550 



NOTES AND QUEEIES. 



[No. 163. 



most resolute Commanders had not y^ courage to 

 lifte a hand to defend themselves ; and our forces 

 without opposition did executione one them for 5 

 or 6 niyles, even untill sunne sett. 



" Ther wer killed 10 of their best Commanders, 

 most of their officers takin, and S86 comon soul- 

 diers. The number of the quhole (as y* prisoners 

 did informe) was not above 1200, of all wich ther 

 did not escape one 200, bot wer ather takin pri- 

 soners, killed, or drawned in a river y'* was neir 

 y* place ; ye cheiffe standard called y*^ kinges, and 

 four others, were takin ; y" Traitor James Grhame 

 escapit, bot was afterwards takin by the Laird 

 of Assin's people. His horse was takin ; his coate 

 •with y* starre, and sword belt, wer found on the 

 field. L. Col. Strachan received a shotte upon his 

 belley, but lighting upon the double of his belte 

 and buffe coate, did not peirce. 



" One of our troopers haisting too forwardly 

 after a boate, wich carried 2 or 3 of the enemie 

 over the river, was drowned, and 2 were woundit, 

 and this was all y*^ losse Straquhan and his fel- 

 lowes had. 



" It is to be remembered y'* Cap. Will. Rosse 

 and Cap. Johne Rosse came upe to the executione 

 with 80 fellowes chosen out of y'' country forces, 

 and did good service. 



" A Liste of those who were killed at y" Battle of Ker- 

 hester in Rosse, 27 Aprile, 1 650. 

 Laird of Pourie Ogilvy. 



Laird of Pitfodells, younger. Standard Bearer. 

 Jo. Douglasse, youngest sonne to Will. Earl of Morton. 

 3Ifijor Lyle. 

 Major Byger. 

 Capitan Stirling. 

 Captane Powell. 



" A Liste of the Officers takin. 



Vicount Frendraught. 



G. Major Urrie. 



Col. Graye. 



L. Col. Stewart. 



Major Stockes. 



Cap. Mortimer. 



Routte Master Vellemne- 



son. 



Peeter Squer, Cap. of Dra- 

 goons. 



Cap. Warden. 



Cap. Authenlecke. 



Cap. Spotswoode. 



Cap. Charteris. 



Cap. Lawsone. 



Leut* Carstaires. 



Leut. Vertrun. 



L. Androw Glen. 



L. Rob. Tenche. 



Ernestus Buchan. 



Laurence Van Lutenberge. 



L. Da. Druinond. 



L. Will. Rosse. 



L. Jo. Druinond. 



L. Ja. Din. 



L. Alex. Stewart. 



Cornett Ralph Martie. 



Cor. Hen. Erlachie. 



Cor. Daniell Beniiichie. 



Ens. Rob. Grahame. 



Ens. Adrian Rigwerthe. 



Ens. Hans Boaze. 



2 Q.uarterma'iters, 6 Ser- 

 jeants, 15 Corporalls, 2 

 Trumpetters, 3 Drum- 

 mers, 386 Souldiers, and 

 2 Ministers, Mr. Kiddie, 

 Mr. Meldrum." 



The above quaint but graphic account of one of 

 the battles of the olden times — the "last fiuht," 

 too, of the celebrated and gallant Marquess of 

 Montrose — is a literal copy of a MS. in the Ad- 



vocates' Library, Edinburgh (W. 7. 6.), supposed 

 to have belonged to Sir James Balfour of Den- 

 mill, Lord Lyon King-at-Arms, temp. Charles L 

 and Charles II. It is evidently a cotemporary 

 account ; and as, to the best of my belief, it has 

 never before appeared in print, I thought that it 

 might, perhaps, be worthy of a place in the pages of 

 " X. & Q.," and so be rescued from oblivion and 

 given to the world. 



The scene of the battle is very correctly de- 

 scribed. I know the place well, and have fre- 

 quently visited it, situated as it is in my native 

 parish of Kincardine, Ross-shire, N. B. The plain 

 is bounded on one side by a river of considerable 

 width and depth, the Oikel (hence " Strathekell," 

 or Strath Oikel), and on the other by a range of 

 low hills, still covered with a "scrogie woode." 

 I believe skulls, pieces of broken armour, and 

 weapons of war, have occasionally been dug up 

 in the field of battle, though I never saw any such; 

 nor does any tradition appear to linger about the 

 spot among the surrounding peasantry, which is 

 rather strange. 



When writing a description of the parish of Kin- 

 cardine, for the New Statistical Account of Scot- 

 land, some twelve years ago, I described the field 

 of battle and surrounding scenery rather minutely, 

 though the Edinburgh editor, who had the super- 

 vision of the publication, chose to abridge consi- 

 derably my account, and remove nearly all praise 

 of Montrose, of whom I have always been an 

 ardent admirer, considering him, in the words of, 

 I think. Cardinal de Retz, to have approached 

 nearer the heroes of antiquity described by Plu- 

 tarch, than any warrior of modern times. How- 

 ever, the covenanting spirit of the seventeenth 

 century still exists, and any praise of " the traitor 

 James Grahame " might have appeared out of 

 place in a work conducted by the Presbyterian 

 clergy of Scotland ; so my poor account was emas- 

 culated. 



It is easy to see, from the above account of this 

 battle, that it was written by an enemy of Mon- 

 trose, and adherent of the covenanting party ; but 

 still the facts are probably correct, and so I give 

 it, with all its imperfections of spelling and diction. 

 I do not know whether Mr. Napier, in his Life 

 and Times of Montrose, published a few years 

 since, gives a further account of the "Battle of 

 Kerbester," or rather Corbisdale, nor whether he 

 was aware of the existence of this MS. ; and I have 

 no access to that work in this country. A. S. A. 



Punjaub. 



[Mr. Napier, in his Life and Times of Montrose, 

 p. 469. edit. 1840, as well as in his Montrose and the 

 Covenanters, vol. ii. p. 530. edit. 1838, has given a vivid 

 description of the battle of Corbisdale, which substan- 

 tially agrees with the account furnished by our corre- 

 spondent. — Ed.J 



