Battle of Harlaw - Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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creg-ny-baa
N 57° 18.393 W 002° 24.847
30V E 535297 N 6351662
Fifteenth century clan battle, two miles north of the Aberdeenshire town of Inverurie, between Highlanders and Lowlanders with an inconclusive result, now marked with a red granite turret monument erected in 1911.
Waymark Code: WM15247
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/30/2021
Views: 1
The Battle of Harlaw took place on July 24th 1411 on the heath of Harlaw, two miles north of Inverurie, and ten miles north-west of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland.
The battle occurred when Donald, Lord of the Isles in an attempt to claim to the Earldom of Ross, encamped overnight on the High Road between Inverness and Aberdeen with his 10,000 strong army. They were then surprised by a smaller army led by Alexander, Earl of Mar, attempting to defend Aberdeen from the Highlanders.
The battle was bloody and inconclusive, with both sides claiming victory. Amongst the casualties was Robert Davidson, Provost of Aberdeen, who is now commemorated by a monument erected on the site by the side of a minor road.
The monument was designed by William Kelly, and is a hexagonal turret in red granite, with burgh crests on its walls. An inscription around the top reads: 'TO THE MEMORY OF PROVOST ROBERT DAVIDSON & THE BURGESSES OF ABERDEEN WHO FELL HERE AD 1411'
A further inscription underneath reads: 'ERECTED BY THE BURGH of ABERDEEN AD 1911 ADAM MAITLAND LORD PROVOST'
The monument was unveiled 500 years after the battle in 1911 and stands on the corner of the narrow minor road that links the A96 and B9001 roads to the north of Inverurie. The battle was thought to have taken place to the north of the monument on what is now farmland.