Portal:Scotland/Selected article/Week 3, 2010

The Battle of Barry is a legendary battle in which the Scots, purportedly led by Malcolm II, defeated a Danish invasion force in 1010 AD. Its supposed site in Carnoustie, Angus can be seen in early Ordnance Survey maps. The history of the event relies heavily on tradition and it is currently considered to be apocryphal. The battle was named for the Parish of Barry, rather than the village, and was formerly thought to have taken place at the mouth of the Lochty burn, in the vicinity of the area that is now occupied by Carnoustie High Street.

While the battle is not historically authentic, its romantic appeal continues to capture the popular imagination. The account of the battle was first recorded by sixteenth century Scots historian, Hector Boece. Boece informs us that Sueno, king of Denmark and England, unhappy with news of his army's defeat at Mortlach, ordered a naval task force to set sail for Scotland. Part of the force was to sail from Denmark, and the rest from the Thames, both under the command of Camus.

Upon seeing that the battle was lost, Camus fled to the hills, pursued by Robert de Keith (fictional ancestor of the Marischals of Scotland), who caught up with and slew him at Brae Downie where, it is said, the Camuston Cross was erected in memory of him.