The Battle of Lochmaben Fair was an engagement in Lochmaben

Lochmaben

Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, and site of a once-important castle. It lies four miles west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway.-Notable people:*Angus Douglas - Scottish internationalist footballer...

, Scotland, on 22 July 1484 between Scottish loyalists to James III of Scotland

James III of Scotland

James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...

 and the rebels Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. He was a twin, the older by a few minutes, the younger was Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray....

, leading cavalry from England. Both exiles from Scotland, Albany and Douglas invaded with permission but not support of Richard III of England

Richard III of England

Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...

, hoping to encourage rebellion against James. Instead, they were met with armed resistance. The loyalists took the day. Douglas was captured and Albany forced to retreat.

Background

The unpopular Scottish king James III had been imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...

 following his arrest by his own nobles at Lauder Bridge in July 1482. Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, his younger brother, soon took control of the government, but his power was short-lived. Through bribery and the support of such powerful individuals as George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly

George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly

George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly was Chancellor of Scotland from 1498–1501.Gordon fought on the King's side against the Douglases during The Douglas Rebellion and helped secure a defeat at the Battle of Brechin. The 2nd Earl completed the building work that his father begun in constructing Huntly...

, James III regained his throne, and Albany was forced to flee, first in January 1483 to Dunbar

Dunbar

Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....

 and then on 9 April to England. Douglas, a rebel against Albany's father James III of Scotland

James III of Scotland

James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...

, had resided in England since his lands had been forfeit to the crown in 1455. There, in the employ of Edward IV of England

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

, he had become a Knight of the Garter

Order of the Garter

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

.

Invasion

The recently crowned English king Richard III initially planned to invade Scotland, but with other matters of state taking precedence instead only gave his permission for Albany and Douglas to launch an invasion on their own. The pair did so, bringing 500 horsemen to Lochmaben on 22 July 1484 during the annual fair. Though Albany and Douglas had hoped to incite the Scots to rebel against James, instead the townspeople took to arms against them, soon receiving assistance from the gentry in the area. The English cavalry routed, Albany retreated to France, while Douglas was captured.

Further reading

PRIMARY

• The Auchinleck Chronicle, ed. T. Thomson, 1829.
• Calender of Documents Relating to Scotland, 1357-1509, ed. J. Bain, 1888.
• Hall, Edward, Chronicle of England, 1809.
• Hardyng, John, Chronicles, 1812.
• Higden, Raphael, Polychronicon, 1527.
• The Paston Letters, 1422-1509, ed. J. Gardiner, 1872-5.

SECONDARY

• Borland, R., Border Raids and Reivers, 1910.
• Dunlop, A. I. The Life and Times of James Kennedy, 1950.
• Fraser, W., The Douglas Book, 1885.
• Gairdner, J., Richard the Third, 1898.
• Ramsay, J. H. Lancaster and York, 1892.
• Ridpath, J., The Border History of England and Scotland, 1810.