In 1263 parts of a Scottish army attacked a small force of Norwegians who were attempting to salvage some ships from the fleet, carrying the armies of King Magnus Olafson of Mann and the Isles and his liege lord, King Haakon lV, which had been beached during a storm.

The Norwegians had been raiding the Scottish coast for some time and the Scots, under Alexander III, had been following them, hoping to catch their raiding parties.

The outcome of the confrontation is uncertain.Both claimed victory in their chronicles. Soon after the battle, King Haakon died, aged 59, in Bishop’s Palace, Orkney. After his death his more lenient son, Magnus lV,agreed in the 1266 Treaty of Perth, that the Hebrides could be sold to Scotland.

The “Pencil” monument stands just over 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the town centre – at the end of Bowen Craig Walk.