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Hazel
Song History
Battle O' The
Clans
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.
Due to a disagreement (probably about precedence- either
in battle or in leadership of Clan Chattan in general), the
MacPhersons withdrew, which caused the Mackintoshes
to go it alone against the Camerons. The Mackintoshes
received a bit of mauling, That night at camp, the
MacPhersons were stung into action by the powerful
oratory of a Mackintosh Seannachaidh or Bard. Very early
the next morning, the united MacPhersons and
Mackintoshes rallied and pursued the Camerons and the
MacGillionies et al up the glen and soundly defeated them
in running battle at the sides of Loch Erict.

Naturally, this only caused the feud to continue to bubble.
In 1391, Lachlan the 8th Chief of Mackintosh was elderly or
infirm. As a member of the chiefly derbfine, Shaw
MacGilchrist was elected to lead Clan Chattan in the
legendary raid or Spulzie of Angus-shire. This occurred
when Duncan, the son of Alexander the Earl of Buchan,
Lord of Badenoch (a natural son of Robert II) formed a
large rowdy army of Highland caterans, of which Clan
Chattan formed a major part. From Duncan's lair at
Lochindorb Castle (just north of Rothiemurchus) this huge
raiding party descended howling from the Cairngorms
down Glenshee to loot and plunder the fertile and
prosperous plains of Angus. Buchan's son (both father and
son were known as the Wolf of Badenoch) and his wild
army routed the forces of the Sherrif of Angus and David
Lindsay of Glenesk ( the powerful Lindsay was Overlord
of Strathnairn (in Clan Chattan country), and was also
brother-in-law to Robert III). Earlier, Shaw Mhor, Clan
Chattan and some of Wolf's men even torched the
Cathedral at Elgin.)

Five years later, the infamous Cameron - Clan Chattan
feud neared the boiling point again. So intricate and linked
were the tribal, feudal, familial and geopolitical alliances
both open and convert within the central and western
Highlands that the feudal Earls feared an all-out multi-tribal
war throughout Gaidhealtacht (Gaeldom). Both the Earl of
Moray and Lindsay of Glenesk (later Earl of Crawford)
persuaded Robert III that he order the two clans settle the
matter once for all. Again, Shaw MacGilchrist was elected
to lead Clan Chattan in battle . . . this time at Perth.

For nearly nine hundred years before, Sgain and
Aberthaigh (Scone and Perth) had been royal and sacred
places in both the Cruithne (Picts) and Alban/Scottish
kingdoms. They had also been a center of commerce,
shipping, manufacture and law. From Perth, Parliaments
were held and (at Scone's sacred Stone of Destiny) kings
were inaugurated. At the two islands or "inches"
(Gaelic:innis) in the Tay, capital and judicial trials by
combat were held. Arranged by Moray and Glenesk
(Moray was also a brother-in-law to Robert III), on the feast
of St. Michael on 28 September 1396 at the North Inch- the
thirty champions of Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron met.

Officiated by the Constable of Scotland, Royal Exchequer
funds of 14 Pounds were used to construct timber lists
and bleacher-style seating for the event. Indeed, the
entire 'who's who' of the royal court turned out for the
contest: King Robert III, his Queen, his brother the Duke of
Albany, many nobles (including the Dauphin of France,
and a number of other foreign dignitaries), knights, clergy,
local merchants and craftsman and even apprentices were
on hand to view the action. Stalls outside the lists and
seating sold ale and sweetmeats, lending an atmosphere
of a fair to the battle.

Shaw Mhor and his twenty eight (one amorous warrior
was more interested in making love and not war and
missed the fight while languishing (no doubt spent by his
sexual exertions!) in the arms of a lover) hand picked Clan
Chattan champions were armed "with bow and ax, knyff
and swerd". To ensure equality (and thus only God and
righteousness would choose the victor), mail shirts or
jacks were not allowed (excluding the famous armorer or
saddle-maker of Perth, who acted as a mercenary for Clan
Chattan for the day.). The combatants were some of
Badenoch and Lochaber's most seasoned warriors who
knew their craft and knew the rules of conduct: no quarter
asked or given.

This writer, who for many years was quite practiced in
both the art of saber-fencing and the discipline of Ken Do)
can only imagine the opening scenes: thirty men, most
barely clad in saffron colored tunics (due to a
long-standing Celtic penchant to fight naked or wearing as
little as possible (besides jewelry and weapons), all tartan
mantles and non essential war gear would have long since
been quickly shed) with long hair braided in warriors'
knots - letting out a snarling sluaigh ghairm or war cry as
they followed the yellow war-coat and cloghaid clad Shaw
in a charging wedge of fury and steel. Before reaching
mid-field, archers on the flanks would quickly fire their
three allotted arrows each into the center of the advancing
opponents line, fling their short bows aside and grab their
one-handed axes (cousins to the Dalcassian axes made
popular by Brian MacKennedy na Boruma, High King of
Eire, three hundred years earlier) to join the fray. With the
Celtic love of personal combat, the two Captains would no
doubt be at first blows in a savage and private dance of
death while around them the two groups smashed
headlong together in a noisy, grunting tangle of clanging
steel and straining sinew. Eye to eye, man-to-man, there
were no rules and little time for tactics except to survive
and gang up on anyone that wasn't kin who was still
fighting. In the end, Shaw and ten of Clan Chattan stood
(or swayed, blood-soaked and sweating, barely standing
from numerous wounds) over the bodies of twenty-nine
Cameron warriors ( the lone Cameron survivor wisely
leaped the lists and swam the Tay to safety).

For his strength, bravery, battle skill and for his loyalty,
Shaw was given the duchas of (or right of occupancy,
management and possession of the assets generated by)
the fertile Speyside farmlands and Forest of
Rothiemurchus by his grateful cousin and Chief, Lachlan
8th of Mackintosh. Shaw lived his remaining years at the
Doune, the ancient hill fort that guarded a strategic ford
over the River Spey (The Doune and Loch an Eilean were
also well positioned to guard the
Mackintosh Chief's southern flank and
access to the Cairngorm passes as well).
He died in 1405 and is buried in his beloved
Rothiemurchus Kirk, guarded
by : an Bodach an Doune".