Toward Castle Massacre 1646

[louiepastore1]

Most Scots today would have some knowledge of the Highland massacre of the MacDonalds in Glencoe by soldiers under the direction of Clan Campbell but few would have heard of a greater massacre carried out by the Campbells at Dunoon, on the very doorstep of Lowland Scotland....

Sir John Lamont, 14th chief, who had been knighted by King Charles; was pressured into joining Argyll, the Campbell chief and his Covenanting army in opposition against the King during the 17th century wars of Montrose. After the defeat of Campbell forces at Inverlochy, Sir John was taken prisoner and later switched sides opting to support Montrose and his general, Alastair MacDonald (MacColla), a bitter enemy of the Campbells. MacDonald along with Highlanders and Irish mercenaries, crossed Loch Long in boats provided by the Lamonts and landed at the Point of Strone. After defeating a Campbell force, Macolla's army mustered at Toward and then decended on the Campbell lands. The Lamonts had their share in killing and plundering particularly in Strachur and Kilmun before returning home to Toward.

In England the King surrendered and ordered his supporters to lay down their arms and cease hostilities. The Campbells took this opportunity to surround the Lamont castles of Toward and Ascog. Unable to withstand a long seige and with no hope of reprieve, Sir James surrendered the castles, having apparently reached honourable terms. The Campbells later ignored the terms of capitulation accusing the lamonts of being traitors, unworthy of terms.
The Lamonts where bound and kept within the castle, during this time several women were murdered. The survivors were taken by boats to Dunoon and in the church were sentenced to death. A large number of Lamont men, women and children, were shot or stabbed to death and they did ‘cause hang upon ane tree near the number of thirty six persons most of them being special gentlemen of the name of Lamont and vassals to Sir James’. the half-hanged men, both dead and dying were buried in pits. Sir James and his brothers were kept prisoner for five years and it would be 16 years before the ringleaders of the massacre were brought to justice and Sir Colin Campbell beheaded.

The castle today has barely changed since the time of the massacre, hidden away in a small forest a few miles from Dunoon, there's certainly a 'feeling' about the place. A memorial marking the site of the massacre can be found in Dunoon itself!!

I put together a wee video tour of the castle along with my first attempt at 3D reconstruction of the castle a while ago. It can be found at:

CASTLE TOWARD

Louie

[sftr]

Another massacre that very few will have heard of is the one at Dunaverty at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula:

During the Civil War it was besieged in 1647 by Scottish supporters of Oliver Cromwell who were led by General David Leslie from Clan Leslie (Leslie later became a Royalist). The MacDonalds surrendered and then 300 of them were massacred. The castle is nothing more than a ruin now, known as Blood Rock. This incident became known as the Dunaverty Massacre.

[Lianachan]

Scottish, especially Highland, history is absolutely full of massacres that not many people know about. There was a terrible attrocity commited at Blar Nan Ceann, for example, but almost nobody has even heard of that battle let alone what took place immediately before it.

[oneofthefew]

Care to enlighten us Lianachan as I can't seem to find much in the way of details other than it took place near (in?) Strathpeffer; it was between the MacKenzies of Seaforth and the MacDonells of Glengarry; and that something happened at a well now known as Tobar a' Chinn, well of the head!

[S mise]

Here are a couple of links to the story behind the Well of the Heads.

Keppoch murders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Clan MacDonell of Glengarry


The wells are different - the one Lianachan is referring to (Tobar a' Chinn) is in Strathpeffer, Tobar nan Ceann however, is on the shore of Loch Oich.

[oneofthefew]

I know of the well beside Loch Oich and the story behind that; as for the other well near Strathpeffer, when I look for more information I seem to find more about Blar na Pairce (Battle of the Park) and the events before that - about how the MacDonalds burnt down a church, killing all those inside (not the only time they've done that either).

As for the other battle, Blar nan Ceann (Battle of the Heads), details are unbelievably hard to come across - as they are for the well also! I'm now wondering if Lianachan is referring to the more famous (or should that be infamous?) Blar na Pairce rather than Blar nan Ceann

[Lianachan]

Originally Posted by oneofthefew

I'm now wondering if Lianachan is referring to the more famous (or should that be infamous?) Blar na Pairce rather than Blar nan Ceann

No, I said exactly what I meant.