For the ballad see The Battle of Otterburn (ballad)

The Battle of Otterburn (ballad)

The Battle of Otterburn is a Scottish ballad.It appears in the border minstrelsy collected by Sir Walter Scott and the Child Ballads.It is an account of the Scottish victory at the Battle of Otterburn in 1388...

.

The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish

Kingdom of Scotland

The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...

 and English

Kingdom of England

The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...

.

The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart

Jean Froissart

Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...

's Chronicles

Froissart's Chronicles

Froissart's Chronicles was written in French by Jean Froissart. It covers the years 1322 until 1400 and describes the conditions that created the Hundred Years' War and the first fifty years of the conflict...

in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle. His account is still regarded with some concern as details, such as the distance between Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 and Otterburn

Otterburn

Otterburn could bePlaces*Otterburn, Northumberland*Otterburn, North Yorkshire*Otterburn, Michigan, an unincorporated location now a part of Swartz Creek, Michigan*Otterburn Park, QuebecEvents*The Battle of OtterburnSurname...

, are incorrect.

The Scot James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas

James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas

Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...

 decided to lead a raid—one of a continuing series on both sides of the border—into English territory. It was timed to take advantage of divisions on the English side between Lord Neville

Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland

Sir Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, 4th Baron Neville de Raby, Lord of Richmond, Earl Marshal, KG, PC , was an English nobleman of the House of Neville...

 and Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...

 who had just taken over defence of the border.

The battle

The Scots divided their forces with the main force and their baggage train heading towards Carlisle

City of Carlisle

The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...

 while a raiding party including Earl Douglas ravaged the countryside around Durham

Durham

Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...

 and Newcastle. Henry Percy sent his two sons Henry "Hotspur" Percy and Ralph to engage while he stayed at Alnwick

Alnwick

Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....

 to cut off the marauders' retreat.

Froissart says that the first fighting included a meeting of the Earl Douglas and Henry Percy in hand to hand combat, in which Percy's pennon

Pennon

A pennon was one of the principal three varieties of flags carried during the Middle Ages . Pennoncells and streamers or pendants are considered as minor varieties of this style of flag. The pennon is a flag resembling the guidon in shape, but only half the size...

 was captured. Douglas then moved off destroying the castle at Ponteland

Ponteland

Ponteland is a village situated in Northumberland near Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The name means island in the Pont , as the area consisted of a small piece of solid ground around St. Mary's church and the old bridge, surrounded by marshland. This marshland is now drained, with housing built on...

 and besieging Otterburn Castle (now Otterburn Tower

Otterburn Tower

Otterburn Tower is a Grade II listed castellated, three star country house hotel in Otterburn, Northumberland. It is set in of deer park and woodland in the Northumberland National Park in northeastern England...

). Percy attacked Douglas' encampment with a surprise attack in the late afternoon but first encountered the Earl's serving men, giving the bulk of the forces time to muster and attack them on their flank.

During the battle on a moon-lit night Douglas was killed and the Percys were both captured, with the remaining English force retreating to Newcastle. Despite Percy's force having an estimated three to one advantage over the Scots Froissart records 1040 English were captured and 1860 killed whereas 200 Scots were captured and 100 were killed. The Westminister Chronicle gives a more reliable estimate of Scottish casualties as being around 500 or so. When the Bishop of Durham advanced from Newcastle with 10,000 men he was so impressed by the ordered appearance of the Scottish force, the din they set up with their horns, and their seemingly unassailable position, that he declined to attack.

Aftermath

Such a decisive victory kept the two sides apart for some time. In 1402 the Earl Douglas' cousin attempted to emulate his great victory and hopefully survive but the Battle of Humbleton Hill

Battle of Humbleton Hill

The Battle of Humbleton Hill was a conflict between the English and Scottish armies on September 14, 1402 in Northumberland, England. The battle was recounted in Shakespeare’s Henry IV...

 was almost an exact reverse of Otterburn and a great defeat for the Scots.

Of such renown was the battle of Otterburn that several ballad

Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

s were composed in its honour including The Battle of Otterburn and The Ballad of Chevy Chase

The Ballad of Chevy Chase

There are two extant English ballads known as The Ballad of Chevy Chase, both of which narrate the same story. As ballads existed within oral tradition before being written down, other versions of this once popular song may also have existed....

(Child ballads 161 and 162). Chevy Chase rather mangles the history of the battle and may be confusing other conflicts at around the same time but it is still cited as one of the best of the ancient ballads.

Houses Involved in the Battle

Some of the various Scottish Lowland Families involved in this battle were the Clan Swinton

Clan Swinton

Clan Swinton is a Lowland Scottish clan and founder of Clan Gordon, Clan Elphinstone, Clan Arbuthnott, Clan Nisbet and the Greystoke Family. Being a Border family, they were prominent Border Reivers.-Origins:...

, Johnstones

Clan Johnstone

-Origin of the name:Clan Johnstone is a Lowland Scottish clan. They were involved in many battles on the Scottish borders.Johnstone comes from "John's toun", not "John's stone" or "John's son." Historically, "Johnston" has been an alternate spelling of the surname...

, Grahams

Clan Graham

Clan Graham is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands.-Origins:Legend has it that the first Graham was one Gramus who forced a breach in the Roman Antonine wall known as Graeme's Dyke in 420 A.D...

, Gordons

Clan Gordon

Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...

, Lindsays

Clan Lindsay

-Origins of the Clan:There is currently no known proven path pertaining to the origin of the Clan Lindsay. However, several possible theories have been advanced over the years. First is the theory proposed in 1769 by biographer/historian, Richard Rolt, in which he claimed that the Lindsays were...

 and Montgomerys

Clan Montgomery

-Origins of the Clan:Clan Montgomery originated in Wales, and emigrated to Scotland in the 12th century as vassals of the FitzAlans. The family derives its surname from lands in Wales, likely from the Honour of Montgomery which was located near the Shropshire lands of the FitzAlans...

.

Bizarre Happenings

Several witnesses spoke of a phantom army which had been seen in November 1960 on a road near Otterburn, Northumberland, the site of a fourteenth-century battle. One of the witnesses, Mrs Dorothy Strong, was in a taxi. She said: 'Suddenly the engine died, the fare-meter went haywire and the taxi felt as if it was being forced against an invisible wall. The soldiers seemed to close in on us and then fade into thin air.' Several people said it had happened around that location before.

External links

• Froissart's account of the battle for Percy's Cross which marks the battlefield
• Version of the ballad The Battle of Otterburn
• Otterburn Tower - Northumbrian country house founded by a cousin of William the Conqueror in 1086