Story of a battle that a Hamilton may have been in or something.... and a
female Hamilton may have married a Muirhead or Morehead many years
after that:
Battle of Halidon Hill
Battle of Halidon Hill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Pleaseimprove this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (April 2008)Battle of Halidon HillPart of the Second War of Scottish IndependenceDate19 July 1333LocationHalidon Hill, near Berwick-upon-TweedResultDecisive English victoryBelligerents Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom
of EnglandCommandersSir Archibald Douglas, "Tyneman"†Edward III of
EnglandStrength13,0009,000Casualties and lossesexact figure unknown, but
very high14[show]
v•d•e
Second War of
Scottish Independence
[show]
v•d•e
Scottish Independence Wars
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.
Contents [hide]
1The Disinherited
2Berwick Under Siege
3Advance to Bamburgh
4Prince Returns
5Halidon Hill
6Into the Sleet
7Shock and celebration
8References
8.1Primary
8.2Secondary
[edit]The Disinherited
Ever
since the death of John Comyn at the hands of Robert Bruce and his
supporters in 1306 the Wars of Scottish Independencehad 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 Anglo-Scots, 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 theBattle 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, Robert Bruce's son and heir. 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.
[edit]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 Douglas, 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 in 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.
[edit]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 Tweedmouth, in contestedNorthumberland. 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.
[edit]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.
[edit]Halidon Hill
Monument on Halidon Hill, alongside the A6105 Berwick-Foulden, Berwickshire road. with the date of battle.
Edward
and his army took up position on Halidon Hill, 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 18 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
wherte 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 arrow fire. 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 possibly the most
disadvantageous battle in their history, exceeded only by the even more
disastrous Battle of Flodden two centuries later.
[edit]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 fire 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 arrow
fire, the schiltron broke, retreating rapidly downhill. Panic spread
from the centre to the left. With English arrow fire 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.
[edit]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 Minot, was exultant;
A little fro that foresaid toune (Berwick)Halydon-hill that es the nameThaire was crakked many a crowneOf 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 AberdeenAt 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.
[edit]References[edit]Primary
Edward III and his Wars; Extracts from the Chroniclers, ed. and trans. W. J. Ashley, 1887.
Gray, Thomas, Scalicronica, ed. and trans' H. Maxwell, 1913.
The Lanercost Chronicle, ed. and trans. H. Maxwell, 1913.
Minot, Laurence, Poems, ed. J. Rilson, 1825.
Pluscarden, the Book of, ed. F. J. H. Skene, 1880.
[edit]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.
Webster, B., Scotland without a King: 1329-1341, in Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, ed. A. Grant and K. J. Stringer, 1993.
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.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Pleaseimprove this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (April 2008)Battle of Halidon HillPart of the Second War of Scottish IndependenceDate19 July 1333LocationHalidon Hill, near Berwick-upon-TweedResultDecisive English victoryBelligerents Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom
of EnglandCommandersSir Archibald Douglas, "Tyneman"†Edward III of
EnglandStrength13,0009,000Casualties and lossesexact figure unknown, but
very high14[show]
v•d•e
Second War of
Scottish Independence
[show]
v•d•e
Scottish Independence Wars
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.
Contents [hide]
1The Disinherited
2Berwick Under Siege
3Advance to Bamburgh
4Prince Returns
5Halidon Hill
6Into the Sleet
7Shock and celebration
8References
8.1Primary
8.2Secondary
[edit]The Disinherited
Ever
since the death of John Comyn at the hands of Robert Bruce and his
supporters in 1306 the Wars of Scottish Independencehad 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 Anglo-Scots, 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 theBattle 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, Robert Bruce's son and heir. 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.
[edit]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 Douglas, 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 in 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.
[edit]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 Tweedmouth, in contestedNorthumberland. 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.
[edit]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.
[edit]Halidon Hill
Monument on Halidon Hill, alongside the A6105 Berwick-Foulden, Berwickshire road. with the date of battle.
Edward
and his army took up position on Halidon Hill, 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 18 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
wherte 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 arrow fire. 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 possibly the most
disadvantageous battle in their history, exceeded only by the even more
disastrous Battle of Flodden two centuries later.
[edit]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 fire 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 arrow
fire, the schiltron broke, retreating rapidly downhill. Panic spread
from the centre to the left. With English arrow fire 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.
[edit]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 Minot, was exultant;
A little fro that foresaid toune (Berwick)Halydon-hill that es the nameThaire was crakked many a crowneOf 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 AberdeenAt 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.
[edit]References[edit]Primary
Edward III and his Wars; Extracts from the Chroniclers, ed. and trans. W. J. Ashley, 1887.
Gray, Thomas, Scalicronica, ed. and trans' H. Maxwell, 1913.
The Lanercost Chronicle, ed. and trans. H. Maxwell, 1913.
Minot, Laurence, Poems, ed. J. Rilson, 1825.
Pluscarden, the Book of, ed. F. J. H. Skene, 1880.
[edit]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.
Webster, B., Scotland without a King: 1329-1341, in Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, ed. A. Grant and K. J. Stringer, 1993.
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.
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