Battle of Dunbar (1296)

Coordinates: 55°58′37″N 2°31′16″W / 55.97692°N 2.52119°W / 55.97692; -2.52119
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Battle of Dunbar
Part of the First War of Scottish Independence
Date27 April 1296
Location
Spott, near Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland
Result English victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
John Balliol John de Warenne
Strength
Hundreds of cavalry Hundreds of cavalry
Registered battlefield
Official nameBattle of Dunbar I
Designated14 December 2012
Reference no.BTL31
Battle of Dunbar (1296) is located in East Lothian
Battle of Dunbar (1296)
class=notpageimage|
Location of the battlefield in East Lothian, Scotland

The Battle of Dunbar was the only significant field action of the campaign of 1296 during the beginning of the First War of Scottish Independence.

Background

John Baliol, King of Scots, before Edward I of England

King

sack of Berwick-upon-Tweed
, Edward rushed to complete the conquest of Scotland, remained in the town for a month, supervising the strengthening of its defences. On 5 April, he received a message from King John renouncing his homage, to which he remarked, "O' foolish knave! What folly he commits. If he will not come to us we will go to him."

The next objective in the campaign was the

Earl of Buchan, did not share her husband's political loyalties and allowed her fellow Scots to occupy the castle. Edward sent one of his chief lieutenants, John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, John Balliol's own father-in-law, northwards with a strong force of knights to invest the stronghold. The defenders sent messages to King John, who bivouacked with the main body of his army at nearby Haddington, asking for urgent assistance. In response the army, or a large part of it, advanced to the rescue of Dunbar.[1]
John, who was showing even less skill as a commander than he had as a king, did not accompany it. The campaign of 1296 was now to enter its final phase.

Battle

There is little evidence to suggest that Dunbar was anything other than an action between two bodies of mounted men-at-arms (armoured cavalry). Surrey's force seems to have comprised one formation (out of four) of the English cavalry; the Scots force led in part by Comyns probably represented the greater part of their cavalry element. The two forces came in sight of each other on 27 April. The Scots occupied a strong position on some high ground to the west. To meet them, Surrey's cavalry had to cross a gully intersected by the

Ettrick Forest. The following day King Edward appeared in person and Dunbar castle surrendered. Some important prisoners were taken: John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, and the earls of Atholl, Ross and Menteith, together with 130 knights and esquires. All were sent into captivity in England.[2]

Aftermath

The battle of Dunbar effectively ended the war of 1296 with an English victory. The remainder of the campaign was little more than a grand mopping-up operation.

High Steward of Scotland, surrendered the important fortress at Roxburgh without attempting a defence, and others were quick to follow his example. Only Edinburgh Castle held out for a week against Edward's siege engines. A Scottish garrison sent out to help King John, who had fled north to Forfar, were told to provide for their own safety. Edward himself, true to his word, advanced into central and northern Scotland in pursuit of King John. Stirling Castle, which guarded the vital passage across the River Forth was deserted save for a janitor who stayed behind to hand the keys to the English. John reached Perth
on 21 June, where he received messages from Edward asking for peace.

John Balliol surrendered and submitted himself to a protracted abasement. At

arms of Scotland from his surcoat, thus bequeathing to history the nickname Toom Tabard (empty coat) by which John has been known to generations of Scottish schoolchildren. He and his son Edward were sent south into captivity. Soon after, the English king followed, carrying in his train the Stone of Scone
and other relics of Scottish nationhood.

Battlefield site

Farmland near the battle site

The battlefield was considered for protection by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy 2009.[3]

In 2012 the site was added to the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland (BTL31).[4] Historic Environment Scotland reports that no archaeological discoveries have been reported from the battle site, and that a 2007 dig failed to yield any battle-related finds. However, it considers that weaponry and other metal objects from the battle may lie undiscovered in the topsoil.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Spott, Battle of Dunbar", John Gray Centre, East Lothian
  2. ISBN 9781481796231
    .
  3. ^ "Inventory battlefields". Historic Scotland. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Scottish battlefield sites listed". BBC News. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  5. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Battle of Dunbar I (BTL31)". Retrieved 4 September 2020.

Sources

  • Young, Alan. Robert Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns 1212–1314, p. 158.
  • Barrell, A., Medieval Scotland
  • Brown, M., 'Wars of Scotland
  • Brown, C., Scottish Battlefields
  • Nicholson, R. Scotland. The Later Middle Ages
  • Ayton, A. Knights and their Warhorses
  • Watson, F., Under the Hammer
  • Brown, C., Knights of the Scottish Wars of Independence

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Dunbar (1296).

55°58′37″N 2°31′16″W / 55.97692°N 2.52119°W / 55.97692; -2.52119

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Dunbar_(1296)&oldid=1182074816"