Appeal for help to discover site of Pictish battlefield

HISTORIC Scotland is seeking the help of the public in its attempt to identify the lost site of one of the most pivotal battles in Scottish history.

The Battle of Dún Nechtain, also known as the Battle of Nechtansmere, was fought in the Pictish heartland of present-day Angus on 20 May, 685, and resulted in a decisive victory for the Picts over an army from Northumbria.

Historians have claimed that the Pictish triumph laid the foundations for a distinctive Scottish state, which endured until the Act of Union in 1707.

But despite its importance, the battle cannot be listed on Historic Scotland’s Inventory of Historic Battlefields because the precise site cannot be identified, although many believe it was at Dunnichen Hill near the Angus village of Letham.

Experts from Historic Scotland and the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology plan to appeal to the public for help when they present a progress report on their research at a meeting in Forfar next month.

Olwyn Owen, head of the Historic Scotland team responsible for battlefields, said: “Our difficulty lies in locating the battlefield in the modern landscape with sufficient confidence to allow it to be included in the inventory. Accurate location is one of the key criteria for inclusion.

“But there is very limited historical information to go on.”