| Siege of Berwick | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSecond War of Scottish Independence | |||||||||
 A medieval depiction of Edward III at the siege of Berwick | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Kingdom of Scotland |  Kingdom of England Disinherited Scots | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
.svg) Sir Alexander Seton Sir William Keith Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March | King Edward III Edward Balliol | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Up to 20,000 | Less than 10,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown. Surviving garrisoncapitulated and were allowed to leave | Very few | ||||||||
  Location of the siege within Scotland | |||||||||
Thesiege of Berwick lasted four months in 1333 and resulted in theScottish-held town ofBerwick-upon-Tweed being captured by anEnglish army commanded by KingEdward III (r. 1327–1377). The year before,Edward Balliol hadseized the Scottish Crown, surreptitiously supported by Edward III. He was shortly thereafter expelled from the kingdom by a popular uprising. Edward III used this as acasus belli and invaded Scotland. The immediate target was the strategically important border town of Berwick.
An advance force laid siege to the town in March. Edward III and the main English army joined it in May and pressed the attack. A large Scottish army advanced to relieve the town. After unsuccessfully manoeuvring for position and knowing that Berwick was on the verge of surrender, the Scots felt compelled to attack the English atHalidon Hill on 19 July. The Scots suffered a crushing defeat, and Berwicksurrendered on terms the next day. Balliol was reinstalled as king of Scotland after ceding a large part of his territory to Edward III and agreeing to dohomage for the balance.
TheFirst War of Scottish Independence between England and Scotland began in March 1296, whenEdward I of England (r. 1272–1307)stormed and sacked the Scottish border town of Berwick as a prelude to his invasion of Scotland.[1] After 30 years of warfare that followed, the newly crowned 14-year-oldKing Edward III was nearly captured in the English disaster atStanhope Park. This brought his regents,Isabella of France andRoger Mortimer, to the negotiating table. They agreed to theTreaty of Northampton withRobert Bruce (r. 1306–1329) in 1328 but this treaty was widely resented in England and commonly known asturpis pax, "the cowards' peace". Some Scots nobles, refusing to swearfealty to Bruce, were disinherited and left Scotland to join forces withEdward Balliol, son of KingJohn I of Scotland (r. 1292–1296),[2] whom Edward I had deposed in 1296.[3]
Robert Bruce died in 1329; his heir was five-year-oldDavid II (r. 1329–1371). In 1331, under the leadership of Edward Balliol andHenry Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan, the disinherited Scottish nobles gathered inYorkshire and plotted an invasion of Scotland. Edward III was aware of the scheme and officially forbade it, in March 1332 writing to his northern officials that anyone planning an invasion of Scotland was to be arrested. The reality was different, and Edward III was happy to cause trouble for his northern neighbour. He insisted that Balliol not invade Scotland overland from England but turned a blind eye to his forces sailing for Scotland from Yorkshire ports on 31 July 1332. The Scots were aware of the situation and were waiting for Balliol. David II's regent was an experienced old soldier,Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray. He had prepared for Balliol and Beaumont, but died ten days before they sailed.[4][5]
Five days after landing inFife, Balliol's force of some 2,000 men met the Scottish army of 12,000–15,000. The Scots were crushed at theBattle of Dupplin Moor. Thousands of Scots died, including much of the nobility of the realm. Balliol was crowned king of Scotland atScone – the traditional place of coronation for Scottish monarchs[6] – on 24 September 1332.[3] Almost immediately, Balliol granted Edward III Scottish estates to a value of £2,000, which included "the town, castle and county of Berwick".[3] Balliol's support within Scotland was limited and within six months it had collapsed. He was ambushed by supporters of David II at theBattle of Annan a few months after his coronation. Balliol fled to England half-dressed and riding bareback. He appealed to Edward III for assistance.[7][8]
Berwick, on the North Sea coast of Britain, is on theAnglo-Scottish border, astride the main invasion and trade route in either direction. In the Middle Ages, it was the gateway from Scotland to the English easternmarch.[9] According toWilliam Edington, a bishop and chancellor of England, Berwick was "so populous and of such commercial importance that it might rightly be called anotherAlexandria, whose riches were the sea and the water its walls".[10] It was the most successful trading town in Scotland, and the duty on wool which passed through it was the Scottish Crown's largest single source of income.[11] During centuries of war between the two nations its strategic value and relative wealth led to a succession of raids, sieges and takeovers.[12] Battles were rare, as the Scots preferredguerrilla tactics and border raiding into England.[13] Berwick had been sold to the Scots byRichard I of England (r. 1189–1199) 140 years before, to raise funds for hiscrusade.[14] The town was captured and sacked by Edward I in 1296, the first significant action of the First War of Scottish Independence.[15] Twenty-two years later Robert Bruceretook it after bribing an English guard, expelling the last English garrison from Scottish soil.[16] KingEdward II of England (r. 1307–1327) attempted to recapture Berwick in 1319 but abandoned the siege after a Scottish army bypassed him and defeated a hastily assembled army under the Archbishop of York at theBattle of Myton.[17]
At the beginning of 1333, the atmosphere on the border was tense;[18] Edward III had dropped all pretence of neutrality, recognised Balliol as king of Scotland and was making ready for war.[19] TheEnglish parliament met atYork and debated the situation for five days without conclusion. Edward III promised to discuss the matter with bothPope John XXII andKing Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350). Possibly to prevent the Scots from taking the initiative, England began openly preparing for war, while announcing that it was Scotland which was preparing to invade England.[20][21] In ScotlandArchibald Douglas was Guardian of the Realm for the underage David. He was the brother of the "Good"Sir James Douglas, a hero of the First War of Independence. Weapons and supplies were gathered as he made arrangements for the defence of Berwick.Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March, the keeper ofBerwick Castle, had recently spent nearly £200 on its defences. SirAlexander Seton was appointed Governor of Berwick, responsible for the defence of the town.[22] After it was sacked in 1296, Edward I had replaced the old woodenpalisade withstone walls. These were considerably improved by the Scots in 1318.[23] The walls stretched for 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) and were up to 40 inches (3 feet; 1 metre) thick and 22 feet (6.7 metres) high. They were protected by towers, each up to 60 feet (20 metres) tall.[24][note 1] The wall to the south-west was further protected by theRiver Tweed, which was crossed by a stone bridge and entered the town at a stonegatehouse.Berwick Castle was to the west of the town, separated by a broad moat, making the town and castle independent strongholds.[23] Berwick was well-defended, well-stocked with provisions andmateriel, and expected to withstand a long siege.[26]
Balliol, in command of the disinherited Scottish lords and some English magnates, crossed the border on 10 March. Edward III made grants of over £1,000 to the nobles accompanying him on the campaign and a similar amount was paid to Balliol's companions; Balliol received over £700 personally.[27] He marched throughRoxburghshire, burning andpillaging as he went and capturingOxnam. He reached Berwick in late March and cut it off by land. Edward III's navy had already isolated it by sea. Balliol and the nobles accompanying him are said to have sworn not to withdraw until Berwick had fallen.[28] Edward arrived at Berwick with the main English army on 9 May,[29] after leavingQueen Philippa atBamburgh Castle 15 miles (24 kilometres) south of Berwick.[30] Balliol had been at Berwick for six weeks and had placed the town under close siege. Trenches had been dug, the water supply cut and all communication with the hinterland prevented.[18][31] Ascorched-earth policy was applied to the surrounding area to deny supplies for the town if an opportunity to break the siege occurred. The pillaging of the countryside also added to the English army's supplies.[31] The army included troops raised in theWelsh Marches andthe Midlands, as well as levies from the north which had already mustered on account of the earlier Scottish raids. By the end of the month, this force had been augmented by noble retinues, a muster atNewcastle, and the assembly of the English fleet in theRiver Tyne.[32] Accompanying the army were craftsmen to buildsiege engines. Thirty-seven masons prepared nearly 700 stone missiles for the siege; these were transported by sea fromHull on 16 May.[33] Edward III had arranged for the combined army to be revictualled by sea through the small port ofTweedmouth.[32]
Douglas had assembled a large army north of the border but his inactivity contrasts sharply with Robert Bruce's swift response to the siege of 1319. Douglas seems to have spent the time assembling ever more troops, rather than using those he already had to mount diversionary raids.[18][34] Minor raids intoCumberland were launched bySir Archibald Douglas. These were insufficient to draw the English forces from the siege. But it gave Edward III a pretext for his invasion, of which he took full advantage.[35] The success of Edward III's propaganda is reflected in contemporaneous English chronicles, which portray his invasion as retaliation against Scottish incursions,
...propter incursiones Scotorum cum incendijs ac multas alias illatas iniurias regno Anglie (... on account of the incursions of the Scots and the many injuries so inflicted on the realm of England).[36]
With the arrival of Edward III, the assault on Berwick began. It was commanded by theFlemish soldier-merchantJohn Crabb. Crabb had defended Berwick from the English in 1319, been captured by them in 1332 and now used his knowledge of Berwick's defences on England's behalf.Catapults andtrebuchets were used to great effect.[18][37] The English used some form of firearms during the siege and modern historian Ranald Nicholson states that Berwick was probably "the first town in the British Isles to be bombarded by cannon".[38]
In late June, the defenders set adrift burning brushwood soaked in tar, in an attempt to repel a naval assault. Instead of the English ships, much of the town was set on fire.[39][40] William Seton, a son of the town's governor, was killed fighting an English seabourne assault.[41] By the end of June the attacks by land and sea had brought the town to a state of ruin and the garrison close to exhaustion.[18][37][note 2] It is believed that a desire for a respite from theplunging fire of the two large counterweight trebuchets used by the English was a significant factor in Seton requesting a short truce from King Edward.[33][37] This was granted, but only on the condition that he surrender if not relieved by 11 July. Seton's son, Thomas, was to be a hostage to the agreement, along with eleven others.[43][39]
Douglas was now faced with a situation similar to that which the English had faced before theBattle of Bannockburn. Nicholson considers that "If Berwick were to be saved immediate action on the part of the Scottish guardian was unavoidable".[44] 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 ofStirling Castle in 1314. The army that Douglas had spent so much time gathering was now compelled to take to the field.[18] The English army is estimated to have been less than 10,000 strong – outnumbered approximately two-to-one by the Scots.[45] Douglas entered England on 11 July, the last day of Seton's truce.[44] He advanced eastwards to Tweedmouth and destroyed it in sight of the English army. Edward III did not move.[18]
Sir William Keith, with Sir Alexander Gray andSir William Prenderguest, led a force of around 200 Scottish cavalry. With some difficulty, they forced their way across the ruins of the bridge to the northern bank of the Tweed and made their way into the town.[34] Douglas considered the town relieved. He sent messages to Edward III calling on him to depart, threatening that if he failed to do so, the Scots army would devastate England. The Scots were challenged to do their worst.[46] The defenders argued that Keith's 200 horsemen constituted the relief according to the truce and therefore they did not have to surrender. Edward III stated that this was not the case: they had to be relieved directly from Scotland – literally from the direction of Scotland – whereas Keith, Gray and Prenderguest had approached Berwick from the direction of England.[47] Edward III ruled that the truce agreement had been breached – the town having neither surrendered nor been relieved. A gallows was constructed directly outside the town walls and, as the highest-ranking hostage, Thomas Seton was hanged while his parents watched. Edward III issued instructions that each day the town failed to surrender, another two hostages should be hanged.[47][note 3]
Keith, having taken command of the town from Seton, concluded a fresh truce on 15 July, promising to surrender if not relieved by sunset on 19 July.[18] The truce comprised twoindentures, one between Edward III and the town of Berwick and the other between Edward III and March, the keeper of Berwick Castle. It defined circumstances in which relief would or would not occur. The terms of surrender were notunconditional. The town was to be returned to English soil and law but the inhabitants were to be allowed to leave, with their goods and chattels, under asafe conduct from Edward III. All members of the garrison would also be given free passage. Relief was defined as one of three events: 200 Scottish men-at-arms fighting their way into Berwick; the Scottish army forcing its way across a specific stretch of the River Tweed; or, defeat of the English army in open battle on Scottish soil. On concluding the new treaty, Keith was allowed to immediately leave Berwick, travel to wherever the Guardian of Scotland happened to be, advise him of the terms of the treaty, and return safely to Berwick.[48]
By this time Douglas had marched south to Bamburgh, where Edward III's queen Philippa was still staying, and besieged it; Douglas hoped that this would cause Edward III to break off his siege.[46] In 1319 Edward III's father, Edward II, had broken off a siege of Berwick after a Scottish army had advanced on York, where his queen was staying, and devastated Yorkshire.[49] However, whatever concerns Edward III had for his queen, he ignored the threat to Bamburgh.[50][46] The Scots did not have the time to construct the kind of equipment that would be necessary to take the fortress by assault. The Scots devastated the countryside but Edward III ignored this.[18] He positioned the English army onHalidon Hill, a small rise of some 600 feet (180 metres), 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north-west of Berwick, which gives an excellent view of the town and the vicinity. From this vantage point, he dominated the crossing of the Tweed specified in the indentures and would have been able to attack the flank of any force of men-at-arms attempting to enter Berwick. Receiving Keith's news, Douglas felt that his only option was to engage the English in battle.[48] Crossing the Tweed to the west of the English position, the Scottish army reached the town ofDuns, 15 miles (24 km) from Berwick, on 18 July.[51] On the following day it approached Halidon Hill from the north-west, ready to give battle on ground chosen by Edward III.[18] Edward III had to face the Scottish army to the front and guard his rear against the risk of a sortie by the garrison of Berwick. By some accounts, a large proportion of the English army was left guarding Berwick.[52][53]
To engage the English, the Scots had to advance downhill, cross a large area of marshy ground and then climb the northern slope of Halidon Hill.[54][51] The Battle of Dupplin Moor the previous year had shown how vulnerable the Scots were to arrows. The prudent course of action would have been to withdraw and wait for a better opportunity to fight, but this would guarantee the loss of Berwick.[18][55] The armies encountered each other's scouts around midday on 19 July.[56] Douglasordered an attack. TheLanercost 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.[58]
The Scots suffered many casualties and the lower reaches of the hill were littered with dead and wounded. The survivors continued upwards, through the arrows "as thick as motes in a sun beam", according to an unnamed contemporary quoted by Nicholson,[59] and on to the waiting spears.[59]
The Scottish army broke, the camp followers made off with the horses and the fugitives were pursued by the mounted English knights. The Scottish casualties numbered in thousands, including Douglas and five earls dead on the field.[18] Scots who surrendered were killed on Edward's orders and some drowned as they fled into the sea.[60] English casualties were reported as fourteen; some chronicles give a lower figure of seven.[61][62] About a hundred Scots who had been taken prisoner were beheaded the next morning, 20 July.[63] This was the date that Berwick's second truce expired, and the town and the castle surrendered on the terms in the indentures.[18][64]
After the capitulation of Berwick, Edward III appointedHenry Percy as Constable, with SirThomas Grey as his deputy.[65] Considering his part done and short of money, he left for the south. On 19 June 1334, Balliol did homage to Edward for Scotland, after formally ceding to England the eight counties of south-east Scotland.[30] Balliol ruled a truncated Scottish state from Perth, from where he attempted to put down the remaining resistance. Seton in turn did homage to Balliol. Balliol was deposed again in 1334, restored again in 1335 and finally deposed in 1336, by those loyal to David II. Berwick was to remain the military and political headquarters of the English on the border until 1461, when it was returned to the Scots byKing Henry VI (r. 1422–1461).[66][67] Clifford Rogers states that Berwick "remained a bone of contention throughout the Middle Ages",[9] until its final re-capture for the English byRichard, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III, in 1482.[9]
