Latest / The Story of Scotland: Clans, Crowns, and the Fight for Identity — Fexingo History / The Glen Coe Massacre: Clan Feud and Government Betrayal
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've covered the Jacobite risings in broad strokes, and the Highland Clearances, but there's one event that sits right at the crux of both — a moment so infamous that it's still a raw nerve in Scotland. I'm talking about the Glen Coe Massacre. Luna: Glen Coe — that's the one where the Campbells slaughtered the MacDonalds, right? While they were guests? Lucas: That's the popular version, yes, but the reality is more complicated and, in some ways, even darker. It happened in February 1692, in the depths of a brutal Highland winter. The Clan MacDonald of Glen Coe had extended their hospitality to a company of soldiers, about 120 men, led by Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon. They'd been billeted in the glen for nearly two weeks, eating the MacDonalds' food, sharing their fires. Then, at five in the morning on the 13th, the soldiers turned on their hosts. Luna: How many died? Lucas: Around 38 men, women, and children were killed directly in the massacre, though many more — perhaps 40 — died of exposure in the blizzard that followed as they fled into the mountains. The glen was then looted and burned. But here's the thing: this wasn't some spontaneous clan feud. It was a government operation, ordered from the top. Luna: What do you mean, from the top? Lucas: The orders came from Sir John Dalrymple, the Secretary of State for Scotland, and they were approved by King William III himself. The background is the 1691 Jacobite rising. William had offered a pardon to all Highland chiefs who took an oath of allegiance to him by January 1st, 1692. Most did, but MacIain, the chief of Glen Coe, was late. He only swore on January 6th, and even then at the wrong sheriff — a technicality. Dalrymple used that as an excuse to make an example of one clan, to terrorise the others into submission. Luna: So it was deliberate, not just a Campbell-MacDonald grudge match. Lucas: Exactly. Dalrymple's orders were explicit: 'no prisoners'. And the soldiers billeted with the MacDonalds were actually under the command of a different officer, Major Duncanson, but it was Campbell of Glenlyon who had to give the actual orders on the ground. And he was related by marriage to the MacDonalds — his niece was married to one of MacIain's sons. The betrayal was personal. Luna: That makes it even worse. So what happened afterwards? Were they ever held accountable? Lucas: That's the other dark twist. There was a public outcry, and the government had to hold an inquiry. But Dalrymple was only temporarily dismissed, then reinstated. The scapegoat was Sir Thomas Livingstone, the commander in Scotland, who was blamed for exceeding orders. Campbell of Glenlyon died a few years later, apparently unrepentant. The massacre became a rallying cry for the Jacobites and a symbol of government treachery that still resonates. Luna: It's incredible how one event can sum up so much of the tension between the Highlands and the central government. Lucas: It really does. And it's a reminder that the stories we think we know — like 'the Campbells massacred the MacDonalds' — are often simplified. The Campbells were the instruments, but the hand that held the knife was London. That's the kind of nuance we try to bring to these episodes. Luna: And we can do that because we don't have advertisers breathing down our necks. Lucas: Exactly. We deliberately keep this show ad-free, because we want the freedom to explore history in depth without anyone telling us to sensationalise or simplify. If that kind of approach matters to you, and you'd like to support it, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure at all — just an option if you want to help keep these conversations going. Luna: It's a small way to ensure we can keep telling these stories properly. Lucas: Absolutely. So, back to Glen Coe — after the massacre, the survivors who made it through the snow were taken in by other clans, and the name 'Glen Coe' became a byword for betrayal. It even entered the English language — the phrase 'to give someone Glen Coe' used to mean a treacherous welcome. Luna: I didn't know that. So it had that kind of cultural impact. Lucas: Yes, for centuries. And the site itself is still deeply charged. If you visit Glen Coe today, there's a memorial, and the atmosphere can feel heavy. It's a place where the land remembers. And the story is still contested — some Campbell descendants argue that their ancestors were just following orders, while MacDonalds see it as the ultimate act of treachery. But what's undeniable is that it was a state-sponsored atrocity, cynically planned to break the spirit of the clans. Luna: And it worked, at least in the short term. Lucas: It did. The Jacobite rising of 1715 was still to come, but the massacre sent a clear message: the government would stop at nothing. It also hardened the resolve of the Jacobites. For them, Glen Coe became proof that the House of Stuart was the only protection against English tyranny. And that legacy lasted right through to the '45 rising. Luna: So in a way, the massacre helped fuel the very thing it was supposed to suppress. Lucas: Exactly. It's one of those events that backfired spectacularly. The government wanted to terrify the Highlands into submission, but instead, they created martyrs. And the story of Glen Coe is still told around fires in the glen, 330 years later. That's the power of a good story — even a terrible one. Luna: Thanks for unpacking that. I think I'll never look at a map of Glen Coe the same way again.