William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale
Encyclopedia
Sir William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale (circa. 1300-k.1353) was also known as the Knight of Liddesdale and the Flower of Chivalry. He was a Scottish
nobleman and soldier active during the Second War of Scottish Independence
.
, a hero of the First War of Scottish Independence
. At some point circa. 1323, Douglas succeeded to his small desmesnes. Circa. 1327 he became godfather
to his third cousin William
, son of Sir Archibald Douglas
, and nephew of the "Good Sir James". Douglas was to hold minor positions of state and is not much heard of until 1332.
was an infant. Edward III of England had just attained his majority and was known to resent his father, Edward II
's disgrace at the hands of the Scots, and his own supposed humiliation when forced to sign the Treaty of Northampton in 1328, at just sixteen years old.
) successfully lured Edward Baliol, son of former King John of Scotland from France
in 1331, with the aim of restoring him to the throne and their privileges. Throughout the winter and spring of 1332 the Disinherited led by a veteran campaigner Henry de Beaumont
and Baliol, with tacit support, but outward neutrality from Edward III, were gathering supplies and men for the invasion of Scotland. The last of the old guard Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, Bruce's nephew died in July and the leadership crisis in Scotland made it ripe for the picking. In violation of the Treaty of Northampton, which forbade any military incursions across the Border, Baliol's forces set sail from the Yorkshire
coast and landed at Kinghorn
in Fife
, and marched to meet the forces of David Bruce. The Battle of Dupplin Moor
, was a decisive defeat for the defenders and Baliol was crowned King of Scots on 24 September. Baliol had little support in his new kingdom, except in his ancestral lands in Galloway
. Baliol and his army marched across the Lowlands
, and was being slowly eroded by guerrilla tactics learnt only twenty years previously. Baliol was ambushed at the Battle of Annan
on 16 December 1332. Baliol's brother Henry is said to have died in the skirmish, and it is the first time that William Douglas is recorded in battle, and Baliol himself had to flee south ignominiously.
, Douglas' kinsman Sir Archibald Douglas
, now Guardian of Scotland
, rushed to meet the English host and battle commenced at Halidon Hill
. A crushing defeat for the Scots, Sir Archibald was killed, William, the young Lord of Douglas also. Hordes of valuable hostages taken. Young King David II
, Douglas' Godson William Douglas and his brother John Douglas escaped to France. However, Edward chose to restore Baliol to Scotland and retreated south. The supporters of King David elected two new guardians of the realm, John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
, Bruce's great-nephew and Robert Stewart
, High Steward of Scotland
and Bruce's grandson. In 1335 Edward decide to take matters into his own hands again and entered Scotland with a force large enough to occupy the whole south of the country, taking Edinburgh castle and heavily rebuilding and refortifying it.
, and so escaped the carnage that had wiped out or captured the leading men of the nation at Halidon Hill. Upon his release in 1334, he started raiding Galloway under the command of John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
, capturing Guy II, Count of Namur
at the Battle of Boroughmuir
. After Randolph's capture and without his support Douglas started building his own power base. Douglas returned to his lands in Lothian and as he had a pitiful amount of tenantry to draw upon, he organised a company of men that would follow him based on his martial prowess. "The armed bands led by Douglas, his contemporary Alexander Ramsay and others lived 'in poverty' and 'like shadows', fighting a guerrilla war against the English....Ramsay based his followers in a network of caves at Hawthorndean
in Midlothian
, while Douglas, operated from lairs in the [Ettrick] Forest or the Pentland Hills
, was wounded twice and risked capture ambushing larger English forces. But these leaders engaging in small-scale warfare were the only active opponents of the English in the South." Later historians and chroniclers would praise Douglas and his guerrillas as "schools of Knighthood", earning him the epithet Flower of Chivalry just as they had praised the his relative the Good Sir James for his guerrilla tactics in the First War of Independence
.
and re-elected as Guardian of the realm, Sir Andrew Murray
, son of William Wallace
's lieutenant and his namesake. A month later Murray's forces met with the English pro-Baliol forces under David de Strathbogie at Culblean
, in Aberdeenshire
. Murray's army divided into two with Douglas' leading the forward unit. When he saw Strathbogie arrayed for battle Douglas halted, as if hesitating in the face of the enemy's preparedness. This had the desired effect and Strathbogie led his men in a downhill charge; but their ranks began to break on reaching a burn, and Douglas ordered a counter-charge. Sir Andrew with the rearguard immediately launched an assault on the enemy's exposed flank. The charge was so fierce that the bushes in the way were all born down. Pinned down in front and attacked from the side, Strathbogie's army broke. Unable to escape, and refusing to surrender, Strathbogie stood with his back to an oak tree and was killed in a last stand with a small group of followers, including Walter and Thomas Comyn. The battle of Culblean, though by no means the largest confrontation in the conflict was pivotal in the fortunes of the followers of David Bruce, and heavily demoralised the forces of Baliol.
In the later 1330s Douglas continued to consolidate his powerbase in Southern Scotland using the Great Forest of Ettrick as cover to mount increasingly punishing raids upon the English, as had "The Good Sir James" before him. The English still held Roxburgh Castle
, and the ever hard pressed Borderers, who were 'encouraged' under duress to 'return to the Kings's faith', regarded the Lothian-based Douglas as yet another warlord rather than a Freedom fighter, imposing his will by raid and enforced leadership.
Earlier Sir Archibald Douglas had laid waste to Galloway, Edward Baliol's patrimony and had seized Liddesdale to prevent access to and from England. Archibald claimed the Lordship thereof by Force Majeure, rather than by legal means. William Douglas did the same, seizing control of Liddesdale in 1337 and capturing the following year, Hermitage Castle
the key fortress in Liddesdale and over much of the Border country. Hermitage had been a royal castle under the Bruce, having been forfeited by Sir William de Soulis in 1320. It was captured during the Baliol invasion and granted to the Englishman Sir Ralph de Neville
.
, in English hands since the invasion of 1335. A repeat of Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray's daring recapture in 1314 where they scaled the Castle-rock was impossible as a result of Edward's new fortifications. Douglas had to come up a new strategy. In fact he went for a very old one, that of the Trojan Horse
. The garrison of the castle in constant need of supplies and fodder for their beasts and horses, used various local merchants for that purpose.
Douglas and his lieutenants dressed as merchants, and acquired some hay wain
s, in which they concealed their warriors. On gaining entry to the castle the final wagon stopped to bar the gates from closing. Douglas' men poured from the wagons and through the open gates came the citizenry of Edinburgh to slaughter the English defenders, throwing many off the Castle-rock.
Control of Edinburgh gave Douglas the power and influence to control all of Southern Scotland from Dumfries to the Merse. However, his legal position was tenuous and had to be maintained by force.
While his predecessor "The Good Sir James", had been tied by bonds of personal friendship and loyalty to The Bruce, there were no such links between the exiled David II and the remaining Guardian, Robert Stewart. William received no support militarily and no preference in the issuing of charters of land from Robert. To ensure that his efforts to secure his pre-eminence were not in vain, Douglas decided to visit King David in France in an attempt to forge a friendship between them.
In 1339, Douglas visited the King at Château Gaillard on the Seine, 50 miles North-West of Paris
. Douglas returned from France with a party of French Knights and Crossbowmen and the promise of Royal favour in return for helping arrange and prepare the way for the King's return to Scotland.
In July 1342 Douglas was granted the Earldom of Atholl, which had been retained by the crown for some years. He was only to hold the earldom for a matter of months, before being compelled to resign title to King David's uncle, the High Steward of Scotland
Robert Stewart
(later Robert II of Scotland). In September of the same year, perhaps in recognition of his loss of the earldom, King David granted the forfeited lands of Sir James Lovell, in Eskdale
and Ewesdale, to Douglas. Later in 1342, Douglas was again in legal wrangling with the Steward, being compelled to resign lands he held in wardship for the young Lord of Douglas, to him. The charter for these lands, in Douglas' powerbase of Liddesdale was considered defective, because Sir Archibald, the guardian had granted the lands to himself during king David's minority.
Douglas had challenged by Henry, Earl of Derby
at Roxburgh. Douglas, by virtue of his lance breaking on his first tilt, and the damge to his hand thereof could not carry on with the joust. A tournament was arranged between the chivary of both nations, to reach a more satisfatory outcome. Douglas, had still not recovered the use of his hand, so the Scottish knights were led by Sir Alexander Ramsay and won successfully against the English. Ramsay's success here, and his later capture of Roxburgh Castle
at Easter 1342, of which Douglas was the titular Constable, Douglas perceived as a deadly insult.
Following the return of King David, Douglas was further affronted when the King deprived Douglas' of his offices of Constable of Roxburgh and Sheriff of Teviotdale, and bestowed them on Ramsay.
The incensed Douglas and a large force of men arrived at Hawick, where Ramsay was holding court. Douglas' men immediately seized the unfortunate Ramsay, tied him to a mule and removed him to Hermitage Castle. Ramsay was thrown into the Oubliette there, and was starved to death, lingering for up to seventeen days without food or water.
However, after intervention by the Steward, Douglas was back in the King's favour and restored to his previous offices by late 1342.
In 1346, the greater part of the English army of Edward III were away at war fighting against the French. The French were desperate for the English to be diverted and called upon King David II of Scotland to attack the English northern border. King David gladly obliged and sallied forth into England with 20,000 men who wrecked and plundered parts of Cumberland and Northumberland before entering Durham where they made camp at Bearpark to the west of the city. The Scots were divided into three factions under the respective commands of King David, the Earl of Moray and Sir William Douglas.
On 17 October, the men of Sir William Douglas went on a rampage throughout Durham straying as far south as Ferryhill where to their surprise they encountered part of an English army of some 15,000 which pursued them north. Under the leadership of Sir Ralph Neville
and supported by the men of Thomas Rokeby and Lord Percy
, the English were successful in this initial encounter and a number of Scots lost their lives. Moving north the real battle took place on the Red Hills in the vicinity of a stone cross called Neville's Cross (which existed before the battle). Arrows were fired, axes began hacking, swords were thrust and as the bloodbath continued the indication was that the Scots were going to lose.
David, the Scottish king fled from the scene. He had been wounded and was subsequently captured. Eventually a fee was agreed for the return of King David to Scotland and he was released.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
nobleman and soldier active during the Second War of Scottish Independence
Second War of Scottish Independence
The Second War of Scottish Independence was the second cluster of a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries....
.
Family
Douglas' father, James Douglas of Lothian, a minor landowner in the Lothians was a second cousin of the Good Sir James DouglasJames Douglas, Lord of Douglas
Sir James Douglas , , was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.-Early life:...
, a hero of the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
. At some point circa. 1323, Douglas succeeded to his small desmesnes. Circa. 1327 he became godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to his third cousin William
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish magnate.-Early Life:William Douglas was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of "Sir James the Good", Robert the Bruce's trusted deputy...
, son of Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas was a Scottish noble, Guardian of Scotland and military leader. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" , but this may be a reference to his great-nephew Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas.-Early life:The younger son of Sir William "le Hardi" Douglas, the Governor of...
, and nephew of the "Good Sir James". Douglas was to hold minor positions of state and is not much heard of until 1332.
Second War of Scottish Independence
Robert the Bruce died in 1329 and also "The Good Sir James" on Crusade in 1330, Bruce's son David IIDavid II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
was an infant. Edward III of England had just attained his majority and was known to resent his father, Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
's disgrace at the hands of the Scots, and his own supposed humiliation when forced to sign the Treaty of Northampton in 1328, at just sixteen years old.
The Disinherited and Baliol
A party known as the Disinherited (senior Anglo-Scottish Nobles on the losing side after BannockburnBannockburn
Bannockburn is a village immediately south of the city of Stirling in Scotland. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a burn running through the village before flowing into the River Forth.-History:...
) successfully lured Edward Baliol, son of former King John of Scotland from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1331, with the aim of restoring him to the throne and their privileges. Throughout the winter and spring of 1332 the Disinherited led by a veteran campaigner Henry de Beaumont
Henry de Beaumont
Henry de Beaumont, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Buchan and suo jure 1st Baron Beaumont was a key figure in the Anglo-Scots wars of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, known as the Wars of Scottish Independence.-Life:...
and Baliol, with tacit support, but outward neutrality from Edward III, were gathering supplies and men for the invasion of Scotland. The last of the old guard Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, Bruce's nephew died in July and the leadership crisis in Scotland made it ripe for the picking. In violation of the Treaty of Northampton, which forbade any military incursions across the Border, Baliol's forces set sail from the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
coast and landed at Kinghorn
Kinghorn
Kinghorn is a town in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth opposite Edinburgh...
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, and marched to meet the forces of David Bruce. The Battle of Dupplin Moor
Battle of Dupplin Moor
The Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought between supporters of the infant David II, the son of Robert the Bruce, and rebels supporting the Balliol claim in 1332. It was a significant battle of the Second War of Scottish Independence.-Background:...
, was a decisive defeat for the defenders and Baliol was crowned King of Scots on 24 September. Baliol had little support in his new kingdom, except in his ancestral lands in Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
. Baliol and his army marched across the Lowlands
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
, and was being slowly eroded by guerrilla tactics learnt only twenty years previously. Baliol was ambushed at the Battle of Annan
Battle of Annan
The Battle of Annan, known in the sources as the Camisade of Annan took place on December 16, 1332. It took place at Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. In it the Bruce loyalist supporters of King David II of Scotland surprised Edward Balliol and his supporters while they were in bed, and...
on 16 December 1332. Baliol's brother Henry is said to have died in the skirmish, and it is the first time that William Douglas is recorded in battle, and Baliol himself had to flee south ignominiously.
Open War
In 1333, Edward dropped all pretence of neutrality, repudiated the Treaty of Northampton, and attacked Scottish Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-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....
, Douglas' kinsman Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas
Sir Archibald Douglas was a Scottish noble, Guardian of Scotland and military leader. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" , but this may be a reference to his great-nephew Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas.-Early life:The younger son of Sir William "le Hardi" Douglas, the Governor of...
, now Guardian of Scotland
Guardian of Scotland
The Guardians of Scotland were the de facto heads of state of Scotland during the First Interregnum of 1290–1292, and the Second Interregnum of 1296–1306...
, rushed to meet the English host and battle commenced at Halidon Hill
Battle of Halidon Hill
The Battle of Halidon Hill 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.-The Disinherited:...
. A crushing defeat for the Scots, Sir Archibald was killed, William, the young Lord of Douglas also. Hordes of valuable hostages taken. Young King David II
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
, Douglas' Godson William Douglas and his brother John Douglas escaped to France. However, Edward chose to restore Baliol to Scotland and retreated south. The supporters of King David elected two new guardians of the realm, John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray was an important figure in the reign of David II of Scotland, and was for a time joint Regent of Scotland.-Family:...
, Bruce's great-nephew and Robert Stewart
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
, High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
and Bruce's grandson. In 1335 Edward decide to take matters into his own hands again and entered Scotland with a force large enough to occupy the whole south of the country, taking Edinburgh castle and heavily rebuilding and refortifying it.
Retaliation
William Douglas had been captured earlier in 1333, at an action known as the Battle of DornockBattle of Dornock
The Battle of Dornock was fought on the 25 March 1333 during the Second War of Scottish Independence.-Background:In 1333 Edward Balliol, a claimant to the Scottish throne, sought support from the English King Edward III. In exchange for ceding the region of Lothian to England, Balliol was given...
, and so escaped the carnage that had wiped out or captured the leading men of the nation at Halidon Hill. Upon his release in 1334, he started raiding Galloway under the command of John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray was an important figure in the reign of David II of Scotland, and was for a time joint Regent of Scotland.-Family:...
, capturing Guy II, Count of Namur
Guy II, Marquis of Namur
Guy II of Namur, , was Count of Namur between 1335 and 1336.He was the second son of John I, Marquis of Namur, and Mary of Artois....
at the Battle of Boroughmuir
Battle of Boroughmuir
The Battle of Boroughmuir was fought on 30 July 1335 between Guy, Count of Namur, a cousin of Queen Philippa and John Randolph, Earl of Moray, the Guardian of Scotland. Namur was on his way to join Edward III on his invasion of Scotland, when he was intercepted on the common grazing ground to the...
. After Randolph's capture and without his support Douglas started building his own power base. Douglas returned to his lands in Lothian and as he had a pitiful amount of tenantry to draw upon, he organised a company of men that would follow him based on his martial prowess. "The armed bands led by Douglas, his contemporary Alexander Ramsay and others lived 'in poverty' and 'like shadows', fighting a guerrilla war against the English....Ramsay based his followers in a network of caves at Hawthorndean
Hawthornden Castle
Hawthornden Castle is located on the River North Esk in Midlothian, Scotland. The castle lies a mile to the east of Roslin at grid reference , and is just downstream from Roslin Castle. Hawthornden comprises a 15th century ruin, with a 17th century L-plan house attached. The house has been restored...
in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, while Douglas, operated from lairs in the [Ettrick] Forest or the Pentland Hills
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...
, was wounded twice and risked capture ambushing larger English forces. But these leaders engaging in small-scale warfare were the only active opponents of the English in the South." Later historians and chroniclers would praise Douglas and his guerrillas as "schools of Knighthood", earning him the epithet Flower of Chivalry just as they had praised the his relative the Good Sir James for his guerrilla tactics in the First War of Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
.
Rise to Pre-eminence in the South
As mentioned previously Douglas did not have a large tenantry base to work with himself, so the majority of the men that led his companies were bound by kinship, and their adherents. In his native Lothian, Douglas' clear leadership won over local gentry and their followings, but throughout the rest of the south it was Douglas' military successes that won him great support. He became known as the "Flail of the English and Wall of the Scots". Douglas was starting to be viewed in much the same way as his illustrious cousin "The Good Sir James" had been a generation before.Culblean
In September 1335, the rump of the Bruce party, gathered at Dumbarton CastleDumbarton 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:...
and re-elected as Guardian of the realm, Sir Andrew Murray
Sir Andrew Murray
Sir Andrew Murray , also known as Sir Andrew Moray or Sir Andrew Murray of Bothwell, was a Scottish military leader who commanded resistance forces loyal to David II of Scotland against Edward Balliol and Edward III of England during the Second War of Scottish Independence...
, son of William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
's lieutenant and his namesake. A month later Murray's forces met with the English pro-Baliol forces under David de Strathbogie at Culblean
Battle of Culblean
The Battle of Culblean was fought on 30 November 1335, during the Second War of Scottish Independence. It was a victory for the Scots led by the Guardian, Sir Andrew Murray over an Anglo-Scots force commanded by David III Strathbogie, titular Earl of Atholl, and a leading supporter of Edward...
, in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
. Murray's army divided into two with Douglas' leading the forward unit. When he saw Strathbogie arrayed for battle Douglas halted, as if hesitating in the face of the enemy's preparedness. This had the desired effect and Strathbogie led his men in a downhill charge; but their ranks began to break on reaching a burn, and Douglas ordered a counter-charge. Sir Andrew with the rearguard immediately launched an assault on the enemy's exposed flank. The charge was so fierce that the bushes in the way were all born down. Pinned down in front and attacked from the side, Strathbogie's army broke. Unable to escape, and refusing to surrender, Strathbogie stood with his back to an oak tree and was killed in a last stand with a small group of followers, including Walter and Thomas Comyn. The battle of Culblean, though by no means the largest confrontation in the conflict was pivotal in the fortunes of the followers of David Bruce, and heavily demoralised the forces of Baliol.
Control of the Borders and Capture of Hermitage Castle
Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
, and the ever hard pressed Borderers, who were 'encouraged' under duress to 'return to the Kings's faith', regarded the Lothian-based Douglas as yet another warlord rather than a Freedom fighter, imposing his will by raid and enforced leadership.
Earlier Sir Archibald Douglas had laid waste to Galloway, Edward Baliol's patrimony and had seized Liddesdale to prevent access to and from England. Archibald claimed the Lordship thereof by Force Majeure, rather than by legal means. William Douglas did the same, seizing control of Liddesdale in 1337 and capturing the following year, Hermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The Castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric in Scotland....
the key fortress in Liddesdale and over much of the Border country. Hermitage had been a royal castle under the Bruce, having been forfeited by Sir William de Soulis in 1320. It was captured during the Baliol invasion and granted to the Englishman Sir Ralph de Neville
Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby
Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby was an English aristocrat, son of Ralph Neville, 1st Baron Neville de Raby and Euphemia de Clavering....
.
Capture of Edinburgh Castle
By 1341, such was Douglas' burgeoning experience and ability, that he was able to recapture the heavily defended Castle of EdinburghEdinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
, in English hands since the invasion of 1335. A repeat of Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray's daring recapture in 1314 where they scaled the Castle-rock was impossible as a result of Edward's new fortifications. Douglas had to come up a new strategy. In fact he went for a very old one, that of the Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
. The garrison of the castle in constant need of supplies and fodder for their beasts and horses, used various local merchants for that purpose.
Douglas and his lieutenants dressed as merchants, and acquired some hay wain
Wain
A wain is a type of horse-drawn, load-carrying vehicle, used for agricultural purposes rather than transporting people, for example a haywain. It normally has four wheels but the term has now acquired slightly poetical connotations so is not always used with technical correctness. However, a...
s, in which they concealed their warriors. On gaining entry to the castle the final wagon stopped to bar the gates from closing. Douglas' men poured from the wagons and through the open gates came the citizenry of Edinburgh to slaughter the English defenders, throwing many off the Castle-rock.
Control of Edinburgh gave Douglas the power and influence to control all of Southern Scotland from Dumfries to the Merse. However, his legal position was tenuous and had to be maintained by force.
While his predecessor "The Good Sir James", had been tied by bonds of personal friendship and loyalty to The Bruce, there were no such links between the exiled David II and the remaining Guardian, Robert Stewart. William received no support militarily and no preference in the issuing of charters of land from Robert. To ensure that his efforts to secure his pre-eminence were not in vain, Douglas decided to visit King David in France in an attempt to forge a friendship between them.
Return of David II
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Douglas returned from France with a party of French Knights and Crossbowmen and the promise of Royal favour in return for helping arrange and prepare the way for the King's return to Scotland.
In July 1342 Douglas was granted the Earldom of Atholl, which had been retained by the crown for some years. He was only to hold the earldom for a matter of months, before being compelled to resign title to King David's uncle, the High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
Robert Stewart
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
(later Robert II of Scotland). In September of the same year, perhaps in recognition of his loss of the earldom, King David granted the forfeited lands of Sir James Lovell, in Eskdale
Eskdale
-United Kingdom:*Eskdale, Cumbria, England*Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland*Eskdale, North Yorkshire, England*Eskdale , Cumberland, England, former constituency-United States:...
and Ewesdale, to Douglas. Later in 1342, Douglas was again in legal wrangling with the Steward, being compelled to resign lands he held in wardship for the young Lord of Douglas, to him. The charter for these lands, in Douglas' powerbase of Liddesdale was considered defective, because Sir Archibald, the guardian had granted the lands to himself during king David's minority.
Murder of Ramsay
Douglas and his compatriot Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie had a keen rivalry between them, which was exacerbated into jealousy, by a duel which took place in December 1341.Douglas had challenged by Henry, Earl of Derby
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 4th Earl of Leicester and Lancaster, KG , also Earl of Derby, was a member of the English nobility in the 14th century, and a prominent English diplomat, politician, and soldier...
at Roxburgh. Douglas, by virtue of his lance breaking on his first tilt, and the damge to his hand thereof could not carry on with the joust. A tournament was arranged between the chivary of both nations, to reach a more satisfatory outcome. Douglas, had still not recovered the use of his hand, so the Scottish knights were led by Sir Alexander Ramsay and won successfully against the English. Ramsay's success here, and his later capture of Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
at Easter 1342, of which Douglas was the titular Constable, Douglas perceived as a deadly insult.
Following the return of King David, Douglas was further affronted when the King deprived Douglas' of his offices of Constable of Roxburgh and Sheriff of Teviotdale, and bestowed them on Ramsay.
The incensed Douglas and a large force of men arrived at Hawick, where Ramsay was holding court. Douglas' men immediately seized the unfortunate Ramsay, tied him to a mule and removed him to Hermitage Castle. Ramsay was thrown into the Oubliette there, and was starved to death, lingering for up to seventeen days without food or water.
However, after intervention by the Steward, Douglas was back in the King's favour and restored to his previous offices by late 1342.
Neville's Cross
On 17 October, the men of Sir William Douglas went on a rampage throughout Durham straying as far south as Ferryhill where to their surprise they encountered part of an English army of some 15,000 which pursued them north. Under the leadership of Sir Ralph Neville
Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby
Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby was an English aristocrat, son of Ralph Neville, 1st Baron Neville de Raby and Euphemia de Clavering....
and supported by the men of Thomas Rokeby and Lord Percy
Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy
Henry de Percy, 9th Baron Percy and 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick was the son of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick, and Eleanor Fitzalan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel....
, the English were successful in this initial encounter and a number of Scots lost their lives. Moving north the real battle took place on the Red Hills in the vicinity of a stone cross called Neville's Cross (which existed before the battle). Arrows were fired, axes began hacking, swords were thrust and as the bloodbath continued the indication was that the Scots were going to lose.
David, the Scottish king fled from the scene. He had been wounded and was subsequently captured. Eventually a fee was agreed for the return of King David to Scotland and he was released.
Death
Sir William was murdered in 1353 by his kinsman, William, 1st Earl of Douglas, and the family possessions passed to the son of his younger brother, Sir John Douglas, who had been assassinated, by order of Sir David Barclay, between 1346 and 1350.Sources
- Hume of Godscroft, DavidDavid Hume of GodscroftDavid Hume was a Scottish historian and political theorist, poet and controversialist, a major intellectual figure in Jacobean Scotland. He also spent a decade as pastor of a Protestant congregation in France.-Life:...
, The History of the House and Race of Douglas and Angus. Mortimer and MacLeod, Aberdeen 1820 - Brown, MichaelMichael Brown (historian)Michael Brown MA, PhD , is a Scottish medievalist lecturing at the University of St Andrews. In 1991 he was the recipient of the Royal Historical Society's David Berry Prize. His full volume on the reign of King James I of Scotland led to the award of the Agnes Mure prize for Scottish history...
, The Black Douglases. Tuckwell Press, East Linton. 1998 - Brenan, Gerald, A History of the House of Percy II vols. London 1902
- Fordun, John ofJohn of FordunJohn of Fordun was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th century; and it is probable that he was a chaplain in the St Machar's Cathedral of...
, Chronica Gentis Scotorum, ed.Skene, W.F.William Forbes SkeneWilliam Forbes Skene , Scottish historian and antiquary, was the second son of Sir Walter Scott's friend, James Skene , of Rubislaw, near Aberdeen....
, Edinburgh 1871.http://www.archive.org/details/johannisdefordun01ford - Fraser, Sir WilliamWilliam Fraser (historian)Sir William Fraser, KCB, was a solicitor and notable expert in ancient Scottish history, palaeography, and genealogy....
, The Douglas Book IV vols. Edinburgh. 1885 - Records of the Parliament of Scotland, http://www.rps.ac.uk/ University of St Andrew's.
- Grey, Sir ThomasThomas Grey (chronicler)Sir Thomas Grey of Heton , Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, was an English chronicler.-Family:He was a son of the Sir Thomas de Grey of Heaton , who was taken prisoner by the Scots at Bannockburn, and his wife Agnes Sir Thomas Grey of Heton (near Norham), Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland,...
, Scalacronica, trans. Maxwell. Glasgow 1904.http://www.archive.org/details/scalacronicareig01grayuoft - Maxwell, Sir Herbert, A History of the House of Douglas II vols. London. 1902
- Sadler, JohnJohn Sadler (historian)John Sadler is a British historian specialising in the Anglo-Scottish Border conflicts during the Middle Ages. Saddler is a regular contributor to military and historical journals and has published a number of books on the subject...
, Border Fury-England and Scotland at War 1296-1568. Pearson Education. 2005.