Battle of Glasgow (1544)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Glasgow was fought on 16 March 1544, between Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
and the Scottish Regent James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
, and their adherents, during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots.
to Mary, Queen of Scots after the Parliament of Scotland
had rejected this English marriage proposal. The rejection, a breach of the Treaty of Greenwich
, resulted in the declaration of war, the war now called the Rough Wooing
. Lennox and Glencairn were thus caught offside and technically traitors. Lennox wrote to Mary of Guise
on 7 March 1544 hoping to buy time by offering his innocence to be tried before a convention of his peers. He wrote that it was heavily murmured by the Governor and his council;
was taken first on 8 March. Lennox's men took up position at the Castle and Cathedral, but he himself stayed at his stronghold, Dumbarton Castle
.
of Kilmarnock and his friend Mungo Mure of Rowallan, at the head of a small party of horse, who having just arrived at the site of the battle, valiantly thrust themselves "into the midst of the combat", and decided the fate of the day favourably for the Regent Hamilton. There were about 300 slain on both sides. Lennox himself withdrew to Dumbarton Castle
. According to an English messenger, Edward Storye, who made a secret journey to Cumbernauld Castle
at this time, Arran then took the town of Glasgow and laid siege to the Castle (Bishop's Palace)
on Wednesday 26 March.
Amongst the casualties at the moor was Arran's Master of Household, and a Glasgow barber-surgeon was hired to look after the injured. The gunner Hans Cochrane directed the artillery at the cathedral and castle. When Lennox's garrison surrendered, gallows were set up in the street outside the Tollbooth to hang the leaders.
. Glencairn's heir, Lord Kilmaurs
, and Lennox's brother Robert Stewart
, Bishop-designate of Caithness
, slipped away from Dumbarton Castle at night over the Clyde and then rode through the west country to England.
Soon after this battle, in May 1544, an English army burnt Edinburgh
. Around 24 May 1544 Arran fought another battle on Glasgow Moor with the Earl of Glencairn. Glencairn's son, Andrew Cunningham, and John Hamilton of Cambuskeith, Arran's Master of Household, were killed. Glencairn retreated, and Lennox sailed for England from Dumbarton around 28 May 1544.
Ten years later, a number of men received pardons for their presence at the battle on Lennox's side against the Regent including: William Cunningham, Earl of Glencairn; George Forrester of Kiddisdale; George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll
; and Robert Drummond of Carnock
.
and Claud Nau give a detailed version of events. In their account, the Governor, Regent Arran, had heard that Lennox had left Glasgow and came with an army including Lord Boyd. Lennox had departed to Dumbarton Castle. The Earl of Glencairn, with his followers and men of the Lennox, Renfrew and Glasgow town, met Arran's forces on Glasgow Muir (Moor) a mile east of the town. After a long fight with many casualties Regent Arran appeared to have won the day. Arran then entered Glasgow and besieged the Bishop's Palace and Cathedral
where Lennox had placed his artillery. The garrison surrendered and 16 or 18 leaders were hanged. Lord Boyd convinced Arran not to destroy and burn more buildings. Lennox sent the Earl of Angus and Lord Maxwell
to negotiate a truce but he imprisoned them at Blackness Castle
and Hamilton
. Maxwell was indeed warded at Hamilton Castle in April 1544 and wrote to Mary of Guise
for her intercession.
George Buchanan
also gives a brief account of the battle. Again, while Lennox was absent, Glencairn held off Arran's troops until Robert Boyd's charge. Buchanan mentions the Regent's troops carrying off the window shutters and doors of houses in Glasgow, but not the defence of the Castle and Cathedral. Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
describes Lennox's hopes for the regency of Scotland and disappointment with Cardinal Beaton
. Lennox and the Earl of Bothwell
were set up as rivals for the hand of Mary of Guise. Lennox fortified Glasgow and Arran brought artillery against him. Pitscottie gives the date of the encounter as 28 March 1544 and says the siege lasted 10 days. He adds a detail that the captains of the Castle were won over by promises of gold, then hung. Pitscottie says this was the Cardinal's idea.
Some details check out: there is a record that Lennox was encouraged in the idea he might marry Mary of Guise. However, the four later 16th-century chronicles strongly reflect their authors' own political and religious viewpoints and tend to include partisan detail and suggestion.
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was the 4th Earl of Lennox, and leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox. His grandson was James VI of Scotland....
and the Scottish Regent James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault and 2nd Earl of Arran was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the eldest legitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran....
, and their adherents, during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Prelude
The Earl of Lennox and the Earl of Glencairn continued to show support for the marriage of Prince EdwardEdward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
to Mary, Queen of Scots after the Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
had rejected this English marriage proposal. The rejection, a breach 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...
, resulted in the declaration of war, the war now called the Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing
The War of the Rough Wooing was fought between Scotland and England. War was declared by Henry VIII of England, in an attempt to force the Scots to agree to a marriage between his son Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots. Scotland benefited from French military aid. Edward VI continued the war until...
. Lennox and Glencairn were thus caught offside and technically traitors. Lennox wrote to Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
on 7 March 1544 hoping to buy time by offering his innocence to be tried before a convention of his peers. He wrote that it was heavily murmured by the Governor and his council;
"that I am the principell man that causis division and braik be in this realme and makis daily insurrectionis and disobeance contrar the authority."However Arran had already ordered an attack on Glasgow. Artillery and hand guns were sent from Edinburgh Castle. Bothwell Castle
Bothwell Castle
Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Uddingston and Bothwell, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle was begun in the 13th century by the ancestors of Clan...
was taken first on 8 March. Lennox's men took up position at the Castle and Cathedral, but he himself stayed at his stronghold, Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain. It overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton, and sits on a plug of volcanic basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high.-Iron Age:...
.
Battle
Arran's forces encountered Lennox's followers at Glasgow Muir (Moor), a mile east of the town. The battle started well for Lennox, his force of abut 800 men drove the first rank of more numerous forces of Hamilton back into the second rank and captured their cannon. At this juncture Robert BoydRobert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd
Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd was a Scottish nobleman who supported various factions attempting to dominate Scottish politics during the reign of King James V and the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots.-Biography:...
of Kilmarnock and his friend Mungo Mure of Rowallan, at the head of a small party of horse, who having just arrived at the site of the battle, valiantly thrust themselves "into the midst of the combat", and decided the fate of the day favourably for the Regent Hamilton. There were about 300 slain on both sides. Lennox himself withdrew to Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain. It overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton, and sits on a plug of volcanic basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high.-Iron Age:...
. According to an English messenger, Edward Storye, who made a secret journey to Cumbernauld Castle
Cumbernauld Castle
Cumbernauld Castle actually refers to two castles which are roughly on the site of the now Cumbernauld House. The first castle was owned by the Comyn Family and was granted to the Fleming family after Robert the Bruce killed John 'the Red' Comyn in 1306 in Greyfriars kirk...
at this time, Arran then took the town of Glasgow and laid siege to the Castle (Bishop's Palace)
Bishop's Castle, Glasgow
The Bishop's Castle, also known as Glasgow Castle, was a medieval castle in Glasgow, Scotland. It served as the residence of the bishops and archbishops of Glasgow Cathedral until the Reformation, when the last Catholic archbishop, James Beaton, fled to France in about 1560...
on Wednesday 26 March.
Amongst the casualties at the moor was Arran's Master of Household, and a Glasgow barber-surgeon was hired to look after the injured. The gunner Hans Cochrane directed the artillery at the cathedral and castle. When Lennox's garrison surrendered, gallows were set up in the street outside the Tollbooth to hang the leaders.
Aftermath
For his timely service in the first battle, Robert Boyd was rewarded with the family lands, (which he held in tack), as well as the restoration of his family's title of Lord BoydLord Boyd
Lord Boyd can refer to* Lord Boyd, Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby, former Lord Advocate for Scotland;and,* Lord Boyd – alternative title of the Earl of Kilmarnock – both titles being forfeit in 1746....
. Glencairn's heir, Lord Kilmaurs
Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn
Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn was Scottish nobleman and Protestant reformer, prominent in the Scottish Reformation.-Biography:...
, and Lennox's brother Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of March
Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox then 1st Earl of March was a Scottish nobleman of the family of Stewart of Darnley.-Titles:...
, Bishop-designate of Caithness
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Aindréas spent much if not all of his career outside his...
, slipped away from Dumbarton Castle at night over the Clyde and then rode through the west country to England.
Soon after this battle, in May 1544, an English army burnt Edinburgh
Burning of Edinburgh (1544)
The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English sea-borne army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. A Scottish army observed the landing on 3 May 1544 but did not engage with the English force. The Provost of Edinburgh was compelled to allow the English to sack Leith and...
. Around 24 May 1544 Arran fought another battle on Glasgow Moor with the Earl of Glencairn. Glencairn's son, Andrew Cunningham, and John Hamilton of Cambuskeith, Arran's Master of Household, were killed. Glencairn retreated, and Lennox sailed for England from Dumbarton around 28 May 1544.
Ten years later, a number of men received pardons for their presence at the battle on Lennox's side against the Regent including: William Cunningham, Earl of Glencairn; George Forrester of Kiddisdale; George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll
George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll
George Hay, 7th Earl of Erroll was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was a member of the Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1561. He was also the Earl of Erroll. In April 1567, Erroll was a signatory to Ainslie's Tavern Band agreeing to the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Earl...
; and Robert Drummond of Carnock
Robert Drummond of Carnock
Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland from 1579 to 1583. This was the responsibility for building and repair of palaces and castles. His appointment was made to be "as Sir James Hamilton of Finnart had it."...
.
In the Scottish chronicles
Writing about thirty years later, John LesleyJohn Lesley
John Lesley was a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian. His father was Gavin Lesley, rector of Kingussie, Badenoch.-Early career:...
and Claud Nau give a detailed version of events. In their account, the Governor, Regent Arran, had heard that Lennox had left Glasgow and came with an army including Lord Boyd. Lennox had departed to Dumbarton Castle. The Earl of Glencairn, with his followers and men of the Lennox, Renfrew and Glasgow town, met Arran's forces on Glasgow Muir (Moor) a mile east of the town. After a long fight with many casualties Regent Arran appeared to have won the day. Arran then entered Glasgow and besieged the Bishop's Palace and Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
where Lennox had placed his artillery. The garrison surrendered and 16 or 18 leaders were hanged. Lord Boyd convinced Arran not to destroy and burn more buildings. Lennox sent the Earl of Angus and Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell , A member of the council of Regency of the Kingdom of Scotland. Regent of the Isle of Arran and like his father before head of the clan Maxwell. A distinguished Scottish nobleman, politician, soldier and in 1513 Lord High Admiral...
to negotiate a truce but he imprisoned them at Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle is a 15th century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blackness was the main port serving the Royal Burgh of...
and Hamilton
Cadzow Castle
Cadzow Castle, now in ruins, was constructed between 1500 and 1550 on the site of an earlier royal castle, one mile south-east of the centre of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town of Hamilton was formerly known as Cadzow or Cadyou , until renamed in 1455 in honour of James Hamilton, 1st...
. Maxwell was indeed warded at Hamilton Castle in April 1544 and wrote to Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
for her intercession.
George Buchanan
George Buchanan
George Buchanan may refer to:*George Buchanan , Scottish humanist*Sir George Buchanan , Scottish soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms*Sir George Buchanan , Chief Medical Officer...
also gives a brief account of the battle. Again, while Lennox was absent, Glencairn held off Arran's troops until Robert Boyd's charge. Buchanan mentions the Regent's troops carrying off the window shutters and doors of houses in Glasgow, but not the defence of the Castle and Cathedral. Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie was a Scottish chronicler, author of The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland, 1436–1565, the first history of Scotland to be composed in Scots rather than Latin....
describes Lennox's hopes for the regency of Scotland and disappointment with Cardinal Beaton
David Beaton
The Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...
. Lennox and the Earl of Bothwell
Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell
Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell , was the son of Adam Hepburn, Lord Hailes, who died at the Battle of Flodden the year after Patrick's birth.Hepburn was known as the Fair Earl...
were set up as rivals for the hand of Mary of Guise. Lennox fortified Glasgow and Arran brought artillery against him. Pitscottie gives the date of the encounter as 28 March 1544 and says the siege lasted 10 days. He adds a detail that the captains of the Castle were won over by promises of gold, then hung. Pitscottie says this was the Cardinal's idea.
Some details check out: there is a record that Lennox was encouraged in the idea he might marry Mary of Guise. However, the four later 16th-century chronicles strongly reflect their authors' own political and religious viewpoints and tend to include partisan detail and suggestion.