Battle of Killiecrankie

The battle was fought on 27th July 1689, not in the pass itself but on higher ground near Urrard House one mile to the North. A force of Jacobite supporters of James VII under Graham of Claverhouse, Bonnie Dundee, routed William III's army under General Mackay. Dundee himself was killed in the action, which lasted only a few minutes; deprived of his leadership, the Jacobite cause failed to hold the advantage gained by the victory. The Soldier's Leap, the pass below the Visitor's Centre, is a formidable jump said to have been cleared in retreat by one Donald MacBean of Mackay's forces. On the way down to the leap there is a viewpoint that earned commendation in Queen Victoria's diary after a visit by her in 1844.