Battle of Halidon Hill
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Halidon Hill (19 July 1333) was fought during the Second War of Scottish Independence
. Scottish
forces under Sir Archibald Douglas
were heavily defeated on unfavourable terrain while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
at the hands of Robert Bruce
and his supporters in 1306 the Wars of Scottish Independence
had also become a civil war. The Treaty of Northampton in 1328 brought to an end over thirty years of intermittent warfare between England and Scotland; but it also left a large and discontented party of Scots and Anglo-Normans, men with Balliol and Comyn associations, who had lost lands and property in Scotland. In 1332 under the leadership of Edward Balliol
, son and heir of King John Balliol, and Henry Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan, these men invaded Scotland with the tacit support of Edward III
, defeating the Bruce loyalists at the Battle of Dupplin Moor
. Building on this success Balliol was crowned King of Scotland. However, with very limited support in his new realm, he was ambushed at Annan
a few months later by supporters of David II
,led by Sir Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Moray
, The Steward
. Balliol fled to England half-dressed. He appealed to King Edward for assistance, having already promised to cede to him all of the counties of south-east Scotland in return. Edward dropped all pretence of neutrality, recognised Balliol as King of Scotland and made ready for war.
, and now Guardian of the Realm for the underage David, made arrangements for the defence of Berwick-upon-Tweed
. Weapons and supplies were gathered, and the defence of the town was entrusted to Sir Alexander Seton. These preparations were all complete by the time Balliol crossed into Roxburghshire
on 10 March. Besides the disinherited lords he was also accompanied by a number of English magnates. The army advanced quickly towards Berwick, which was placed under siege. The deceptions of the previous year had gone. Balliol was acting quite openly in the English interest. The Second War of Independence was underway.
Edward arrived at Berwick in person around the 1st of May, after leaving Queen Philippa
in the safety of Bamburgh Castle
on the Northumberland
coast. His ally and protege had been at Berwick for some two months, and had been so far unmolested that he had been able to place the town under close siege. Trenches had been dug, the water supply cut and all communication with the hinterland ended. The Guardian's inactivity contrasts sharply with Robert Bruce's swift response to the siege of 1319. Douglas seems to have spent the time gathering a national army, rather than using the troops he already had in diversionary raids.
With the arrival of the English king the attack on Berwick began in earnest. Seton carried out a spirited defence; but by the end of June, under repeated attack by land and sea, his troops were close to exhaustion. He requested and was granted a short truce, but only on the condition that he surrender if not relieved by 11 July. As a guarantee of good faith Seton was required to hand over a number of hostages, which included his son, Thomas. Scotland was now faced with exactly the same situation that England had before Bannockburn
: as a matter of national pride Douglas would have to come to the relief of Berwick, just as Edward II
had come to the relief of Stirling Castle
in 1314. The army the Guardian had spent so much time gathering was now compelled to take to the field, with all initiative lost. Nevertheless, Douglas' force was an impressive representation of the nation's strength and unity, with volunteers coming from all corners of the realm. As with all medieval armies the precise number of troops is difficult to estimate. It is possible, though, that the army was at least as strong as that which had fought at Bannockburn, perhaps even stronger. Douglas now began his belated march to the border.
, in contested Northumberland
. Tweedmouth was destroyed in sight of the English army: Edward did not move. A small party of Scots led by Sir William Keith managed with some difficulty to make their way across the ruins of the old bridge to the northern bank of the Tweed. Keith and some of his men were able to force their way through to the town. Douglas chose to consider this as a technical relief and sent messages to Edward calling on him to depart. This was accompanied with the threat that if he failed to do so the Scots army would continue south and devastate England. Again Edward did not move, so Douglas marched south to Bamburgh, perhaps hoping for a repeat of the events that led in former years to the Battle of Myton
. Whatever concerns the king had for his queen he knew that Bamburgh was strong and could easily withstand a siege. The Scots, moreover, did not have the time to construct the kind of equipment that would be necessary to take the fortress by assault. For Berwick, on the other hand, time was definitely running out.
, a small rise of some 600 ft. two miles to the north-west of Berwick, which gives an excellent view of the town and surrounding countryside. From this vantage point he was able to dominate all of the approaches to the beleaguered port. Any attempt by Douglas to by-pass the hill and march directly on Berwick would have been quickly overwhelmed. Crossing the Tweed to the west of the English position, the Guardian reached the town of Duns
on 19 July. On the following day he approached Halidon Hill from the north-west, ready to give battle on ground chosen by his enemy. It was a catastrophic decision. The Book of Pluscarden, a Scots chronicle, describes the scene:
They (the Scots) marched towards the town with great display, in order of battle, and recklessly, stupidly and inadvisedly chose a battle ground at Halidon Hill, where there was a marshy hollow between the two armies, and where a great downward slope, with some precipices, and then again a rise lay in front of the Scots, before they could reach the field where the English were posted.
The approach was observed by Henry Beaumont, who would have advised Edward of the tactics that brought victory at Dupplin Moor when the two met at York the previous December. The order of battle now employed mirrored those used at Dupplin, with some variations owing to superior strength. The army was divided into three divisions, comprising infantry, men-at-arms and knights. All made ready to fight on foot in a defensive position. The left was commanded by Balliol; the centre by Edward; and the right by Thomas Brotherton
, Earl of Norfolk
, and Earl Marshall of England. Standing on the flanks of each division were six supporting wings of archers. The bowmen projected slightly forward in a wedge formation to offer maximum use of supporting crossfire, an arrangement later adopted at Crécy
. Edward was required to take no further action: for if Douglas refused to give battle, as caution and good sense demanded, Berwick would fall by default.
Douglas' army was also arranged in three divisions, drawn up in traditional schiltron
formation: the Guardian commanded the left; Robert Stewart
, the future king, commanded the centre; and John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
the right. As Pluscarden says, to engage the English they had to advance downhill, cross a large area of marshy ground, and then climb up the northern slope of Halidon Hill. Although the Scots spearmen had proved their worth against cavalry at Stirling Bridge
and Bannockburn, the battles of Dupplin Moor and Falkirk
had shown how vulnerable they were to arrows. Not only was the ground bad, but it must have been obvious to the Guardian as he looked towards the massed ranks of Edward's archers that this was not going to be a cavalry battle. The prudent course of action would have been to withdraw and wait for a better opportunity to fight; but this would mean the automatic loss of Berwick. The Scots were now to fight one of the most disadvantageous battles in their history.
It was Moray's depleted schiltron that first made contact with the enemy, closing on Balliol's division on the left. The Stewart followed, advancing on King Edward in the centre. Douglas came in their wake. But even before Stewart and Douglas arrived Moray's front ranks were failing in the hand-to-hand fighting with Balliol. With no let up in the arrows, the schiltron broke, retreating rapidly downhill. Panic spread from the centre to the left. With English arrows directed towards the flanks the Scots bunched in a disorganised mass towards the centre, much as they had done at Dupplin Moor, as if each man was trying to hide from death behind the body of his comrade. Those in the rear began running back towards the marsh, away from the killing ground. Scots honour was saved by the Earl of Ross and his Highlanders, who fought to the death in a gallant rearguard action.
With Ross gone the English knights took to horse, riding off in pursuit of the fugitives. Stewart together with the earls of Moray and Strathern all managed to escape; but few others were as lucky. The battlefield was a grim place; the Guardian lay dead with five other earls. They died in the company of the nameless commons of Scotland, who fell in their thousands. English casualties were light. The following day Berwick surrendered.
, as his deputy. Edward consiidering his part done left for the south, and left Baliol to quell any remaining resistance in Scotland.
, was exultant:
A little fro that foresaid toune (Berwick)
Halydon-hill that es the name
Thaire was crakked many a crowne
Of wild Scottes, and alls of tame;
Thaire was thaire banner born all doune.
Other balladeers celebrated the restoration of English national pride:
Scottes out of Berwick and Aberdeen
At the Burn of Bannock ye were far too keen.
King Edward has avenged it now, and fully too, I ween.
Edward's Victory at Halidon Hill was a more devastating blow to Scotland than his grandfather's at Dunbar
. After Dunbar most of the nobles had been captured and lived to fight another day; after Halidon most of the country's natural leaders were dead, and the few who remained were in hiding. Scotland was prostrate. It was said at the time that the English victory had been so complete that it marked the final end of the northern war. Yet a mere five years afterwards the chronicler Adam Murimuth
was to write:
And so, men freely declare that the Scotch wars had been brought to their close, that nothing remained of the Scotch nation that was willing or able to defend or govern itself. Yet they were wrong as the sequel showed.
The time that had passed before Murimuth wrote these words had shown Halidon to be a barren victory. For Edward did little to exploit his success; and Scottish resistance, though weak, was never fully extinguished.
Balliol proceeded north and held a parliament at Perth
in October 1333, whereby he restored lands to the 'Disinherited', by reversing all territorial grants of the Bruce. In doing so he dispossed a whole new generation of Scots nobility of their land, thus ensuring continued conflict
Second War of Scottish Independence
The Second War of Scottish Independence was the second cluster of a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries....
. Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
forces under Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas was a Scottish noble, Guardian of Scotland and military leader. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" , but this may be a reference to his great-nephew Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas.-Early life:The younger son of Sir William "le Hardi" Douglas, the Governor of...
were heavily defeated on unfavourable terrain while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
.
The Disinherited
Ever since the death of John ComynJohn III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lord of Lochaber or John "the Red", also known simply as the Red Comyn was a Scottish nobleman who was an important figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was Guardian of Scotland during the Second Interregnum 1296-1306...
at the hands of Robert Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
and his supporters in 1306 the Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
had also become a civil war. The Treaty of Northampton in 1328 brought to an end over thirty years of intermittent warfare between England and Scotland; but it also left a large and discontented party of Scots and Anglo-Normans, men with Balliol and Comyn associations, who had lost lands and property in Scotland. In 1332 under the leadership of Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne . With English help, he briefly ruled the country from 1332 to 1336.-Life:...
, son and heir of King John Balliol, and Henry Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan, these men invaded Scotland with the tacit support of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, defeating the Bruce loyalists at the Battle of Dupplin Moor
Battle of Dupplin Moor
The Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought between supporters of the infant David II, the son of Robert the Bruce, and rebels supporting the Balliol claim in 1332. It was a significant battle of the Second War of Scottish Independence.-Background:...
. Building on this success Balliol was crowned King of Scotland. However, with very limited support in his new realm, he was ambushed at Annan
Battle of Annan
The Battle of Annan, known in the sources as the Camisade of Annan took place on December 16, 1332. It took place at Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. In it the Bruce loyalist supporters of King David II of Scotland surprised Edward Balliol and his supporters while they were in bed, and...
a few months later by supporters of David II
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
,led by Sir Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray was an important figure in the reign of David II of Scotland, and was for a time joint Regent of Scotland.-Family:...
, The Steward
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
. Balliol fled to England half-dressed. He appealed to King Edward for assistance, having already promised to cede to him all of the counties of south-east Scotland in return. Edward dropped all pretence of neutrality, recognised Balliol as King of Scotland and made ready for war.
Berwick Under Siege
At the beginning of 1333 the atmosphere on the border was tense. England was openly preparing for war. In Scotland Archibald Douglas, brother of the "Good" Sir James DouglasJames Douglas, Lord of Douglas
Sir James Douglas , , was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.-Early life:...
, and now Guardian of the Realm for the underage David, made arrangements for the defence of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
. Weapons and supplies were gathered, and the defence of the town was entrusted to Sir Alexander Seton. These preparations were all complete by the time Balliol crossed into Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
on 10 March. Besides the disinherited lords he was also accompanied by a number of English magnates. The army advanced quickly towards Berwick, which was placed under siege. The deceptions of the previous year had gone. Balliol was acting quite openly in the English interest. The Second War of Independence was underway.
Edward arrived at Berwick in person around the 1st of May, after leaving Queen Philippa
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
in the safety of Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
on the Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
coast. His ally and protege had been at Berwick for some two months, and had been so far unmolested that he had been able to place the town under close siege. Trenches had been dug, the water supply cut and all communication with the hinterland ended. The Guardian's inactivity contrasts sharply with Robert Bruce's swift response to the siege of 1319. Douglas seems to have spent the time gathering a national army, rather than using the troops he already had in diversionary raids.
With the arrival of the English king the attack on Berwick began in earnest. Seton carried out a spirited defence; but by the end of June, under repeated attack by land and sea, his troops were close to exhaustion. He requested and was granted a short truce, but only on the condition that he surrender if not relieved by 11 July. As a guarantee of good faith Seton was required to hand over a number of hostages, which included his son, Thomas. Scotland was now faced with exactly the same situation that England had before Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
: as a matter of national pride Douglas would have to come to the relief of Berwick, just as Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
had come to the relief of Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
in 1314. The army the Guardian had spent so much time gathering was now compelled to take to the field, with all initiative lost. Nevertheless, Douglas' force was an impressive representation of the nation's strength and unity, with volunteers coming from all corners of the realm. As with all medieval armies the precise number of troops is difficult to estimate. It is possible, though, that the army was at least as strong as that which had fought at Bannockburn, perhaps even stronger. Douglas now began his belated march to the border.
Advance to Bamburgh
In an attempt to draw Edward away from Berwick Douglas entered England on 11 July, the last day of Seton's truce. He advanced eastwards to the little port of TweedmouthTweedmouth
Tweedmouth may refer to*The River Tweed*Berwick-upon-Tweed*Baron Tweedmouth...
, in contested Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. Tweedmouth was destroyed in sight of the English army: Edward did not move. A small party of Scots led by Sir William Keith managed with some difficulty to make their way across the ruins of the old bridge to the northern bank of the Tweed. Keith and some of his men were able to force their way through to the town. Douglas chose to consider this as a technical relief and sent messages to Edward calling on him to depart. This was accompanied with the threat that if he failed to do so the Scots army would continue south and devastate England. Again Edward did not move, so Douglas marched south to Bamburgh, perhaps hoping for a repeat of the events that led in former years to the Battle of Myton
Battle of Myton
The Battle of Myton, nicknamed the Chapter of Myton or The White Battle because of the number of clergy involved, was a major engagement in the First Scottish War of Independence, fought in Yorkshire on 20 September 1319.-Berwick Falls:...
. Whatever concerns the king had for his queen he knew that Bamburgh was strong and could easily withstand a siege. The Scots, moreover, did not have the time to construct the kind of equipment that would be necessary to take the fortress by assault. For Berwick, on the other hand, time was definitely running out.
Prince Returns
Edward refused to consider Keith's entry into Berwick as a relief in terms of the agreement of 28 June. As the truce had now expired, and the town had not surrendered, he ordered the hostages to be hanged before the walls, beginning with Thomas Seton. A further two were to be hanged on each subsequent day for as long as the garrison refused to capitulate. Edward's determination had the desired effect. To save the lives of those who remained Seton concluded a fresh truce, promising to surrender if not relieved by Tuesday 20 July. Everything now hinged on a Scots victory in battle. News of this was carried to the Guardian at Bamburgh. having lost all freedom of action he returned north into the teeth of the wolf.Halidon Hill
Edward and his army took up position on Halidon HillHalidon Hill
Halidon Hill is a summit, about west of the centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border of England and Scotland. It reaches 600 feet high. The name of the hill indicates that it once had a fortification on its top...
, a small rise of some 600 ft. two miles to the north-west of Berwick, which gives an excellent view of the town and surrounding countryside. From this vantage point he was able to dominate all of the approaches to the beleaguered port. Any attempt by Douglas to by-pass the hill and march directly on Berwick would have been quickly overwhelmed. Crossing the Tweed to the west of the English position, the Guardian reached the town of Duns
Duns
Duns is the county town of the historic county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders.-Early history:Duns law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfort at its summit...
on 19 July. On the following day he approached Halidon Hill from the north-west, ready to give battle on ground chosen by his enemy. It was a catastrophic decision. The Book of Pluscarden, a Scots chronicle, describes the scene:
They (the Scots) marched towards the town with great display, in order of battle, and recklessly, stupidly and inadvisedly chose a battle ground at Halidon Hill, where there was a marshy hollow between the two armies, and where a great downward slope, with some precipices, and then again a rise lay in front of the Scots, before they could reach the field where the English were posted.
The approach was observed by Henry Beaumont, who would have advised Edward of the tactics that brought victory at Dupplin Moor when the two met at York the previous December. The order of battle now employed mirrored those used at Dupplin, with some variations owing to superior strength. The army was divided into three divisions, comprising infantry, men-at-arms and knights. All made ready to fight on foot in a defensive position. The left was commanded by Balliol; the centre by Edward; and the right by Thomas Brotherton
Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk
Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Lord Marshal of England was the son of Edward I of England and Margaret of France.-Early life:...
, Earl of Norfolk
Earl of Norfolk
Earl of Norfolk is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. Created in 1070, the first major dynasty to hold the title was the 12th and 13th century Bigod family, and it then was later held by the Mowbrays, who were also made Dukes of Norfolk...
, and Earl Marshall of England. Standing on the flanks of each division were six supporting wings of archers. The bowmen projected slightly forward in a wedge formation to offer maximum use of supporting crossfire, an arrangement later adopted at Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
. Edward was required to take no further action: for if Douglas refused to give battle, as caution and good sense demanded, Berwick would fall by default.
Douglas' army was also arranged in three divisions, drawn up in traditional schiltron
Schiltron
A sheltron is a compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall or phalanx....
formation: the Guardian commanded the left; Robert Stewart
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
, the future king, commanded the centre; and John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray was an important figure in the reign of David II of Scotland, and was for a time joint Regent of Scotland.-Family:...
the right. As Pluscarden says, to engage the English they had to advance downhill, cross a large area of marshy ground, and then climb up the northern slope of Halidon Hill. Although the Scots spearmen had proved their worth against cavalry at Stirling Bridge
Battle of Stirling Bridge
The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence. On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham near Stirling, on the River Forth.-The main...
and Bannockburn, the battles of Dupplin Moor and Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk (1298)
The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
had shown how vulnerable they were to arrows. Not only was the ground bad, but it must have been obvious to the Guardian as he looked towards the massed ranks of Edward's archers that this was not going to be a cavalry battle. The prudent course of action would have been to withdraw and wait for a better opportunity to fight; but this would mean the automatic loss of Berwick. The Scots were now to fight one of the most disadvantageous battles in their history.
Into the Sleet
No sooner had the Scots entered the marsh at the foot of the hill than the first arrows began to descend. They continued to fall in great clouds as the schiltrons freed themselves from the marshy ground and began the ascent up Halidon Hill. Having lost all momentum they moved slowly upwards, so tightly packed that even the most indifferent archer could scarcely fail to hit his target. The shooting was so intense that many turned their faces away as if walking into a storm of sleet. The Lanercost Chronicle reports: ...the Scots who marched in the front were so wounded in the face and blinded by the multitude of English arrows that they could not help themselves, and soon began to turn their faces away from the blows of the arrows and fall. Casualties were heavy, with some of the finest troops falling dead or wounded on the lower reaches of the hill. The survivors crawled upwards, through the arrows and on to the waiting spears.It was Moray's depleted schiltron that first made contact with the enemy, closing on Balliol's division on the left. The Stewart followed, advancing on King Edward in the centre. Douglas came in their wake. But even before Stewart and Douglas arrived Moray's front ranks were failing in the hand-to-hand fighting with Balliol. With no let up in the arrows, the schiltron broke, retreating rapidly downhill. Panic spread from the centre to the left. With English arrows directed towards the flanks the Scots bunched in a disorganised mass towards the centre, much as they had done at Dupplin Moor, as if each man was trying to hide from death behind the body of his comrade. Those in the rear began running back towards the marsh, away from the killing ground. Scots honour was saved by the Earl of Ross and his Highlanders, who fought to the death in a gallant rearguard action.
With Ross gone the English knights took to horse, riding off in pursuit of the fugitives. Stewart together with the earls of Moray and Strathern all managed to escape; but few others were as lucky. The battlefield was a grim place; the Guardian lay dead with five other earls. They died in the company of the nameless commons of Scotland, who fell in their thousands. English casualties were light. The following day Berwick surrendered.
Aftermath
Immediately after the town's capitulation, Edward ordered Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy to be the Constable, with Sir Thomas Grey of Heaton, father of the chronicler Thomas GreyThomas Grey (chronicler)
Sir Thomas Grey of Heton , Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, was an English chronicler.-Family:He was a son of the Sir Thomas de Grey of Heaton , who was taken prisoner by the Scots at Bannockburn, and his wife Agnes Sir Thomas Grey of Heton (near Norham), Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland,...
, as his deputy. Edward consiidering his part done left for the south, and left Baliol to quell any remaining resistance in Scotland.
Shock and celebration
News of Halidon sent shock waves across southern Scotland. Edward soon received the fealty of several important landowners in the area. In England the victory, the first for many years, brought a great boost to the morale of the nation. Bannockburn had finally been avenged. The English poet, Laurence MinotLaurence Minot
Laurence Minot was an English poet. Nothing is certainly known of him. He may have been a soldier. Eleven poems are attributed to them, all of which appear uniquely in...
, was exultant:
A little fro that foresaid toune (Berwick)
Halydon-hill that es the name
Thaire was crakked many a crowne
Of wild Scottes, and alls of tame;
Thaire was thaire banner born all doune.
Other balladeers celebrated the restoration of English national pride:
Scottes out of Berwick and Aberdeen
At the Burn of Bannock ye were far too keen.
King Edward has avenged it now, and fully too, I ween.
Edward's Victory at Halidon Hill was a more devastating blow to Scotland than his grandfather's at Dunbar
Battle of Dunbar (1296)
The Battle of Dunbar was the only significant field action in the campaign of 1296. King Edward I of England had invaded Scotland in 1296 to punish King John Balliol for his refusal to support English military action in France.-Background:...
. After Dunbar most of the nobles had been captured and lived to fight another day; after Halidon most of the country's natural leaders were dead, and the few who remained were in hiding. Scotland was prostrate. It was said at the time that the English victory had been so complete that it marked the final end of the northern war. Yet a mere five years afterwards the chronicler Adam Murimuth
Adam Murimuth
Adam Murimuth was an English ecclesiastic and chronicler.-Life:He was born in 1274 or 1275 and studied civil law at the University of Oxford. Between 1312 and 1318 he practised in the papal curia at Avignon...
was to write:
And so, men freely declare that the Scotch wars had been brought to their close, that nothing remained of the Scotch nation that was willing or able to defend or govern itself. Yet they were wrong as the sequel showed.
The time that had passed before Murimuth wrote these words had shown Halidon to be a barren victory. For Edward did little to exploit his success; and Scottish resistance, though weak, was never fully extinguished.
Balliol proceeded north and held a parliament at Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
in October 1333, whereby he restored lands to the 'Disinherited', by reversing all territorial grants of the Bruce. In doing so he dispossed a whole new generation of Scots nobility of their land, thus ensuring continued conflict
Notable Casualties
- Sir Archibald Douglas
- William IV, Lord of DouglasWilliam IV, Lord of DouglasWilliam, Lord of Douglas was a short-lived Scottish nobleman, the son of Sir James Douglas and an unknown mother. Little is known of Lord Douglas's life, which he spent under the guardianship of Sir Archibald Douglas....
- Hugh, Earl of Ross
- Maol Choluim II, Earl of LennoxMaol Choluim II, Earl of LennoxMormaer Maol Choluim II of Lennox was mormaer of Lennox from 1303 to his death....
- Alexander de Brus, Earl of Carrick
- Kenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of SutherlandKenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of SutherlandKenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of Sutherland was Earl of Sutherland. He was killed at the Battle of Halidon Hill.-External links:*...
- Alan Stewart of DreghornAlan Stewart of Dreghorn-Life:The son of John Stewart of Bonkyll and his wife Margaret de Bonkyll, Sir Alan fought for Robert the Bruce during the First War of Scottish Independence....
- John Campbell, Earl of AthollJohn Campbell, Earl of AthollJohn Campbell, Earl of Atholl was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of Sir Neil Campbell by his wife Mary Bruce. His grandparents were Sir Cailean Mór Campbell, Afraig of Carrick, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick...
Primary
- Edward III and his Wars; Extracts from the Chroniclers, ed. and trans. W. J. Ashley, 1887.
- Gray, Thomas SirThomas Grey (chronicler)Sir Thomas Grey of Heton , Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, was an English chronicler.-Family:He was a son of the Sir Thomas de Grey of Heaton , who was taken prisoner by the Scots at Bannockburn, and his wife Agnes Sir Thomas Grey of Heton (near Norham), Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland,...
, ScalacronicaScalacronicaScalacronica is a Scottish chronicle written in Anglo-Norman by the knight Sir Thomas Gray of Heaton in Northumberland, while he was imprisoned by the Scots at Edinburgh after an ambush in 1355...
, ed. and trans' Maxwell, Sir Herbert, 1913. - The Lanercost ChronicleLanercost ChronicleThe Lanercost Chronicle is a northern English and Scottish history covering the years 1201 to 1346. It covers the Wars of Scottish Independence, but it is also highly tangential and as such provides insights into English life in the thirteenth century as well as Scottish life...
, ed. and trans. Maxwell, Sir Herbert, 1913.http://www.archive.org/details/chronicleoflaner02maxw - Minot, Laurence, Poems, ed. J. Rilson, 1825.
- Pluscarden, the Book of, ed. F. J. H. Skene, 1880.http://www.archive.org/details/liberpluscarden01unkngoog
- Wyntoun, Andrew ofAndrew of WyntounAndrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and later, a canon of St...
, Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland vol. II ed. Laing, Edinburgh 1872.http://www.archive.org/details/orygynalecronyki02andruoft
Secondary
- Balfour-Melville, E. W. M., Edward III and David II, 1964.
- Campbell, T., England, Scotland and the Hundred Years War, in Europe in the late Middle Ages, ed J. Hale et al., 1970.
- Hailes, Lord (David Dalrymple), The Annals of Scotland, 1776.
- Nicholson, R., The Siege of Berwick in 1333, in the Scottish Historical Review, vol. 40, 1961.
- Nicholson, R., Edward III and the Scots, 1965.
- Oman, C., The Art of War in the Middle Ages, 1898.
- Reid, P., By Fire and Sword: The Rise and Fall of English Supremacy at Arms: 1314-1485, 2007. Note that the armies may have numbered differently than shown above with the English up to 20,000 men, including Balliol's contingent. The Scots, as a mobile raiding army were unlikely to have numbered many more than 7,500 men.
- Sadler, J.John Sadler (historian)John Sadler is a British historian specialising in the Anglo-Scottish Border conflicts during the Middle Ages. Saddler is a regular contributor to military and historical journals and has published a number of books on the subject...
, Border Fury: England and Scotland at War 1296-1568, 2005. - Webster, B., Scotland without a King: 1329-1341, in Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, ed. A. Grant and K. J. Stringer, 1993.
External links
- Battle of Halidon Hill, by historian, R.M. GUnn