Carnoustie was the site of the legendary Battle of Barry in which the Scots, supposedly led by Malcolm II, defeated a Danish invasion force in 1010 AD. The history of this event relies heavily on tradition, much of which is fanciful, and it is unclear whether any serious archaeological study has ever been carried out. The scale and importance of the battle, and indeed it's historical authenticity is unknown.
The Scots army is supposed to have gathered at Barry Sands and, from there, ambushed the Danish Army who intended to take Dundee. The exact location of the battle is unknown, but the Lochty burn is said to have run red with blood for three days following it. No record of the event is found before that written by Hector Boece in the sixteenth century. It is reasonable to suspect that Boece transcribed the story from oral tradition, being originally a local from Panbride. In favour of its historicity, a number of tumuli are reported to have been found during the early building of Carnoustie and a number of fragments of armaments were uncovered at Pitskelly in 1812[4].
Suffering heavy losses, the leader of the Danes, Camus, is said to have fled the battlefield, but was pursued by Robert de Keith, who caught up with him at Brae Downie where, it is said, the Camus Cross was erected in memory of him. It is important to note, however, that there is no other record of Camus and many believe the cross is more likely to mark the grave of a local chieften.
The etymology of the name 'Carnoustie' is ultimately unknown, but is sometimes said to derive from 'Cairn of Hosts' in memory of the battle. Other possibilities include the gaelic 'Car na fheusta' (The rock of the feast or pinewood) or that it is a combination of the prefix 'Car', meaning 'rock' common in the area and the Old Norse term 'noust', meaning 'boat beaching place', also common in parts of Scotland. A local legend has it that, following the Danes defeat at the Battle of Barry, the Norse gods cursed the area with a plague of crows, and the town became known as 'Craws Nestie'.
The name predates the town itself by several hundred years and Carnoustie House (spelt Karnousty) can be seen on maps as early as the 16th century.