Siege of Inverness (1649)

The siege of Inverness that took place in 1649 was part of the 17th century Scottish Civil War that was in itself part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

On the 5th of February 1649, Charles II had been proclaimed king when it was decided that Charles and his friends who were in exile should make a second attempt to recover the kingdom once again led by the royalist army leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. As a result a rising took place in the north of Scotland under Colonel Hugh Fraser who was joined by John Munro of Lemlair, Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine and Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty.

On the 22nd of February they entered Inverness where they expelled the garrison of Inverness Castle and afterwards demolished the walls and fortifications. On the 26th of February a council of war was held. Here they framed certain enactments in terms of which they took the customs and excise of the six northern counties into their own hands. Soon afterwards General David Leslie, Lord Newark was sent north to attack them. The clans then retreated from Inverness back into Ross-shire. Leslie placed a garrison in the Castle Chanonry of Ross and terms of surrender were made between him and all of the clans except for the Mackenzies. As soon as Leslie left for the south the Mackenzies attacked and retook the Castle Canonry of Ross.

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose eventually landed in Ross-shire the following year in 1650, expecting support from the clans who had rebelled in 1649. However by this time many of them had switched sides and actually opposed him at the Battle of Carbisdale.