17th-Century Houseguests Slaughtered Hosts, and Archaeologists Are Investigating

By Tom Metcalfe, Live Science Contributor | March 19, 2018 06:48am ET

For the chief of a 17th-century Scottish clan, missing a deadline was nothing to shrug off. In fact, on Feb. 13, 1692, when he failed to swear his oath of allegiance to the king on time — possibly held back by a blizzard — a massacre ensued. Soldiers killed dozens of men, women and children who were part of the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe.

Now, archaeologists hope to find out what exactly happened on that infamous day in history. "We are trying to find remains that tie the landscape to the story of the massacre," said Derek Alexander, the head of archaeology at the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), who is leading the study team.

The team, Alexander said, will focus on three former farm settlements in Glencoe on land that is now owned by the NTS. At the time of the massacre, the settlements at Achtriachtan, Achnacon and Inverrigan in Glencoe were traditional Highland farming villages located a few miles apart, but they were later abandoned, Alexander said. [25 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries]

Highland massacre
In the late 17th century, each of the three former farm settlements had eight to 10 stone buildings and supported 70 to 80 people linked to the Glencoe branch of the powerful MacDonald clan, Alexander said.

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