Battle of Palm Sunday

For the battle in the English War of the Roses originally known as 'the Palm Sunday Field', see Battle of Towton.

The Battle of Palm Sunday also known as the Massacre of Palm Sunday was a Scottish clan battle that took place in 1429 in the Scottish Highlands between the Clan Cameron and the confederation of Clan Chattan.^[1]

Battle of Palm Sunday
Part of Clan Cameron-Clan Mackintosh feud
Date 1429 Location Scottish Highlands Result Unknown
Belligerents
Clan Cameron	Chattan Confederation

Historical accounts

The battle is mentioned in several accounts such as Walter Bower (c. 1385–1449) in his work Scotichronicon, John Major (1467–1550) in his History of Greater Britain and George Buchanan (1506-1582) in his History of Scotland, Rerum Scoticarum Historia.^[2]

Background

The (Mackintosh of) Kinrara MS (manuscript, c.1680)^{[note 1]} states that just before the battle the Camerons had taken a spreagh of cattle from Strathdearn.^[2]

Battle

According to Major, the Clan Cameron and Clan Chattan both having deserted Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross attached themselves like honest men to the king, but on the Palm Sunday following the Clan Chattan put to death every mother's son of the Clan Cameron.^[4] Buchanan stated that many of the Mackintoshes and almost all of the Camerons were slain.^[5] The Clan Cameron account states that the Clan Mackintosh who were leaders of the Chattan Confederation attacked the Camerons when they were worshiping in a church and that during the engagement most of the Mackintoshes and almost the whole tribe of Camerons were cut to pieces.^[1][6]