02/10/2026
The Battle of Largs took place on this day in 1263. Did you know there's a link between the battle between the kingdoms of Norway and Scotland and Abernethy Round tower? ⚔️
Largs was an important encounter in Scotto-Norwegian War of 1262-1266. In the Norwegian expedition against Scotland in 1263, Hákon IV Hákonnarson of Norway tried to reassert Norwegian sovereignty over the western seaboard of Scotland, ruled by Alexander III.
Alexander III delivered an an ultimatum to Hákon in 1261: if he refused to sell the Hebrides, then Scotland was prepared to take them by force. Hákon refused. In retaliation, Scotland took control of the Isles through a devastating raid led by Uilleam, Earl of Ross.
The Norwegian king did not take this lightly, and travelled to Scotland for negotiations in Arran. When these failed, Hákon's forces began raiding the western mainland. The area around Loch Lomond was ravaged, and Alexander was forced to consider seeking peace. But natural forces intervened. A number of ships from the Norse main fleet anchored at Largs were beached in a storm. According to records, ‘a great part of the fleet dragged their anchors and were roughly cast on shore’.
Norwegian forces on the Scottish coast were made vulnerable to an attack. This was a major chance for the Scots. Over two days a battle was fought close to the shore. The Scots remembered this as a great victory, but tactically the victory went to Norway. They repulsed the Scots, held the beach, retrieved their slain men, and ensured their ships did not fall into enemy hands. Nevertheless, the battle forced the Norwegians into a hasty retreat that was to end their 500-year history of invasion.
More than six centuries later, in 1912, the battle was commemorated at Largs with the unveiling of a newly built stone tower. This is where the history of Abernethy Round Tower, 100 miles away from the site of the battle, connects with the conflict. The new tower's architect, James Sandyford Kay, had heard that Abernethy's tower, dating to the 1100s, had been built to defend the Firth of Tay against Norwegian invasion. He based his tower's design on Abernethy's because of this.
However, the actual story of how Abernethy got its round tower remains a mystery. While the architect may have been right about its defensive origins, it’s more likely that it served as the bell tower for an adjacent church. We'll leave it up to you whether you believe the more eventful origin story!
