Battle of Neville's Cross
Battle of Neville's Cross | |||||||
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Part of the Hundred Years' War and the Second War of Scottish Independence | |||||||
Battle of Neville's Cross from a 15th-century manuscript | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Scotland | England | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
King David II (POW) John Randolph, Earl of Moray † William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale (POW) |
Lord Ralph Neville Lord Henry Percy William Zouche | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
12,000 | 6,000–7,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,000–3,000 killed Many captured including King David II | Few | ||||||
The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy loss by an English army of approximately 6,000–7,000 men led by Ralph Neville, Lord Neville. The battle was named after an Anglo-Saxon stone cross that stood on the hill where the Scots made their stand. After the victory, Neville paid to have a new cross erected to commemorate the day.
The battle was the result of the invasion of France by England during the Hundred Years' War. King Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) called on the Scots to fulfil their obligation under the terms of the Auld Alliance and invade England. David II obliged, and after ravaging much of northern England was taken by surprise by the English defenders. The ensuing battle ended with the rout of the Scots, the capture of their king and the death or capture of most of their leadership. Strategically, this freed significant English resources for the war against France, and the English border counties were able to guard against the remaining Scottish threat from their own resources. The eventual ransoming of the Scottish King resulted in a truce that brought peace to the border for forty years.
Background
By 1346 England had been embroiled in the Second War of Scottish Independence since 1332 and the Hundred Years' War with France since 1337. In January 1343 the French and English had entered into the Truce of Malestroit, which included Scotland and was intended to last until 29 September 1346.[1] In defiance of the truce, hostilities continued on all fronts, although mostly at a lower level; King David II of Scotland (r. 1329–1371) led a six-day raid into northern England in October 1345.[2] Edward III of England (r. 1327–1377) planned an invasion of northern France in 1346 and King Philip VI of France sent an appeal to David II to open a northern front.[3] Philip VI wanted the Scots to divert English troops, supplies and attention away from the army under Edward III which was gathering in southern England.[4] The Auld Alliance between France and Scotland had been renewed in 1326 and was intended to deter England from attacking either country by the threat that in this case the other would invade English territory.[5]
In June Philip VI asked David II to attack pre-emptively: "I beg you, I implore you ... Do for me what I would willingly do for you in such a crisis and do it as quickly ... as you are able."[4] Edward III landed in Normandy with an army of 15,000 in July. Philip VI renewed his pleas to David II. As the English had also committed troops to Gascony, Brittany and Flanders, Philip VI described northern England to David II as "a defenceless void".[6] David II felt certain that few English troops would be left to defend the rich northern English cities,[7] but when the Scots probed into northern England they were sharply rebuffed by the local defenders. David II agreed to a truce, to last until 29 September, in order to fully mobilise the Scottish army, which was assembling at Perth.[3] By the time the truce expired, the French had been decisively beaten at Crécy and the English were besieging Calais. The French were also in difficulty in south-west France, where their front had collapsed, with the major city and provincial capital of Poitiers, 125 miles (201 km) from the border of English Gascony, falling on 4 October.[8]
Prelude
On 7 October the Scots invaded England with approximately 12,000 men.
The invasion had been expected by the English for some time; two years earlier the Chancellor of England had told parliament the Scots were "saying quite openly that they will break the truce as soon as our adversary [France] desires and will march into England".
Battle
The Scots at Beaurepaire discovered the English army only on the morning of 17 October, when they were six miles (10 km) away. Around 500 men under
David II led the Scottish army east from Beaurepaire to high ground less than half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham and within sight of Durham Cathedral,[21] where he prepared for battle. Both the Scots and the English arranged themselves in three formations, or battles. On the Scottish side, David II took control of the second battle, and placed John Randolph, Earl of Moray, in charge of the first battle. Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March, took command of the third battle.[22] The contemporary sources are not consistent, but it seems the Scots formed up in their traditional schiltrons, each battle forming a rectilinear formation. The front ranks were armed with axes and long spears carried by the rear ranks protruded past them. The knights and other men-at-arms dismounted and stiffened the formations, usually at the very front. A screen of archers skirmished to the front, and each flank of the army was shielded by hobelars and further archers. As the mist lifted, it became clear the Scots were poorly positioned, on broken ground and with their movement made difficult by ditches and walls. They remembered their defeats at Dupplin Moor and Halidon Hill and so took a defensive stance, waiting for the English to attack.[23]
The English similarly divided their forces with
Moray's battle led the assault, but the broken terrain and obstacles slowed their advance and made it difficult for them to maintain formation. The longbowmen were able to fall back behind their men-at-arms. By the time the disorganised battle came to hand-to-hand combat it was easily dealt with. Seeing their first attack repulsed, and also being harassed by the English archers, the third and largest Scottish battle, on the Scottish left under the Earl of March and Robert Stewart,[note 2] broke and fled,[26] with most escaping.[29] The English stood off from the remaining Scots under David II and poured in arrows. The English men-at-arms then attacked and after fighting described as "ferocious", the Scots attempted unsuccessfully to retreat and were routed.[30] The English men-at-arms outfought superior numbers of the Scottish foot, while the performance of the English archers was mixed. Most of them were participating in their first pitched battle, or even their first combat. Many groups of bowmen conspicuously hung back, while the Lancashire longbowmen received a post-battle bonus of £10 each (£9,900 in 2024 terms).[31]
David II, badly wounded, was captured after he fled the field, while the rest of the Scottish army was pursued by the English long into the night.[32] More than 50 Scottish barons were killed or captured; Scotland lost almost all its military leadership.[26][33] The Scottish dead included: the Constable, Lord David de la Hay; the Marischal, Robert de Keith; the Chamberlain, John de Roxburgh; the Chancellor, Lord Thomas Charteris; two earls, John Randolph, Earl of Moray and Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn; and Niall Bruce of Carrick, an illegitimate son of Robert the Bruce.[34][35] An unknown number of Scots were taken prisoner. It is believed that only Scots thought able to pay a ransom were spared, others being slain out of hand.[36] Scottish nobles who were captured included William Douglas, the "Knight of Liddesdale", their most skilled guerilla fighter, and four earls.[37]
Scottish chroniclers
Aftermath
Accounts of the time state that after the battle David II was hiding under a bridge over the River Browney when his reflection was seen in the water by a group of English soldiers. David II was then taken prisoner by John de Coupland, who was leading the detachment and had two teeth knocked out by the King.[41] During the battle David II had been twice shot in the face with arrows. Surgeons attempted to remove the arrows but the tip of one remained lodged in his face, rendering him prone to headaches for decades.[42] Edward III ordered David II to be handed over to him, rewarding Coupland with a knighthood and an annuity of £500 for life (£490,000 per year in 2024 terms).[43] Despite having fled without fighting, Robert Stewart was appointed Lord Guardian to act on David II's behalf in his absence.[10]
All the Scottish captives were ordered to London, to the disgust of their captors who had a legal right to ransom them.
In early 1347, two English forces made large-scale raids deep into Scotland. They met little opposition and devastated much of southern Scotland.[48] Border raids, often accompanied by devastation of the countryside, and sometimes on a large scale, continued to be launched by both the Scots and the English. The battle removed the strategic threat to Edward III's rear, and by 1349 the English border counties were able to guard against the remaining Scottish threat from their own resources.[49]
The
The battle takes its name from an
In literature
The fate of King David II is recalled in
Notes, citations and sources
Notes
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 28 October 2018. To give a very rough idea of earning power, an English foot-soldier could expect to earn £1 in wages in approximately 3 months for, usually seasonal, military service.[12]
- ^ Robert Stewart was David II's nephew, the heir-apparent, and a future king of Scotland (as Robert II). After the battle he became Lord Guardian of Scotland, regent for the captured David II.[27][28]
Citations
- ^ Sumption 1990, pp. 507–508.
- ^ a b Sumption 1990, p. 499.
- ^ a b Brown 2004, p. 247.
- ^ a b Sumption 1990, p. 500.
- ^ Crowcroft & Cannon 2015, pp. 379–380.
- ^ Sumption 1990, p. 504.
- ^ a b Penman 2004, pp. 157–180.
- ^ a b Sumption 1990, p. 550.
- ^ Maxwell 1913, p. 330.
- ^ a b c Wagner 2006, pp. 228–229.
- ^ Maxwell 1913, p. 332.
- ^ Gribit 2016, p. 37.
- ^ Sumption 1990, pp. 550–551.
- ^ Oman 1998, p. 149, n 1
- ^ Burne 1999, p. 218.
- ^ Sumption 1990, p. 552.
- ^ Prestwich & Rollason 1998, p. 143.
- ^ a b DeVries 2006, p. 181.
- ^ a b Maxwell 1913, p. 336.
- ^ Maxwell 1913, p. 337.
- ^ Prestwich & Rollason 1998, p. 88.
- ^ Maxwell 1913, p. 339.
- ^ a b Sumption 1990, pp. 552–553.
- ^ Maxwell 1913, p. 335.
- ^ Oman 1998, p. 150.
- ^ a b c d e Sumption 1990, p. 553.
- ^ Boardman 2006, pp. 3, 40.
- ^ Sadler 2013, p. 228.
- ^ Penman 2004, p. 134.
- ^ Sumption 1990, pp. 552–53.
- ^ Prestwich 1980, p. 267.
- ^ Maxwell 1913, p. 341.
- ^ a b Sumption 1999, p. 143.
- ^ Oman 1998, p. 151.
- ^ Fraser 1878, p. 15.
- ^ King 2002, pp. 269–270.
- ^ a b Given-Wilson & Bériac 2001, p. 809.
- ^ Prestwich & Rollason 1998, p. 26.
- ^ Prestwich & Rollason 1998, p. 140.
- ^ Rogers 1998, p. 51.
- ^ Prestwich & Rollason 1998, p. 146.
- ^ King 2002, p. 269.
- ^ Sumption 1990, p. 554.
- ^ King 2002, pp. 281–282.
- ^ King 2002, p. 282.
- ^ King 2002, p. 281.
- ^ King 2002, p. 278.
- ^ Burne 1999, p. 219.
- ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 145–148.
- ^ a b Prestwich & Rollason 1998, pp. 59–60.
- ^ Given-Wilson & Bériac 2001, p. 811.
- ^ a b Historic England 1995b, p. 2.
- ^ Historic England 1995a.
- ^ Penman 2004, p. 129.
Sources
- Boardman, Stephen I. (May 2006). Robert II. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). .
- ISBN 978-0-7486-1238-3.
- ISBN 978-1-84022-210-4.
- Crowcroft, Robert; ISBN 978-0-19-967783-2.
- ISBN 978-0-85115-571-5.
- OCLC 866515784.
- Given-Wilson, Chris; Bériac, Françoise (September 2001). "Edward III's Prisoners of War: The Battle of Poitiers and its Context". The English Historical Review. 116 (468): 802–833. ISSN 0013-8266.
- Gribit, Nicholas (2016). Henry of Lancaster's Expedition to Aquitaine 1345–46. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-78327-117-7.
- King, Andy (2002). "According to the Custom Used in French and Scottish Wars: Prisoners and Casualties on the Scottish Marches in the Fourteenth Century". Journal of Medieval History. 28 (3): 263–290. S2CID 159873083.
- OCLC 457526322.
- ISBN 978-1-85367-332-0.
- Penman, Michael (2004). David II. East Linton, East Lothian: Tuckwell Press. ISBN 978-1-86232-202-8.
- OCLC 611186058.
- ISBN 978-1-900289-19-1.
- ISSN 0078-172X.
- Sadler, John (2013) [2005], Border Fury: England and Scotland at War 1296–1568, London; New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-1-4058-4022-4
- OCLC 819663446.
- ISBN 978-0-571-13896-8.
- Wagner, John A. (2006). "Neville's Cross, Battle of (1346)". Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Greenwood. pp. 228–229. ISBN 978-0-313-32736-0.
- "Battle of Neville's Cross 1346". Historic England. Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. 6 June 1995.
- "English Heritage Battlefield Report: Neville's Cross 1346". Historic England. Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. 1995. Retrieved 1 November 2019.