Battle of Clynetradwell

The Battle of Clynetradwell was a Scottish clan battle that took place in 1590 in the county of Sutherland between the forces of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland and George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness (chief of Clan Sinclair).

Background

The Earl of Sutherland and Earl of Caithness had long been at feud. In 1587 the Earl of Caithness's forces had killed George Gordon of Marle who was a relative of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland, and his death caused a great sensation in Sutherland. An ally of the Earl of Caithness, John Sutherland, was also killed.

In 1590 Sinclair, Earl of Caithness gathered all of his forces and invaded Sutherland. He was in fact supported by the Sutherland Laird of Forse who was seated at Forse Castle, and who descended from the original line of Earls of Sutherland who had been ousted and replaced by the Gordons in the early 16th century, and the hamlet of Forse was in the county of Caithness. The Earl of Caithness was also supported by Donald Balloch Mackay of Scourie who was a half-brother of Huistean Du Mackay, 13th of Strathnaver, chief of the Clan Mackay. Huistean Du Mackay actually supported the Earl of Sutherland in 1590 but he and his half-brother Donald had long been disunited owing to a disputed chiefship: Donald Balloch was actually the elder of the two but his parents having been first cousins meant that their marriage was an irregular one under canon law and so he could not succeed as clan chief. Also, Donald Balloch Mackay had been banished out of Strathnaver and Sutherland for killing James Mackroy and therefore retired himself to the Earl of Caithness.

Battle

The Gordons of Sutherland watched the Earl of Caithness's men driving away a large herd of cattle at Clynetradwell (or "Clentredvaill").