The Battle of Brechin, 1452: A Blow to the Douglas Cause

At a glance

Date	18 May 1452
War	The Douglas rebellion under James II
Where	~2.5 miles NNE of Brechin, Angus
Winner	the Earl of Huntly (Gordon), for the King
Loser	the Earl of Crawford (Lindsay)
Marker	the Hare Cairn / Huntly Hill

Background

In February 1452 James II stabbed the 8th Earl of Douglas to death at Stirling, and the Douglas cause rose in revolt. In the north-east, the Earl of Crawford — “the Tiger,” a leading Douglas ally — took up arms.

The battle

A royalist army raised by Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly, with the Ogilvys, defeated Crawford near Brechin. Crawford soon submitted to the king.

Honesty note: no reliable casualty figures survive — do not repeat a toll. The date is sometimes given as 1451 through old-style dating; the Huntly Hill / Hare Cairn siting is traditional, not archaeologically fixed, so the map pin is approximate. Historians differ on whether Brechin was a nationally significant royal victory or essentially a local Gordon–Lindsay power struggle under the royal banner.

Why it mattered

Crawford’s submission left the Black Douglases isolated — a step on the road to their final destruction at Arkinholm in 1455 and the strengthening of the Stewart Crown.

The clans & people involved

Clan Gordon (Huntly) and the Ogilvys — for the King, victorious.
Clan Lindsay — the Earl of Crawford, defeated.

Brechin today is best known for whisky. Glencadam, on the edge of town, has been distilling since 1825 and is the last working distillery in Angus.

Sources

Battle of Brechin — Wikipedia; Douglas History.

📝 Kevin’s note: a photo of Huntly Hill / the Hare Cairn near Brechin — add from our own visit.

Explore Scottish Outposts

Clans · Whisky · Castles · Lochs · Kirks & Cathedrals · Standing Stones · Metal Detecting · Trips So Far