By Christopher Scott Thompson

The Lochaber ax derives ultimately from the two-handed ax used by the Vikings. The "Danish ax" was not as long as the later Highland weapon, and it had a different type of blade. But it was retained in the Western Highlands and Islands long after the Vikings had been driven out.

Ironically, the defeat of the Vikings in the Hebrides was engineered by Gaelic warriors who were at least partially Norse themselves. The leading Gaelic families intermarried with the local Viking warlords, and adopted Viking military technology such as the mail coat, Danish ax and war galley. The result was a hybrid culture- Gaelic-speaking, but Norse in appearance, and of mixed Gaelic and Norse descent. These mixed clans were known as the Gall-Gaels ("Viking-Gaels,") and it was the Gall-Gaels who drove out the Vikings themselves to establish a new Gaelic sub-kingdom in the Hebrides. Prominent Gall-Gael clans included the MacDonalds, MacLeods, MacSweeneys and MacNeils. Their victory over the Vikings was partly due to an innovation in shipbuilding methods. Gall-Gael war galleys, while otherwise almost identical to the Viking war galleys, had rudders rather than steering boards, allowing for better control among the Hebridean islands. These galleys continued to be used for piracy and Viking-style raids for many centuries, with the MacNeils in particular continuing to lead a recognizably Viking lifestyle well into the seventeenth century:

"In the olden days the MacNeils were great pirates: they terrified the whole countryside by their plundering expeditions at sea. Perhaps this is why the powerful Lords of the Isles were favourable to the MacNeils; expert seamen were more useful as allies than as enemies in those far-off days. That they were doughty rievers is to some extent proved by the fact that, as one of our great Hebridean historians tells us, they ‘took toll of the Irishmen.’ Not unlike the wild MacLeods of Lewis, the MacNeils subsisted largely on the plunder which they took at sea, and which they carried off on their predatory excursions into the territories of those neighbouring clans on the mainland, who often showed great and well-justified hostility toward them."

The battle-ax was a favorite weapon of the Gall-Gael, the clans of mixed Gaelic and Nordic stock. They continued to use it when they began to serve as galloglass mercenaries in Ireland after about 1300. The long mail coat and two-handed battle-ax were the most recognizable features of the galloglass warriors from the Hebrides. The poet Spenser described them as being "(A)rmed in a long shirt of mayle down to the calfe of the leg, with a long broad axe in his hand... yet sure they are valiant and hardie, for the most part great endurers of cold, labour, and all hardnesse, very active and strong of hand, very swift of foot, very diligent and circumspect in their enterprises."

This ax was known in English as the "sparth." Its shaft was about four feet long, and its blade was often of a standard battle-ax shape, rather small in comparison to its later development. The sparth was common in both Ireland and Scotland for some time.

It is thought that the Lochaber ax itself may have been developed after the disastrous defeat at Flodden in 1513, to counter the English bill. The bill was a type of poleax, shorter than the long pike used by the Scottish army, and more maneuverable. Once the English soldiers got in under the heads of the long pikes, they could cut at the Scotsmen with these bills. But when the Scots threw down their pikes and drew their swords, they found that the bills were long enough to keep them at bay. At Flodden, much of the Scottish nobility was slain on the battlefield.

Whether or not this was the cause, Highland warriors at some point modified the sparth. They gave it a longer shaft- from 76"-100" on average- and a large, half-moon blade. They also added a hook, called a "cleek" in Lowland Scots, which could be used to pull a horseman down from his mount. There was a great deal of variation in this design, however- some Lochaber axes were still only four feet long, some had a thrusting tip as well as a blade for cutting, some had no cleek and some had an extraordinarily large cleek, while the shape of the ax head varied from region to region or because of personal preference.

This weapon could be improvised cheaply and quickly. Thus, it was a good weapon for those who could not afford to buy a broadsword and targe, and it was frequently made of lower-quality steel. It was sometimes carried on campaign by the lower ranks of clansmen, but it was often the weapon of the mercenaries who became so common during the chaotic Age of the Forays.

The Gaelic word for all types of battle-ax is tuagh catha, while a Lochaber ax specifically could be referred to as a tuagh abrach.

Although the Lochaber ax was inexpensive, its length made it a deadly tool in the hands of a skilled warrior:

"When the Campbells came to the top of the slope and saw a superior force of the McLeans at the foot, they resolved, like brave men, to give battle and sell their lives as dearly as possible. With a shout, they descended to the attack, but, on coming within striking distance, they found that they were placed at a serious disadvantage; while they could not reach with their arms even the heads of their opponents, their feet and legs were hewn off by the latter with their battle-axes, and none of the Craignish men escaped alive to carry home the sad tidings of the slaughter of their comrades."

The Lochaber ax was also carried in the Lowlands, by the city guards in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and elsewhere. They used it to put down urban riots, which were common at the time.

The Lochaber ax, in its most typical form, is a half-moon blade with a cleek or hook, mounted on a 76-100" wooden shaft. The butt end of this shaft is called the heel.

Although it may seem that only a small part of this weapon can be used to cut the enemy, you should remember that even with a sword only a small section of the blade is actually used for cutting.

According to James Logan in his "Scottish Gael," there was a shorter version of the Lochaber ax, which could be wielded with a single hand, with the thumb extended along the shaft. This could be the same as the short Lochaber ax shown in McBane and Hope, although in both cases this is used with both hands. Perhaps this shorter ax could be used either with one hand or two, depending on the circumstances. When using both hands, the method would be much the same as for the longer ax, but when using one hand, the method would more closely resemble that of the broadsword. Logan states that, even when used in one hand, the ax could cleave through any mail.