Battle of Solway Moss
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss
near the River Esk
on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border
in November 1542 between forces from England
and Scotland
.
broke from the Roman Catholic Church, he asked James V of Scotland
, his nephew, to do the same. James ignored his uncle's request and further insulted him by refusing to meet with Henry at York
. Furious, Henry VIII sent troops against Scotland. In retaliation for the massive English raid into Scotland, James responded by assigning Robert, Lord Maxwell, the Scottish Warden of West March, the task of raising an army.
The Scots advance was met at Solway Moss by Sir Thomas Wharton
and his 3,000 men. Sir William Musgrove, an English commander, reported that Maxwell was still in charge and fought with the rest of the Scottish nobles who dismounted on the bank of the River Esk
. A report of Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich
and later chronicle
accounts say that with the earlier loss of Maxwell, Sir Oliver Sinclair
de Pitcairns, James V's favourite
, declared himself to be James's chosen commander. Unfortunately, the other commanders refused to accept his command and the command structure disintegrated.
The battle was uncoordinated and is better described as a rout. Sir Thomas Wharton described the battle as the overthrow of the Scots between the rivers Esk and Lyne
. The Scots, who were pursued by the English cavalry towards Arthuret
Howes, found themselves penned in south of the Esk, on English territory between the river and the Moss, and so surrendered themselves and their 10 field guns to the English cavalry. Wharton said the Scots were halted at Sandyford by Arthuret mill dam. The Scots were 'beguiled by their own guiding', according to one Scottish writer. Several hundred of the Scots may have drowned in the marshes and river.
James, who was not present at the battle (he had remained at Lochmaben
), withdrew to Falkland Palace
humiliated and ill with fever. He died there two weeks later at the age of thirty. According to George Douglas, in his delirium he lamented the capture of his banner and Oliver Sinclair at Solway Moss more than his other losses. He left behind a six-day-old daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots.
, Glencairn and Maxwell
. Prisoners taken to England included Lord Gray
, and Stewart of Rosyth. A number of captured Scottish earls, lords and lairds were released; they sent hostages, called "pledges" into England in their place. On 14 December 1542, Thomas Wharton's report of the battle was read to Privy Council
, and they ordered that Scottish prisoners entering London should wear a red St Andrew's cross
.
Eustace Chapuys
reported that the Scottish prisoners attended Henry's court on Christmas Day wearing swords and dirks. They were able to talk to the French ambassador and Henry gave them each a present of a gold chain. Some of the high ranking prisoners taken at the battle were exchanged for their 'pledges' at Carlisle on 10 January 1543. Chapuys said the return of some prisoners was prevented at this time by the Scottish government which claimed they were traitors for losing the battle, or suspected they were now being influenced by Henry. As their families were arrested these prisoners could not provide their pledges and stayed on the border at Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
These hostages and prisoners were mostly well treated in England, as it was hoped that when they returned to Scotland after their ransoms were paid, they would further the English cause. However, a modern historian Marcus Merriman
sees the battle and hostage-taking more as the culmination of James V's war rather than the beginning of Henry VIII's Rough Wooing. He notes that the capture of so many Scottish nobles at the time of the birth and accession of Mary, Queen of Scots did not affect Henry's policy or the Scottish lords's subsequent rejection of the Treaty of Greenwich
in December 1543.
, and were listed with their keepers at that time in a schedule prepared by Sir Thomas Wharton; below the keepers of their substitute 'pledges' or hostages are added from later list amongst the papers of the Earl of Shrewsbury
.
Among the captured guns were four falconets
with the cast cipher of 'JRS' for 'Jacobus Rex Scotorum' and the Scottish royal arms with an imperial crown.
Solway Moss
Solway Moss, also known as Solway Flow, is a moss , in Cumbria, England near the Scottish border. , the moss is the subject of a campaign by organisations including the RSPB and Friends of the Earth to get the area declared a Special Area of Conservation in order to prevent the destruction of the...
near the River Esk
River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway
The River Esk is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, that flows into the Solway Firth. It also flows for a small way through the English county of Cumbria before entering the Solway....
on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
in November 1542 between forces from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scotland
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...
.
Background
When Henry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
broke from the Roman Catholic Church, he asked James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
, his nephew, to do the same. James ignored his uncle's request and further insulted him by refusing to meet with Henry at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. Furious, Henry VIII sent troops against Scotland. In retaliation for the massive English raid into Scotland, James responded by assigning Robert, Lord Maxwell, the Scottish Warden of West March, the task of raising an army.
Battle
On 24 November 1542, an army of 15,000–18,000 Scots advanced south. Maxwell, though never officially designated commander of the force, declared he would lead the attack in person.The Scots advance was met at Solway Moss by Sir Thomas Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton was an English nobleman and a follower of King Henry VIII of England. He is best known for his victory at Solway Moss on 24 November 1542 for which he was given a barony.-Early life:...
and his 3,000 men. Sir William Musgrove, an English commander, reported that Maxwell was still in charge and fought with the rest of the Scottish nobles who dismounted on the bank of the River Esk
River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway
The River Esk is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, that flows into the Solway Firth. It also flows for a small way through the English county of Cumbria before entering the Solway....
. A report of Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich
George Douglas of Pittendreich
George Douglas of Pittendreich was a member of the powerful Douglas family who struggled for control of the young James V of Scotland in 1528. His second son became James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton and Regent of Scotland. Initially, George Douglas promoted the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and...
and later chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
accounts say that with the earlier loss of Maxwell, Sir Oliver Sinclair
Oliver Sinclair
Sir Oliver Sinclair de Pitcairnis , , was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss...
de Pitcairns, James V's favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
, declared himself to be James's chosen commander. Unfortunately, the other commanders refused to accept his command and the command structure disintegrated.
The battle was uncoordinated and is better described as a rout. Sir Thomas Wharton described the battle as the overthrow of the Scots between the rivers Esk and Lyne
River Lyne
The River Lyne is a river of Cumbria in England.The river is formed near the hamlet of Stapleton by the confluence of the Black Lyne and the White Lyne ....
. The Scots, who were pursued by the English cavalry towards Arthuret
Arthuret
Arthuret is a civil parish in the Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,434. The parish includes the small town of Longtown and the village of Easton...
Howes, found themselves penned in south of the Esk, on English territory between the river and the Moss, and so surrendered themselves and their 10 field guns to the English cavalry. Wharton said the Scots were halted at Sandyford by Arthuret mill dam. The Scots were 'beguiled by their own guiding', according to one Scottish writer. Several hundred of the Scots may have drowned in the marshes and river.
James, who was not present at the battle (he had remained at 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...
), withdrew to Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a former royal palace of the Scottish Kings. Today it is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, and serves as a tourist attraction.-Early years:...
humiliated and ill with fever. He died there two weeks later at the age of thirty. According to George Douglas, in his delirium he lamented the capture of his banner and Oliver Sinclair at Solway Moss more than his other losses. He left behind a six-day-old daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots.
Aftermath
Gervase Phillips has estimated that only about 7 Englishmen and 20 Scots were killed but 1,200 Scottish prisoners were taken, including Sinclair, the Earls of CassillisGilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis
Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis was a Scottish peer, the son of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis.He succeeded to the titles of 5th Lord Kennedy and 3rd Earl of Cassillis in August 1527. On 6 February 1540/41 he had a charter of the Fief of Cassilis...
, Glencairn and Maxwell
Maxwell
-People:* Maxwell , Grammy winning R&B/neo-soul singer* Maxwell Cabelino Andrade , a Brazilian footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona...
. Prisoners taken to England included Lord Gray
Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray
Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray was a Scottish landowner and Sheriff of Angus active during the war of the Rough Wooing as a supporter of the Scottish Reformation.-Family:...
, and Stewart of Rosyth. A number of captured Scottish earls, lords and lairds were released; they sent hostages, called "pledges" into England in their place. On 14 December 1542, Thomas Wharton's report of the battle was read to Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, and they ordered that Scottish prisoners entering London should wear a red St Andrew's cross
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
.
Eustace Chapuys
Eustace Chapuys
Eustace Chapuys was a Savoyard diplomat who served as the Imperial ambassador to England from 1529 until 1545 and is best known for his extensive and detailed correspondence.-Life:...
reported that the Scottish prisoners attended Henry's court on Christmas Day wearing swords and dirks. They were able to talk to the French ambassador and Henry gave them each a present of a gold chain. Some of the high ranking prisoners taken at the battle were exchanged for their 'pledges' at Carlisle on 10 January 1543. Chapuys said the return of some prisoners was prevented at this time by the Scottish government which claimed they were traitors for losing the battle, or suspected they were now being influenced by Henry. As their families were arrested these prisoners could not provide their pledges and stayed on the border at 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....
.
These hostages and prisoners were mostly well treated in England, as it was hoped that when they returned to Scotland after their ransoms were paid, they would further the English cause. However, a modern historian Marcus Merriman
Marcus Merriman
Marcus Merriman was an historian researching Anglo-Scottish relations in the 16th centuryand their European context.-Life:Merriman was born in Baltimore on the 3rd of May 1940. Educated at Bowdoin College Maine, he spent a year at Edinburgh University, then completed his PhD at the Institute of...
sees the battle and hostage-taking more as the culmination of James V's war rather than the beginning of Henry VIII's Rough Wooing. He notes that the capture of so many Scottish nobles at the time of the birth and accession of Mary, Queen of Scots did not affect Henry's policy or the Scottish lords's subsequent rejection of the Treaty of Greenwich
Treaty of Greenwich
The Treaty of Greenwich contained two agreements both signed on July 1, 1543 in Greenwich between representatives of England and Scotland. The accord, overall, entailed a plan developed by Henry VIII of England to unite both kingdoms...
in December 1543.
Schedules of prisoners, keepers, and pledges
The chief Scottish prisoners were taken to Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle 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 were listed with their keepers at that time in a schedule prepared by Sir Thomas Wharton; below the keepers of their substitute 'pledges' or hostages are added from later list amongst the papers of the Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
.
- James Douglas of DrumlanrigJames Douglas, 7th Baron Drumlanrig-Life:He was the son of Sir William Douglas, 6th Baron Drumlanrig and Elizabeth Gordon of Lochinvar....
: the Master Customar of Carlisle - John Maxwell of Cohill: William Sandes; pledge, Archibald Maxwell, his brother, a child, in Yorkshire.
- James Sinclair: Alexander Musgrave: pledge, as for Oliver Sinclair.
- John Charteris: William Porter
- Robert Charteris: John Wharton
- John Maxwell, brother of Lord Maxwell; pledge, his nephew Hugh Maxwell in Yorkshire.
- Patrick Hepburn: Lionel Carnaby
- Walter Ker, laird of Graddon: Thomas Denton: his pledge with Sir William Gascoigne, senior.
- George Hume, laird of Ayton: Thomas Warcup
- Laird of Awncastell (John Maitland, laird of 'Awik Castle', Annan): Simon Musgrave: pledge, his brother with Thomas WentworthThomas Wentworth, 1st Baron WentworthThomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth and de jure 6th Baron le Despencer, PC was an English peer and courtier during the Tudor dynasty....
. - William, Earl of MenteithWilliam Graham, 3rd Earl of MenteithWilliam Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith was the third Earl of Menteith.-Biography:He was the son of Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith and Margaret Buchanan. He was the great grandson of Malise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith...
: Lancelot Lancaster; - Robert Erskine, son of Lord ErskineLord ErskineThe Lordship of Parliament of Erskine was created around 1426 for Sir Robert Erskine. The sixth lord was created Earl of Mar in 1565, with which title the lordship then merged.-Lords Erskine :...
: Edward Aglionby - Patrick, Lord GrayLord GrayLord Gray is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1445 for the Scottish diplomat and politician Sir Andrew Gray. His great-great-great-great-great-grandson, the seventh Lord, was granted a new patent with remainder to William Gray, husband of his only daughter Anne, and his heirs...
: Walter Strickland: pledges with the Archbishop of York. - Laurence, Lord OliphantLord OliphantLord Oliphant is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It has been created twice; both creations are extinct. It was first created in 1456 for Laurence Oliphant, but this creation became extinct on the death of the fifth lord in 1631...
: Sir John Lowther: pledges with the Bishop of Durham. - Oliver SinclairOliver SinclairSir Oliver Sinclair de Pitcairnis , , was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss...
: Sir John Lowther: pledge, son of the Laird of Cleisburn - Hugh, Lord SomervilleHugh Somerville, 5th Lord SomervilleHugh Somerville, 5th Lord Somerville was a lord of the Parliament of Scotland. He is sometimes reckoned to be the 4th Lord Somerville. He succeeded his brother, John Somerville, 4th Lord Somerville...
: Sir Thomas Curwen - MalcolmMalcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord FlemingMalcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming , was Lord Chamberlain of Scotland to King James V, from 1524.He was the son and heir of John Fleming, 2nd Lord Fleming, who was killed in a feud with the Tweedie of Drumelzier family in 1524....
, Lord Fleming: Sir William Musgrave: already deceased when the Talbot papers list was compiled. - Gilbert KennedyGilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of CassilisGilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis was a Scottish peer, the son of Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis.He succeeded to the titles of 5th Lord Kennedy and 3rd Earl of Cassillis in August 1527. On 6 February 1540/41 he had a charter of the Fief of Cassilis...
, Earl of Cassillis: Sir Thomas Wharton: pledge with Archbishop of Canterbury. - Lord Maxwell; Sir Thomas Wharton; remained at Carlisle in person.
Among the captured guns were four falconets
Falconet (cannon)
The falconet or falcon was a light cannon developed in the late 15th century. During the Middle Ages guns were decorated with engravings of reptiles, birds or beasts depending on their size. For example, a culverin would often feature snakes, as the handles on the early cannons were often decorated...
with the cast cipher of 'JRS' for 'Jacobus Rex Scotorum' and the Scottish royal arms with an imperial crown.