| Battle of the Spoiling Dyke | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theScottish clan wars | |||||||
 The ruins of Trumpan Church | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Clan MacDonald of Sleat | Clan MacLeod | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Almost all | Unknown | ||||||
TheBattle of the Spoiling Dyke orBattle of the Spoiled Dyke (Scottish Gaelic:Blar Milleadh a’ Ghàraidh, Millegearaidh) was aScottish clan battle that took place in 1578 on the island ofSkye between theMacDonalds of Uist[1] andClan MacLeod.[2][3]
The MacDonalds ofUist barred the doors ofTrumpan Church, or Kilconan Church as it was once known, east of the shores of Ardmore Bay. They then set fire to the church full of worshipers. No one escaped alive except one girl who, although mortally wounded, managed to give the alarm. On hearing the news, the chief of Clan MacLeod and his men set off for Ardmore bay where a battle ensued. The MacDonalds were killed almost to a man. The corpses of the MacDonalds were dragged and then buried in a turf dyke, and the incident remembered as the "Battle of the Spoiling Dyke". Theatrocity by the MacDonalds was to exact vengeance on the MacLeods for their atrocity of the massacre of MacDonalds in theCave of Frances on theIsle of Eigg a couple of years earlier.[4] This again was atit-for-tat revenge between the two feuding clans.[2][5][6]