Battle of the Shirts (Blàr na Léine, Kinloch-Lochy) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Scottish clan wars | |||||||
Loch Lochy | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Clan Fraser of Lovat Assisted by Clan Grant and Clan Mackintosh[1] |
Clan Macdonald of Clanranald Assisted by Clan Cameron | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Hugh Fraser, 3rd Lord Lovat † | John of Moidart (Iain Muideartach) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
300 | 500 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5 survivors (295 killed) |
8 survivors (492 killed) | ||||||
Official name | Blar na Léine | ||||||
Designated | 14 December 2012 | ||||||
Reference no. | BTL29 |
The Battle of the Shirts (Scottish Gaelic: Blàr na Léine, also the Battle of Kinloch-Lochy) was a Scottish clan battle that took place in 1544 in the Great Glen, at the northern end of Loch Lochy. The Clan Macdonald of Clanranald and their allies the Clan Cameron fought the Clan Fraser and men from Clan Grant. The battlefield has been included and protected by Historic Scotland in their Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland.[1]
Clan tradition of the clans involved and all histories written since the period have stated that the name was derived from the fact that the day was so hot that both sides threw off their chainmail hauberks and Plaids, fighting in their shirts.[2]