The Battle of Piperdean (1436) was an engagement in the Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...

, fought between the Kingdom of Scotland

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 the Kingdom of England

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...

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An English force led by George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of March and Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland...

 attempted to take the forfeited Dunbar's Castle of Dunbar

Dunbar Castle

Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian.-Early history:...

, back from William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus

William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus

William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. The son of George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus and Princess Mary of Scotland, he was a grandson of King Robert III....

 who as Warden of the Scottish Marches

Lord Warden of the Marches

The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action....

 had invested the castle the previous summer. Percy and Dunbar came north with some 4000 men.

Angus did not want to undergo a siege, and decided to pre-empt the English by attacking them en route. An army of roughly he same force surprised the English, under Angus, Adam Hepburn of Hailes, Alexander Elphinstone of that ilk and Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie.

Although an overwhelming Scots victory, here is some confusion as to casualties and prisoners taken.
Ridpath states that the Scots lost 200 men including Elphinstone, with Brenan concurring about this 'trifling' amount, whilst stating that the English fatalities were to the tune of 1500 men, including 40 knights.. Balfour Paul disagrees citing Walter Bower

Walter Bower

Walter Bower , Scottish chronicler, was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian.He was abbot of Inchcolm Abbey from 1418, was one of the commissioners for the collection of the ransom of James I, King of Scots, in 1423 and 1424, and in 1433 one of the embassy to Paris on the business of the...

's Scotichronicon

Scotichronicon

The Scotichronicon is a 15th-century chronicle or legendary account, by the Scottish historian Walter Bower. It is a continuation of historian-priest John of Fordun's earlier work Chronica Gentis Scotorum beginning with the founding of Scotland of mediaeval legend, by Scota with Goídel...

, stating that the slain on the field of both sides amounted to only forty, but with 1500 taken prisoner.

Northumberland retreated to Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:Alnwick...

, but it was not long before he returned to Scotland to successfully relieve Roxburgh Castle

Roxburgh Castle

Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...

, under besiegement by King James

James I of Scotland

James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...

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Sources

• Brenan, Gerald-A History of the House of Percy-Freemantle, London 1902
• Maxwell, Sir Herbert-A History of the House of Douglas-Freemantle, London 1902
• Ridpath, George-The Border History of England and Scotland-Edinburgh, London, Berwick 1776