Glencoe, Massacre of

Slaughter in Glencoe, Scotland, of members of the MacDonald clan in 1692 by the Campbells, their hereditary enemies in league with government forces; the chief and 37 MacDonalds perished.

William III had offered a free pardon for all Highland chiefs who took an oath of allegiance before 1 January 1692. In error, the clan MacDonald of Glencoe went to Fort William, where there was only a military governor, and had to go 96 km/60 mi over the mountains to Inverary, where they took the oath, too late, on 6 January 1692.

On 11 January William signed an order authorizing military action against any clans who had not signed the oath, but offering terms to those who had taken the oath late. On 16 January, however, John Dalrymple, who was at that time secretary of state for Scotland, sent further instructions singling out the MacDanalds and giving orders ‘to extirpate that set of thieves’. Meanwhile, the MacDonald's oath was ‘lost’.

Early in February, Major Duncanson and Robert Campbell of Glenlyon led a troop of 100 men to Glencoe. Both Duncanson and Glenlyon were from the clan Campbell, the sworn enemies of the MacDonalds. They had been instructed ‘not to trouble the government with prisoners’. They took quarter with the MacDonalds, and enjoyed their hospitality for a number of days until, on 13 February, they attacked their hosts, killing nearly 40 men, women, and children.

When news of the massacre became public, the Scottish Parliament conducted an inquiry. It found that William III was innocent of any complicity, but voted that the affair was murder, and asked William to take action against Dalrymple, Duncanson, and Glenlyon. William, however, did not do so.

Discussion of the event has revolved on whether Dalrymple knew that the MacDonalds had taken the oath, whether he intended the action to be an example to the Highlanders, or whether he was pursuing a personal vendetta against the MacDonalds, who had ravaged his lands in 1678.