The Forgotten Dead
A new excavation in Fife hopes to unearth the remains of around 2000 Scottish soldiers who died at the 1651 Battle of Pitreavie
A new excavation in Fife hopes to unearth the secrets of the 1651 Battle of Pitreavie
THE whole character of Scotland changed when the Battle of Pitreavie was lost on a summer morning in 1651 just outside Dunfermline. But with the turmoil and complexity of that period, this crucial event is not as well known as it should be.
Archaeologist Douglas Speirs acknowledges that many people have never heard of the battle, but says the crushing defeat for the Scots was a crucial turning point in the rule of the country.
“After the battle, Oliver Cromwell gained control north of the Forth and was then able to subjugate the whole country,” Douglas says. “He promptly set about fundamentally changing the social, legal, political and economic character of Scotland.”
Now, Douglas, a Fife County archaeologist and Dundee City archaeologist, is preparing to excavate a patch of ground next to the M90 spur leading to the ancient capital of Dunfermline. He believes this is where the battle took place, where 2000 Scottish soldiers lost their lives and were buried where they fell.
Plans are currently in preparation for a transport hub on the site but Douglas and his team have permission to excavate the area first. He is hoping to start later this year, if coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
“Discoveries of deposits relating to the battle might jolt Scotland to better remember Pitreavie, the last true battle between England and Scotland,” he says.
“Culloden was a century later, but … in that battle there were Scots regiments fighting in the ‘English’ army with Cumberland against their Jacobite countrymen.”
Before the Battle of Pitreavie, which is also known as the Battle of Inverkeithing, Cromwell spent nearly a year trying to cross the Forth following a decisive victory at the Battle of Dunbar. But Scottish batteries on the island of Inchgarvie, below where the Forth Bridge now stands, proved too effective.
On the night of Wednesday, July 16, 1651, however, English ships took out the island stronghold while Cromwell’s 1600-strong force of cavalry and foot soldiers under Colonel Robert Overton landed on the south side of the Inner Bay of Inverkeithing.
The gun batteries at North Queensferry and a large array of cannons at Ferry Hill were then destroyed.
This was all done within two hours and the English dug in, behind a defensive barrier. Colonel Overton reported to Cromwell that he had taken the peninsula with almost no incident, Cromwell made a snap decision and sent the remaining force, boosting English numbers to 5500.
“The Scots were caught off guard,” says Douglas. “They hurriedly sent an army from Stirling to contain the landing. The night before the battle, you had 5500 Cromwellian soldiers and opposing them about the same number of Scottish forces digging in on the high ground of the Whinney Hill, Castland Hill and Muckle Hill.
These hills encircled the 400-metre (1314-feet) wide neck of land that connected the North Queensferry peninsula to the Fife mainland.
On Sunday morning the battle commenced. Musket and cannon fire were exchanged and both sides sent cavalry charges but the Scottish cavalry were routed.
“The English managed to chase the Scots from their high ground position. After about 4km (2.4 miles) of