Battle of Dunkeld

Today Dunkeld Cathedral is a peaceful place, alongside a gentle section of the river Tay. Back in 1689, the cathedral was surrounded by buildings and the raging clash of battle.

During the first Jacobite rising, a small government force known as the Cameronians had been ordered to hold Dunkeld at all costs. The Jacobites had recently won the Battle of Killiecrankie and the Scottish Privy Council was panicking. If they weren’t contained in the Highlands, then the government might soon be overthrown.

With its strong perimeter wall, the cathedral was the strongest location in town and the soldiers fortified themselves around it. As the Jacobites stormed the town, the Cameronians were facing a jubilant army four times their size. Fighting was brutal, hand to hand from street to street with no chance of escape for the government troops.

Eager to secure high ground, the Jacobites pushed their enemy out of the houses and moved into the upper floors. Without realising it, they had just trapped themselves inside a tinder box. With ammunition running low, the soldiers set buildings on fire as they retreated to the cathedral.

The battle raged for 16 hours with most of Dunkeld burning down in the process. Around 300 Jacobites had been killed when they retreated, leaving the government troops victorious and Dunkeld Cathedral full of musket holes. It was the beginning of the end for the first Jacobite rising.