|
  
 
|
The Battle of Kringen, 26th August 1612
Adolph Tidemand /
Morten Müller: Sinclairs landing i Romsdal, painted 1976
In
1612 a force of some 550 Scots
arrived in Gudbrandsdalen under the command of Colonel
Alexander Ramsay with a company of Caithness men lead by
Captain George Sinclair of
Stirkoke, son of
David Sinclair and a nephew of the Earl of Caithness
(for many years George Sinclair was thought to be the
leader and Ramsay was forgotten).
They were simply passing through the valley intent
on reaching Sweden, which was then at war with Norway and
Denmark over the territory of Kalmar in the south of
Scandinavia. Their
passage through Norway had been peaceful since their
landing at the Isfjorden on the coast of Romsdal and Møre,
and they could not have anticipated what awaited them at
Kringen. They
did not know that young men conscripted from the valley
had been massacred in the Kalmar conflict, and that the
farmers from Gudbrandsdalen were determined to resist
them. Plans
had been laid for an ambush, and the ambush was to be
triggered by local girl, Guri, who was to watch the column
as it made its slow passage along the old King’s road.
The photograph on the
Sinclair's Club website shows the old road
just before the ambush site, and the large memorial stone
with the carving of Pillarguri is at the site itself.
To further distract the Scots from the ambush
preparations, a man rode sitting backwards on his horse.
Once the right moment arrived, Guri, watching from
the mountain top above Otta blew a blast on her lur, a
long wooden horn, traditional to the area.
Tradition has it that the ambush started with logs
and rocks crashing down on the Scots from the steep
mountainside and blocking the road preventing advance or
withdrawal, and tradition also has it that Captain Sinclair was felled with a silver bullet from a single
musket shot fired by Berdon Sejelstad.
450 farmers fell on the Scots with their axes and
scythes and fierce hand-to-hand conflict ensued that left
the river running red with blood.
Weapons
in the Gudbrandsalen War Museum at Kvam
After
one and a half hours, only 134 Scots remained alive though
it is thought some escaped.
The farmers lost 6 men.
It is thought that the Scots had only a few weapons
between them, expecting to be armed when they reached
Sweden. While
the Caithness Company were volunteers raised by George
Sinclair, Ramsay’s men were from the prisons of the
south of Scotland and may not have been keen to join the
fight.
Georg Nielsen Strømdal: Slaget ved Kringen
The
survivors were taken prisoner and led off to Kvam, and
were to be taken to the Akershus Fortress in Oslo to await
their fate, but the farmers had their harvest to think of,
and again, tradition has it, they began to execute the
prisoners. Certainly
only 18, including Ramsay were taken to Oslo.
There were certainly many survivors, and there is
tradition of the local “Skotte” (Scots) farms being
cleared by one such survivor.
We have recently learned of a survivor who escaped
from the Akershus Fortress and made his way to Sweden,
where his descendants still live.
In Setesdal, a secluded valley in Southern Norway,
the dialect resembles old Scots, and there is a belief
their ancestors were convicts unwanted in Scotland.
More Kringen survivors?
Unquestionably, in Gudbrandsdalen today, the local
costume “bunad” incorporates a Tartan that is
reminiscent of the Red Sinclair.
Syver
Bakken’s book “Ringen om Kringen”, published last
year, is the best authority on the Battle and its origins
and aftermath.
In May 2001
Per A Holst re-published
"The
Massacre of the Scots at Kringen, 26th August
1612, based on accounts gathered in the Gudbrandsdalen
Valley by Hans Petter Schnitler Krag, Pastor of the Parish
of Vågå, 1820-1845" first published in 1838.
This is a rather uncomfortable read based on the oral
tradition that had built up in the valley and is an
alternative version of events with some interesting
illustrations. It is available from Otta Libris,
Johan Nygaardsgt. 17 B, , Tel: +47 61 23 00 14
Read a Review of Pastor
Krag's Account
Niven
Niven Sinclair
with a Tessak or Sinclairsabel that may have belonged to
Laurits Hage, Sherriff of Dovre, owned by Major John Monn.
Links:
Eddie Ramsay's Clan Ramsay Website
The Scottish Expedition in Norway in 1612
Caithness CWS - History - History of Caithness - Chapter 9
- Index
|
For further details see
the Sinclair's Club Website
 |
|
|
|
