At the Battle of Ardnaree (1586) in County Mayo, Sir Richard Bingham, the English governor of Connacht, surprised and attacked a force of Scottish mercenaries (known as redshanks) who had been hired by the Burke clan. In the assault, approximately 1,000 redshanks and an equal number of non-combatant camp followers were killed. Following the battle, Bingham ordered the surviving leaders of the Burke faction to be hanged, further consolidating English authority in the west of Ireland.