan marching into the glen with as many as 500 men on foot and 300 on horseback. Clan Gregor had around 350 men ready to fight and showed no mercy for their foes. The MacGregors, gathered on a hillside, launched a surprise attack on the Colquhouns, which drove them back into the trap of a second force, who were assembled and waiting for them in Auchengeich Glen.
140 Colquhouns and their allies were reportedly killed, although some say the figure was closer to 200. Following the bloodshed, King James VI, in a bid to dismantle the clan, forced MacGregors to drop their name or risk punishment by death. A royal warrant was signed by James VI on 24 February 1603, accusing the MacGregors of attacking members of Clan Colquhoun at Glen Fruin “without pitie or compassion” or regard for young or old. Their deeds were “barbarous and horrible” with this “wicked and unhappy” race to be “exterminated and ruttit out”.
Less than two months later, around April 3, King James VI ruled the name MacGregor should be “altogether abolished” and that all people of the clan should renounce their name and take another, under the pain of death. Aliases, including Grant, Stewart, and Ramsay were used. Around a year later, Alastair of Glenstrae and 11 leading clan figures were hung at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh, with the leader hoisted above his men before being drawn and quartered.
The MacGregor name was not restored until 1661 by King Charles II, but it was disallowed once more in 1693 by King William of Orange. It was not until 1784 that the MacGregors were allowed to resume their own name, and were restored to all the rights and privileges of British citizens.
The Battle of Glen Fruin and the subsequent campaign against the MacGregors had far-reaching consequences for the clan and Scottish history. The MacGregors were forced to live in hiding, change their names, and flee their ancestral lands. This led to the fragmentation of the clan and the loss of their cultural identity.