Battle of Glen Fruin

The Battle of Glen Fruin
Part of the Scottish clan wars
Monument marking the site of the Battle of Glen Fruin
Date 7 February 1603 Location Glen Fruin, Scotland grid reference NS27608940 Coordinates: 56°3′59″N 4°46′11″W / 56.06639°N 4.76972°W / 56.06639; -4.76972 Result Clan Gregor victory
Belligerents
Clan Gregor, allied men	Clan Colquhoun, allied men
Commanders and leaders
Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae	Sir Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss
Strength
300-400 combined force	600-800 combined force, including a large proportion of cavalry
Casualties and losses
very light	140-200 dead

The Battle of Glen Fruin was fought on 7 February 1603 between the Clan Gregor and its allies on one side, and the Clan Colquhoun and its allies on the other. Glen Fruin is located in the Loch Lomond area, in the county of Dunbartonshire, Scotland.

According to the Clan Gregor; two MacGregor clansmen, away from home, were forced to spend a night in Colquhoun lands. After being refused shelter, the two MacGregors found an abandoned outhouse and slaughtered a sheep which they ate. When the two were discovered they were seized and brought forward to Colquhoun, the Laird of Luss. Sir Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss, chief of the Clan Colquhoun, had the men tried by summary trial then sentenced the men to death.

To avenge the two slain clansmen, the chief of Clan Gregor, Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae, led 300 to 400 men under his command with the help of MacFarlanes, from the banks of Loch Long, by way of the "Raid na Gael" (Scottish Gaelic), Highlandman's Pass, towards the Colquhoun lands of Luss.

The Laird of Luss, gaining early notice of the MacGregors, gathered nearly twice the number of the invaders. Among them were Buchanans, Grahams, and men from the surrounding Lennox district.

As the two sides converged in the lands of Glen Fruin, the MacGregor led force was at first discouraged by the superior size of the Colquhoun led contingent. It is said a Seer encouraged the MacGregors, saying he saw the shrouds of the dead wrapt around their opponents.

The main contingent of the MacGregor force attacked their enemies head on, while a force flanked the Colquhouns, led by Iain Dubh MacGregor, brother of the chief. The Colquhoun's advantage of having a large number of cavalry present turned into a disadvantage by boggy ground of the glen, and the MacGregors pressed on to rout the Colqhouns and their allies.

Tradition is that the MacGregors had only very light casualties, though among them was Iain Dubh. The Colquhoun force lost between 200 and 300 men.

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