#killiecrankie

On 27th July 1689 the Battle of Killiecrankie was fought.

Whaur hae ye been sae braw, lad? Come ‘ye by Killiecrankie-o?

I love the song Killiecrankie, two of our great poets, Burns and Hogg had a hand in writing versions, although it is thought to have originated not long after the battle itself.  The song is set around a battle during civil war in Scotland. In April 1689 John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, raised the standard of King James VII on Dundee Law, a hill in the city of Dundee. He was known to his supporters as “Bonnie Dundee”. His support came from the Catholic Highland Clans (mostly from Clans Cameron, Donald, Stuart and McLean) , and his army were known as the “Jacobites”. Coming from Inverness over the Corrieyairack and Drumochter Passes, he had raided Perth on 10th May 1689. General Hugh McKay was commander-in-chief of the Williamite (Government) forces in Scotland. They were also known as the “Covenanters”, and they marched against the Jacobites. His forces largely came from the Scottish Lowlands but also included professional Highland soldiers who fought against their close relatives. “Williamite” comes from William III of Orange who reigned over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1689 till 1702, as Queen Mary II ‘s husband. On 27th July 1689, although they outnumbered 2 to 1, the Jacobites ambushed the Covenanter army of 4000 men under General McKay at the Pass of Killiecrankie. The Jacobites overwhelmed the Covenanters and their victory was absolute, however Dundee was mortally wounded in the initial charge down the hillside. He could direct the battle and learn of his victory but died soon after. The Jacobites had no leader capable of replacing him and were later defeated at the Battle of Dunkeld, more of that next month.

The first Jacobite Uprising ended on 1 May 1690.

Whaur hae ye been sae braw, lad? Whaur hae ye been sae brankie-o? Whaur hae ye been sae braw lad? Cam' ye by Killiecrankie-o?

An' ye had been whaur I hae been, Ye wadna been sae cantie-o; An' ye had seen what I hae seen On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o.

I fought at land, I fought at sea, At hame I fought my auntie-o, But I met the devil and Dundee On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o.

The bauld Pitcur fell in a furr, And Clavers gat a clankie-o, Or I had fed an Athol gled On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o.

O fie, Mackay, what gart ye lie I' the bush ayont the brankie-o? Ye'd better kiss'd King Willie's loof, Than come to Killiecrankie-o.

Perthshire appeared to be at Peak Autumn yesterday, for a lovely walk over the Bealach Path from Moulin to Killiecrankie, with Strathtay Ramblers :) And with still no storms to speak of, the trees were still holding their leaves and putting on the best show possible. Really beautiful!

As I'm always saying, part of the joy of walking with all these Ramblers Scotland groups is discovering new places that I've previously overlooked or been unaware of. I must have been up Ben Vrackie a dozen times but I've never approached the hill from the Pitlochry side, so it was nice to see what I'd been missing. And I have to say, the weird wee rocky path under the A9 offered some nice photo opportunities too!