by Tim Harry

Created on: August 19, 2011   Last Updated: August 22, 2011

Many of the battles between England and Scotland of the thirteenth and fourteenth century are extremely famous, including the likes of Bannockburn and the Battle of Stirling Castle. The fame is often due to the ferocity of fighting and the bloodshed, some battles though are less famous, despite the same level of ferocity, with one such example being the Battle of

Halidon Hill.

An uneasy peace had been created between England and Scotland, with the signing of the Treaty of Northampton in 1328, within Scotland though disputes still raged. King David II, the five year old son of Robert I had been crowned and married off to the sister of Edward III of England. However, there was a rival claim to the throne and Edward Balliol, son of a preceding and exiled king, John Balliol, pushed his case.

With tacit English support Edward Balliol invaded and had himself claimed king in 1332, before being unceremoniously kicked out of the country by a force lead by Sir Archibald Douglas, regent to David II.

Edward Balliol though would return the following year, and this time with more obvious English support, as having been promised land concessions on the Scottish border, Edward III of England lead his troops northward.

The troops of Edward III would lay siege to Berwick-upon-Tweed with a force of eight thousand men. As the town was being cut off, so a defensive position was created on Halidon Hill in preparation for the expected Scottish relief column. One reason for the anticipated relief column was the fact that, as with many strange medieval customs, an agreement had been reached that unless Berwick-upon-Tweed had been relieved by the 20th July 1333, it would agree to surrender peacefully.

Sir Archibald Douglas gathered together a Scottish force of some fifteen thousand troops, and attempted to draw the besieging army away from the town. When the English forces though failed to follow, Douglas recognised that a direct attack would be needed, as without one Berwick-upon-Tweed would be lost. .

Edward was though in the perfect position and as the Scots advanced they were forced to work their way slowly through a bog at the base of the hill. With the English forces simply required to hold their ground, three divisions were formed, one lead by Edward III, one by Edward Balliol and the third by the Earl of Norfolk. Before the Scottish forces could even reach the base of the hill, arrows were loosed by the English archers, and the Scottish soldier fell in their hundreds.

Some Scottish soldiers did manage to get to the hill, but again fighting uphill they too were at a disadvantage, and as arrows continued to fall, panic soon spread amongst the Scottish forces, and as some soldiers turned away from the fight, they crashed into the advancing soldiers, creating further disorganisation. The fighting would last for several hours, but it was little more than a massacre. As the remnants of the Scottish army fled, they became easy pickings for the English knights on horseback. The English forces are said to have lost just fourteen men, whilst the Scottish dead and wounded numbered into the thousands.

The result of the Battle of Halidon Hill was more than simply the loss of Scottish lives, Berwick-upon-Tweed fell and much of the borderland was lost to English rule. On the English side, the gains were of course important, but for Edward it was the first successful military campaign, one which would stand him well in France, and also provided a boost to the moral of England.

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