Beorn
07-18-2009, 09:09 PM
A day late...
TODAY is the anniversary of another dramatic, bloody day in Berwick's epic medieval history when the town changed hands yet again following the battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, a battle whose outcome, some say, was sealed by the fate of one man and his dog. In April 1318, after 22 years in English hands following the sack of Berwick by Edward I , the town had become Scotland's once more, taken by Robert the Bruce (by then King Robert I) and his chief military lieutenant, James Douglas.
Such was the importance of the town to Scotland that both men were willing to defy the pope's instruction to them to make peace with England. Robert insisted he 'would have Berwick' and for his part James Douglas exclaimed he would rather enter Berwick than the gates of paradise.
Berwick better than paradise? Now there's a thought. Ignoring the papal instruction, the two men had their army take the town. Both were duly excommunicated.
Ten years later, by the treaty of Edinburgh Northampton, Robert finally achieved his ambition of having Scotland's independence from England recognised. One of the terms of the treaty was that Scotland would pay to England as compensation for damage inflicted during the wars of independence a sum of £20,000. The sum was paid in three annual instalments, each of which was handed over ceremoniously by the Scots to the English in that most English of places, Tweedmouth.
Whether it was coincidence or not is perhaps something you'll have to decide, but it happened that after the final instalment had been paid Scotland's independence was once again challenged.
By 1332 Robert was dead. His son and heir, David II was only eight years old. The security of the country was in the hands of David's guardian, Archibald Douglas, cousin of the excommunicated James. David faced two challenges to his right to the Scottish throne.
The first was from Edward Balliol, son of the John Balliol to whom Edward I had handed the throne in Berwick in 1292 only to dethrone him four years later.
The second was Edward III of England, grandson of Edward I.
The two Edwards joined in a simple alliance designed to enable each man to satisfy his ambition: Balliol would become king of Scotland; Edward would be overlord and have gifted to him by Balliol the town of Berwick, its castle and other land south of the Forth.
Their alliance formed, the siege of Berwick commenced in March 1333. Much, however, had been done in the previous three decades to improve the town's defences.
Ironically, Edward found himself held at bay by the very fortifications his grandfather had commissioned. Despite being battered by boulders catapulted into the heart of the town and castle by three huge siege engines and then partly destroyed by fire following an assault by the English in June, the town continued to resist the siege into July, though not without much suffering and starvation.
As one account puts it, the town 'was reduced to its last gasp; a rat, a dog, a cat was sold for almost its weight in money; the horses were slaughtered for food.'
Something had to give. In mid-July an agreement, in truth a treaty of capitulation, was negotiated by Berwick's leaders whereby the town would be delivered up to Edward on 20th July if by that date it had not been relieved.
What in these circumstances was Archibald Douglas, Scotland's guardian to do?
His diversionary tactics of attacking Bamburgh castle and thereafter placing his forces on Sunnyside had failed to draw Edward from the siege. "By the face of God", Edward said, he would not leave Berwick until he had subdued it.
Douglas, therefore, faced a dilemma: either see Berwick surrender, and thereby suffer the humiliation of meekly handing Scotland's principal town to the English, or confront Edward's army in pitched battle.
With one or two celebrated exceptions, the Scots' experience of fighting such battles against the English was of misery and defeat. Even Robert the Bruce, Scotland's king and leader of its army in the defeat of Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314, counselled on his death bed that his successors must avoid direct confrontation.
It was Douglas' folly to ignore the advice. He opted for pitched battle. This Edward's army, however, would not be sent homeward to think again.
Douglas perhaps thought he was prepared, having gathered an army from all parts of Scotland.
In the early morning of 19th July, the very last day on which Berwick could be relieved before having to deliver itself up to Edward, Douglas' army set off on a march from Duns.
Edward had already crossed to the north side of the Tweed and drawn up his forces at Halidon Hill. Douglas led his army on to higher ground nearby, at Witches Knowe.
The attack would begin at midday, when the tide was at its highest and so prevent an English retreat.
But to attack the English position the Scots had to descend the Knowe, through the boggy ground separating it from Halidon Hill and then climb the steep ascent of Heavyside.
The climb commenced. Then, a pause. From the Scots' ranks out stepped one of their legends, a soldier by the name of Turnbull (http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Trimble), a man of Goliath-like proportions famous for having saved the life of Robert the Bruce by slaying a wild boar. Turnbull (http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Trimble), standing with his mastiff dog within an arrow's shot of the opposing army, sought single combat with any Englishman prepared to face him.
Out of the English mass stepped a young Norfolk knight, Richard of Benhal. The mastiff sprang at Benhal's throat only to be cut asunder with a single stroke of the knight's sword.
Turnbull (http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Trimble) was next, his head cut off and held aloft by Benhal as a trophy and encouragement to the English forces.
What followed was a death-like silence, a sense on both sides that the outcome of the battle to come had already been decided.
Then came a sudden rush as the Scots charged up Halidon Hill, their armour, however, no match for what met them from the brow of the hill, a hail of arrows, 32 inches long, of ash, oak and birch, shot from the longbows of six divisions of English archers. It was a rout.
By the end, there was barely a Scot left standing. Scotland's guardian, Douglas, was dead.
With him, to heaven or to hell, went a great swathe of the Scottish nobility together with the country's decimated army.
History would unfold otherwise, but in the immediate aftermath of the battle it seemed that Scotland, its child king exiled in France, would become a mere fiefdom of England and in becoming Scotland's overlord Edward III would succeed where his grandfather
Edward I, the self-proclaimed hammer of the Scots, had failed. As for Berwick, it opened its gates to Edward.
The pendulum had swung and the town was once again English. More than that in fact, because although there would be further swings in the future and the town would change hands again on more than one occasion
Berwick would never again be an important Scottish town. Geography and economics dictated that the town was destined to be not the jewel in Scotland's crown but instead a northern English outpost and if there was one day in Berwick's tumultuous history when that destiny was revealed to it the day was July 19, 1333.
Source (http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news?articleid=3039838)
TODAY is the anniversary of another dramatic, bloody day in Berwick's epic medieval history when the town changed hands yet again following the battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, a battle whose outcome, some say, was sealed by the fate of one man and his dog. In April 1318, after 22 years in English hands following the sack of Berwick by Edward I , the town had become Scotland's once more, taken by Robert the Bruce (by then King Robert I) and his chief military lieutenant, James Douglas.
Such was the importance of the town to Scotland that both men were willing to defy the pope's instruction to them to make peace with England. Robert insisted he 'would have Berwick' and for his part James Douglas exclaimed he would rather enter Berwick than the gates of paradise.
Berwick better than paradise? Now there's a thought. Ignoring the papal instruction, the two men had their army take the town. Both were duly excommunicated.
Ten years later, by the treaty of Edinburgh Northampton, Robert finally achieved his ambition of having Scotland's independence from England recognised. One of the terms of the treaty was that Scotland would pay to England as compensation for damage inflicted during the wars of independence a sum of £20,000. The sum was paid in three annual instalments, each of which was handed over ceremoniously by the Scots to the English in that most English of places, Tweedmouth.
Whether it was coincidence or not is perhaps something you'll have to decide, but it happened that after the final instalment had been paid Scotland's independence was once again challenged.
By 1332 Robert was dead. His son and heir, David II was only eight years old. The security of the country was in the hands of David's guardian, Archibald Douglas, cousin of the excommunicated James. David faced two challenges to his right to the Scottish throne.
The first was from Edward Balliol, son of the John Balliol to whom Edward I had handed the throne in Berwick in 1292 only to dethrone him four years later.
The second was Edward III of England, grandson of Edward I.
The two Edwards joined in a simple alliance designed to enable each man to satisfy his ambition: Balliol would become king of Scotland; Edward would be overlord and have gifted to him by Balliol the town of Berwick, its castle and other land south of the Forth.
Their alliance formed, the siege of Berwick commenced in March 1333. Much, however, had been done in the previous three decades to improve the town's defences.
Ironically, Edward found himself held at bay by the very fortifications his grandfather had commissioned. Despite being battered by boulders catapulted into the heart of the town and castle by three huge siege engines and then partly destroyed by fire following an assault by the English in June, the town continued to resist the siege into July, though not without much suffering and starvation.
As one account puts it, the town 'was reduced to its last gasp; a rat, a dog, a cat was sold for almost its weight in money; the horses were slaughtered for food.'
Something had to give. In mid-July an agreement, in truth a treaty of capitulation, was negotiated by Berwick's leaders whereby the town would be delivered up to Edward on 20th July if by that date it had not been relieved.
What in these circumstances was Archibald Douglas, Scotland's guardian to do?
His diversionary tactics of attacking Bamburgh castle and thereafter placing his forces on Sunnyside had failed to draw Edward from the siege. "By the face of God", Edward said, he would not leave Berwick until he had subdued it.
Douglas, therefore, faced a dilemma: either see Berwick surrender, and thereby suffer the humiliation of meekly handing Scotland's principal town to the English, or confront Edward's army in pitched battle.
With one or two celebrated exceptions, the Scots' experience of fighting such battles against the English was of misery and defeat. Even Robert the Bruce, Scotland's king and leader of its army in the defeat of Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314, counselled on his death bed that his successors must avoid direct confrontation.
It was Douglas' folly to ignore the advice. He opted for pitched battle. This Edward's army, however, would not be sent homeward to think again.
Douglas perhaps thought he was prepared, having gathered an army from all parts of Scotland.
In the early morning of 19th July, the very last day on which Berwick could be relieved before having to deliver itself up to Edward, Douglas' army set off on a march from Duns.
Edward had already crossed to the north side of the Tweed and drawn up his forces at Halidon Hill. Douglas led his army on to higher ground nearby, at Witches Knowe.
The attack would begin at midday, when the tide was at its highest and so prevent an English retreat.
But to attack the English position the Scots had to descend the Knowe, through the boggy ground separating it from Halidon Hill and then climb the steep ascent of Heavyside.
The climb commenced. Then, a pause. From the Scots' ranks out stepped one of their legends, a soldier by the name of Turnbull (http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Trimble), a man of Goliath-like proportions famous for having saved the life of Robert the Bruce by slaying a wild boar. Turnbull (http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Trimble), standing with his mastiff dog within an arrow's shot of the opposing army, sought single combat with any Englishman prepared to face him.
Out of the English mass stepped a young Norfolk knight, Richard of Benhal. The mastiff sprang at Benhal's throat only to be cut asunder with a single stroke of the knight's sword.
Turnbull (http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Trimble) was next, his head cut off and held aloft by Benhal as a trophy and encouragement to the English forces.
What followed was a death-like silence, a sense on both sides that the outcome of the battle to come had already been decided.
Then came a sudden rush as the Scots charged up Halidon Hill, their armour, however, no match for what met them from the brow of the hill, a hail of arrows, 32 inches long, of ash, oak and birch, shot from the longbows of six divisions of English archers. It was a rout.
By the end, there was barely a Scot left standing. Scotland's guardian, Douglas, was dead.
With him, to heaven or to hell, went a great swathe of the Scottish nobility together with the country's decimated army.
History would unfold otherwise, but in the immediate aftermath of the battle it seemed that Scotland, its child king exiled in France, would become a mere fiefdom of England and in becoming Scotland's overlord Edward III would succeed where his grandfather
Edward I, the self-proclaimed hammer of the Scots, had failed. As for Berwick, it opened its gates to Edward.
The pendulum had swung and the town was once again English. More than that in fact, because although there would be further swings in the future and the town would change hands again on more than one occasion
Berwick would never again be an important Scottish town. Geography and economics dictated that the town was destined to be not the jewel in Scotland's crown but instead a northern English outpost and if there was one day in Berwick's tumultuous history when that destiny was revealed to it the day was July 19, 1333.
Source (http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news?articleid=3039838)