This terrifyingly beautiful piece of weaponry is the Great Sword of Dunvegan, an important relic to Clan MacLeod, kept safe in the belly of Dunvegan Castle.
It’s over 500 years old, probably from the late 15th century and made for the Uilleam Dubh, otherwise known as William ‘Long Sword’ MacLeod.
William was the 7th Chief of the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, leading the clan from his home on Skye, but travelling far and wide. He led raids in Orkney, attended councils in Islay and eventually died in Mull.
That happened during a rebellion in the Hebrides, as Angus Og MacDonald fought his father John for the position of Lord Of The Isles. William’s clan fought for John while the MacLeods of Lewis followed Angus, with skirmishes taking place across the Hebrides.
Sadly, even with the Great Sword Of Dunvegan in his hands, William was killed during the Battle of Bloody Bay, the climax of the conflict which saw Angus Og victorious. William’s body was taken to Iona, the last of the MacLeod chiefs to be buried at the abbey there.
His son Alasdair Crotach would build St Clements Church on Harris, starting a new traditional burial place for this important island clan. That’s where I’m headed today, where I’ll see his effigy, depicted holding this historic sword!
The word claymore was first used in reference to swords in the 18th century in Scotland and parts of England to refer to basket-hilted swords. They were used in constant clan warfare at their English borders. This claymore is made from stainless steel with a whopping 38.75 inch blade. It features a two-handed cruciform hilt with pommel and like in the 15th to 17th centuries this sword has sloping quillons with quatrefoil terminations. The handle is made from wood with a spiral twist design running down the length. Then it was stained in a rich oak brown. An advantage to carrying this great sword was that your enemy could be slain from a longer range than your average sword. If the enemy got too close the guard of the Claymore sword could be used to effectively brush off attacks and strike the enemy, and if they get very close the pummel on the hilt could be used to crack skulls. One unique thing about this sword is in battles, soldiers would circle the sword around the head to show the enemy that they were intending to take off their heads as trophy when the battle was won. Included with this iconic sword is a handmade leather sheath.
