The Battle at Mortlach Part 2

The Statistical Account of Scotland's entry for Mortlach (Vol. XVII, 1796), by Rev. George Gordon and the New Statistical Account of Scotland's entry for Mortlach (Vol XIII, 1845), by Rev. Morris Forsyth, also provide accounts of the battle.

Malcolm II defeated the Danes in 1010. The Danes having gained Moray the previous year following victory over Malcolm.

The armies met a little north of the church of Mortlach. At first the battle was in favour of the Danes, with three Scottish thanes killed, Kenneth Thane of the Isles, Dunbar Thane of Laudian, and Graeme Thane of Strathern. The army in retreated to the church where the pass was narrow and held up the pursuing Danes. after praying and paying homage to the virgin mary and Molucus/St Molach (to whom the church was dedicated), and the giving a rousing speech to his troops, Malcom led his force, personally killing one of the Danish commanders, Enetus/Euetus and achieving victory. The account suggests that the final engagement as a few hundred years south-west of the Castle of Balvery, which is a mile from the church.

The description of the events in the two accounts is almost the same, almost word for word the same for such of the accounts, indicating a single source for them both.

Rev. Morris Forsyth credits Rev. Lachlan Shaw's History of The Province of Moray, for the description he gives, whereas Rev. George Gordon does not. The way the two Statistical Accounts describe the battle does not follow the Rev. Shaw's narrative.

Rev. Gordon says that the chapel was dedicated to Molucus, Rev. Forsyth uses the alternative, St Molach. There is also difference in the spelling of the Danish commander's name.

Rev. Gordon includes the detail about releasing dammed water to separate the Danish force, but concludes whilst it might have happened it was more likely to have happened at another occasion rather than during this battle, and recommends Fordun and Boece etc. as references.

In Rev. Gordon's section about the battle he includes a number of features said to be related to the battle;

an entrenchment, still known as the Danish Camp, on the summit of "the little Conval-hill",

tumuli or cairns, containing bodies of the slain,

a huge, irregular round stone, from the grave of Enetus, now part of a boundary of corn field, and called the Aquavitae Stone.

near the northwest corner of a the "fir-park" of Tomna-muid south if the Stone is a flat area, where bodies are buried.

a standing stone on the glebe which has "some rude and unintelligible" sculpture on both sides.

The west end of the church was extended by 23 or 24 feet, the length of "Malcom's spear", in recognition of his vow.

into this extension are 3 holes, where the skulls of three Danes "of distinction" had been placed, and were there still there in the 1760's where the remains of the skulls were "tossed about by the school boys"

Rev. Forsyth also briefly mentions most of the features, adding more detail about the standing stone, as being "about seven feet high" and "rudely-carved - the cross and two figures of animals, and on the other side a snake"

Describing the Pictish carved stone, currently in the church cemetery.

Rev. Gordon mentions that 40 or 50 years before, a chain of gold was found whilst ploughing the glebe.

Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Record notes that the

"location is marked on the 1st and 2nd edition OS maps, and the tradition of the Battle is still known locally." and references Hector Boece as a primary source, and places the battle in 1005 CE.

The Ordnance Survey cards held on trove.scot only refers to Shaw and Hollinshead as providing any evidence for the battle.

Ordnance Survey six-inch to the mile 1st ed. Banffshire, Sheet XXV, Scotland 1843-1882

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland (CC-BY(NLS))

Cropped by myself to highlight places mentioned