Battle of the River Dee

Battle of the River Dee
Part of First War of Scottish Independence
Date 29 June 1308 Location near Buittle, Scotland 54°48′36.000″N 3°43′48.000″W / 54.81000000°N 3.73000000°W / 54.81000000; -3.73000000 Result Crown victory
Belligerents
Scottish Crown	Rebels
Commanders and leaders
Edward Bruce	Donald of Islay or Dungal MacDouall (See § Location and identity of Gallovidian leader)
Strength
Less than 1,200[1]	~1,200[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown, likely heavy[2]	~200 dead[1]

The Battle of the River Dee or the Battle of the River Cree, was fought on 29 June 1308 during the Scottish Wars of Independence near Buittle, on the banks of the River Dee or River Cree, Galloway, Scotland.^[3]

Sir Edward de Brus having been left in command in Galloway, Edward led a campaign in Galloway.^[3] Edward had defeated John St John during the Battle of Kirroughtree. He then turned his attention to the stronghold of Buittle Castle and the Balliol lands.^{[citation needed]}

On 29 June 1308, the forces of Edward met a force commanded by Donald of Islay or Dungal MacDouall of Galloway and Sir Ingram de Umfraville and Sir Aymer de St John, on the banks of the River Dee at a ford on the River.^[1] The forces of MacDouall were routed with heavy losses.^[3][2]

The battle may have been fought near Buittle, on the banks of the River Dee, rather than the Cree as claimed by the Bruce.^[4] Specifically, Gesta Annalia II relates that a certain 'Donald of the Isles' led a host of Gallovidians to the River Dee, where they were defeated by Edward Bruce, and the leader was himself captured.^{[5][note 1]} Whilst it is possible that the defeated man mentioned by this source might refer to Donald of Islay, an apparent member of Clan Donald,^[9] another possibility is that it instead refers to Dungal MacDouall.^[10]

A later account of the battle, preserved by the fifteenth-century Scotichronicon,^[11] confusingly identifies 'Donald of the Isles' as leader of the Gallovidian forces, but then includes a verse about the clash in which a 'Donald of Islay' is identified as an ally of Edward Bruce.^[12] As such, there is reason to suspect that the Bruce-aligned 'Donald' mentioned by this source is identical to Donald of Islay,^[13] and that the Gallovidian-aligned 'Donald' is identical to Donald MacCann, a Gallovidian who consistently supported the English against the Bruces, and who disappears from record at about this point in history.^{[14][note 2]}

The account of Edward Bruce's campaigning against the Gallovidians, given by the Chronicle of Lanercost, states that his forces were partly composed of men from the Isles.^[17] The evidence of Donald of Islay in league with pro-Bruce forces could indicate that Gesta Annalia II was erroneous in placing him and the Islesmen against Edward Bruce's forces.^[18] One possibility is that the account given by Chronicle of Lanercost influenced Gesta Annalia II in its identification of Edward Bruce's foe as from the Isles.^{[10][note 3]}