The Battle of Corrichie, 1562: The Fall of the Cock o’ the North

At a glance

Date	28 October 1562
Context	Mary, Queen of Scots vs the Gordons
Where	The Hill of Fare, near Banchory, Aberdeenshire
Royal (for Mary)	the Earl of Moray
Rebel	the 4th Earl of Huntly (Gordon)
Outcome	Decisive royal victory; Gordon power broken

Background

When Mary returned from France in 1561, power lay with her Protestant half-brother, Lord James Stewart, Earl of Moray. His new earldom was also claimed by the Catholic 4th Earl of Huntly, the “Cock o’ the North.” When Huntly’s son defied royal authority, Mary made a personal progress north to break Gordon power, and the confrontation came at Corrichie on the Hill of Fare.

The battle

The Gordons held the high ground, but Moray used arquebus fire to drive them down into boggy ground where they could not manoeuvre. When they charged, they reportedly threw away their spears expecting a sword pursuit — but Moray’s disciplined pikemen held, levelled their pikes, and shattered the charge.

George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, died on the field — captured, he reportedly died of apoplexy (a stroke) without a wound. His son Sir John Gordon was executed at Aberdeen three days later, and Huntly’s embalmed corpse was later brought before Parliament to be posthumously attainted. The “Queen’s Chair,” where Mary is said to have watched, is tradition.

Outcome & significance

The battle broke, for a time, the greatest Catholic magnate power in Scotland and consolidated Mary’s — and Moray’s — authority in the north-east.

The site today

A memorial cairn near the Corrichie burn, and the traditional Queen’s Chair on the Hill of Fare; it survives strongly in ballad. Corrichie is not on the formal Inventory of Historic Battlefields.

The clans & people involved

Clan Gordon — Huntly and his following, defeated.
Royal side: Moray, with the Gordons’ local rivals the Forbes and Leslie among the levies.

Sources

Battle of Corrichie — Wikipedia; Clan Forbes Society.

📝 Kevin’s note: a photo of the Hill of Fare / the Queen’s Chair — add from our own visit.

Explore Scottish Outposts

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