The year 1346 is remembered in England mostly for the Battle of Crécy, where King Edward III defeated the French forces in one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years’ War. That year also saw another major battle, this one fought on English soil.
Earlier that year, King Philip VI of France asked his ally David II, King of Scotland, to invade England in the hope of stretching the English military. However, it was not until October 1346 that the Scots invaded England, several weeks after the Battle of Crécy. David II believed that northern England would be defenceless, as Edward III was still in continental Europe along with most of the English army. After crossing the Scottish-English border on 7 October, his force of 12,000 men began to plunder the area, including monasteries.
Meanwhile, William Zouche, the Archbishop of York, organized the remaining English forces in the north and, with Henry de Percy and Ralph de Neville, marched to confront the Scots near the town of Durham. The Battle of Neville’s Cross was fought on 16 October, and one of the sources that narrated its events was the Lanercost Chronicle—written at Lanercost Priory, one of the very sites plundered by the Scots. Our section begins with the author mocking King David II and his men:
On that day David, like another Nebuchadnezzar, caused the fringes of his standard to be made much larger, and declared himself repeatedly to be King of Scots without any hindrance. He ordered his breakfast to be made ready, and said that he would return to it when he had slain the English at the point of the sword. But soon afterwards, yea very soon after, all his servants had to hurry, allowing the food to fall into the fire. Thus David, prince of fools, wished to catch fish in front of the net, and thereby lost many and caught but few. Therefore he failed to carry out the plan he had laid, because, like Aman and Achitophel, that which he had prepared for us befel himself.
As the Scottish forces advanced, they were divided into three divisions, with King David at their head. The first division was assigned to Earl Patrick of Dunbar, but the chronicler reports that he refused to lead it, asking instead for the third division. This, according to the chronicler, was done “more out of cowardice than eagerness.” In his place, the Earl of Moray took command of the first division. Moray was accompanied by the Earls of Strathearn and Fife, as well as many other prominent nobles, including John de Douglas and Sir Alexander de Ramsay. These leaders, described as “raging madly with unbridled hatred against the English,” advanced recklessly, filled with pride. The chronicler likens their arrogance to that of Satan:
Like Satan, bursting with overweening pride, they all thought to reach the stars.
King David commanded the second division, but the chronicler offers a scornful portrayal of the Scottish king:
Not, however, that David of whom they sang in the dance that he had put ten thousand to flight in battle, but that David of whom they declared in public that his stench and ordure had defiled the altar.
With David were the Earl of Buchan, Malcolm Fleming, Sir Alexander de Straghern (father and son), the Earl of Menteith, and others. The chronicler’s disdain for the Scots extends to these men, who are dismissed as unworthy of further mention.
The third division, led by Earl Patrick and Robert Stewart, is similarly ridiculed. Earl Patrick is depicted as cowardly and ineffective:
In that battle he hurt no man, because he intended to take holy orders and to celebrate mass for the Scots who were killed, knowing how salutary it is to beseech the Lord for the peace of the departed. Nay, at that very time he was a priest, because he led the way in flight for others.
Robert Stewart, too, earns the chronicler’s scorn for breaking his vow to stand firm in the fight. Together, Patrick and Stewart fled the battlefield, returning to Scotland unscathed. The chronicler sarcastically remarks:
These two, turning their backs, fought with great success, for they entered Scotland with their division and without a single wound; and so they led off the dance, leaving David to dance as he felt inclined.
The English forces, by contrast, are described with admiration and reverence. Sir Henry de Percy is compared to Judas Maccabeus, praised for his courage and leadership despite his small stature. Sir Rafe de Neville, characterized as “bold, wary, and greatly to be feared,” fought valiantly, as did Sir Henry de Scrope, who is noted for his prominent position in the front lines. The Archbishop of York blessed the English troops, encouraging them to fight with divine fervour. Additionally, a Minorite friar, wielding a cudgel, exhorted the soldiers to show no mercy:
Under the utmost penalty, no man should give quarter to the Scots; and when he attacked the enemy he gave them no indulgence of days from punishment or sin, but severe penance and good absolution with a certain cudgel.
The battle, fought near Durham, was a brutal and chaotic engagement. Trumpets blared, shields clashed, and arrows flew as the two sides clashed. The chronicler describes the violence in vivid detail:
Then with trumpets blaring, shields clashing, arrows flying, lances thrusting, wounded men yelling and troops shouting, the conflict ended about the hour of vespers, amid sundered armour, broken heads, and, oh how sad! many laid low on the field. The Scots were in full flight, our men slaying them. Praise be to the Most High! victory on that day was with the English.
The Scots suffered devastating losses. The Earl of Moray and the Earl of Strathearn were killed, along with many other nobles. King David himself was captured, as were the Earls of Fife, Menteith, and Wigtown, Sir William of Douglas, and a large number of men-at-arms. Some of the captives faced grim fates, including the Earl of Menteith, who was hanged, drawn, and quartered, with his body parts displayed across England and Scotland. The chronicler recounts that Malcolm Fleming, Earl of Wigtown, managed to escape through the treachery of his guardian, Robert de la Vale:
Grievous to say! [he] was allowed to escape at Bothall and thus returned to Scotland without having to pay ransom.
After the battle, the English consolidated their victory. The Lanercost chronicler completes his account by writing:
After the aforesaid battle of Durham, my lord Henry de Percy being ill, my lord of Angus and Ralph de Neville went to Scotland, received Roxburgh Castle on sure terms, patrolled the Marches of Scotland, exacting tribute from certain persons beyond the Scottish sea, received others to fealty, and returned to England, not without some losses to their army.
Other sources suggest that about 1000 Scottish men were killed in this battle, along with many captured. King David II himself was held prisoner in England for 11 years before he was ransomed for 100,000 marks.
You can read the entire Lanercost Chronicle, which was translated by Sir Herbert Maxwell in 1913, on Archive.org.
Top Image: Battle of Neville’s Cross from a 15th-century Froissart manuscript
The year 1346 is remembered in England mostly for the Battle of Crécy, where King Edward III defeated the French forces in one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years’ War. That year also saw another major battle, this one fought on English soil.
Earlier that year, King Philip VI of France asked his ally David II, King of Scotland, to invade England in the hope of stretching the English military. However, it was not until October 1346 that the Scots invaded England, several weeks after the Battle of Crécy. David II believed that northern England would be defenceless, as Edward III was still in continental Europe along with most of the English army. After crossing the Scottish-English border on 7 October, his force of 12,000 men began to plunder the area, including monasteries.
Meanwhile, William Zouche, the Archbishop of York, organized the remaining English forces in the north and, with Henry de Percy and Ralph de Neville, marched to confront the Scots near the town of Durham. The Battle of Neville’s Cross was fought on 16 October, and one of the sources that narrated its events was the Lanercost Chronicle—written at Lanercost Priory, one of the very sites plundered by the Scots. Our section begins with the author mocking King David II and his men:
On that day David, like another Nebuchadnezzar, caused the fringes of his standard to be made much larger, and declared himself repeatedly to be King of Scots without any hindrance. He ordered his breakfast to be made ready, and said that he would return to it when he had slain the English at the point of the sword. But soon afterwards, yea very soon after, all his servants had to hurry, allowing the food to fall into the fire. Thus David, prince of fools, wished to catch fish in front of the net, and thereby lost many and caught but few. Therefore he failed to carry out the plan he had laid, because, like Aman and Achitophel, that which he had prepared for us befel himself.
As the Scottish forces advanced, they were divided into three divisions, with King David at their head. The first division was assigned to Earl Patrick of Dunbar, but the chronicler reports that he refused to lead it, asking instead for the third division. This, according to the chronicler, was done “more out of cowardice than eagerness.” In his place, the Earl of Moray took command of the first division. Moray was accompanied by the Earls of Strathearn and Fife, as well as many other prominent nobles, including John de Douglas and Sir Alexander de Ramsay. These leaders, described as “raging madly with unbridled hatred against the English,” advanced recklessly, filled with pride. The chronicler likens their arrogance to that of Satan:
Like Satan, bursting with overweening pride, they all thought to reach the stars.
King David commanded the second division, but the chronicler offers a scornful portrayal of the Scottish king:
Not, however, that David of whom they sang in the dance that he had put ten thousand to flight in battle, but that David of whom they declared in public that his stench and ordure had defiled the altar.
With David were the Earl of Buchan, Malcolm Fleming, Sir Alexander de Straghern (father and son), the Earl of Menteith, and others. The chronicler’s disdain for the Scots extends to these men, who are dismissed as unworthy of further mention.
The third division, led by Earl Patrick and Robert Stewart, is similarly ridiculed. Earl Patrick is depicted as cowardly and ineffective:
In that battle he hurt no man, because he intended to take holy orders and to celebrate mass for the Scots who were killed, knowing how salutary it is to beseech the Lord for the peace of the departed. Nay, at that very time he was a priest, because he led the way in flight for others.
Robert Stewart, too, earns the chronicler’s scorn for breaking his vow to stand firm in the fight. Together, Patrick and Stewart fled the battlefield, returning to Scotland unscathed. The chronicler sarcastically remarks:
These two, turning their backs, fought with great success, for they entered Scotland with their division and without a single wound; and so they led off the dance, leaving David to dance as he felt inclined.
The English forces, by contrast, are described with admiration and reverence. Sir Henry de Percy is compared to Judas Maccabeus, praised for his courage and leadership despite his small stature. Sir Rafe de Neville, characterized as “bold, wary, and greatly to be feared,” fought valiantly, as did Sir Henry de Scrope, who is noted for his prominent position in the front lines. The Archbishop of York blessed the English troops, encouraging them to fight with divine fervour. Additionally, a Minorite friar, wielding a cudgel, exhorted the soldiers to show no mercy:
Under the utmost penalty, no man should give quarter to the Scots; and when he attacked the enemy he gave them no indulgence of days from punishment or sin, but severe penance and good absolution with a certain cudgel.
The battle, fought near Durham, was a brutal and chaotic engagement. Trumpets blared, shields clashed, and arrows flew as the two sides clashed. The chronicler describes the violence in vivid detail:
Then with trumpets blaring, shields clashing, arrows flying, lances thrusting, wounded men yelling and troops shouting, the conflict ended about the hour of vespers, amid sundered armour, broken heads, and, oh how sad! many laid low on the field. The Scots were in full flight, our men slaying them. Praise be to the Most High! victory on that day was with the English.
The Scots suffered devastating losses. The Earl of Moray and the Earl of Strathearn were killed, along with many other nobles. King David himself was captured, as were the Earls of Fife, Menteith, and Wigtown, Sir William of Douglas, and a large number of men-at-arms. Some of the captives faced grim fates, including the Earl of Menteith, who was hanged, drawn, and quartered, with his body parts displayed across England and Scotland. The chronicler recounts that Malcolm Fleming, Earl of Wigtown, managed to escape through the treachery of his guardian, Robert de la Vale:
Grievous to say! [he] was allowed to escape at Bothall and thus returned to Scotland without having to pay ransom.
After the battle, the English consolidated their victory. The Lanercost chronicler completes his account by writing:
After the aforesaid battle of Durham, my lord Henry de Percy being ill, my lord of Angus and Ralph de Neville went to Scotland, received Roxburgh Castle on sure terms, patrolled the Marches of Scotland, exacting tribute from certain persons beyond the Scottish sea, received others to fealty, and returned to England, not without some losses to their army.
Other sources suggest that about 1000 Scottish men were killed in this battle, along with many captured. King David II himself was held prisoner in England for 11 years before he was ransomed for 100,000 marks.
You can read the entire Lanercost Chronicle, which was translated by Sir Herbert Maxwell in 1913, on Archive.org.
Top Image: Battle of Neville’s Cross from a 15th-century Froissart manuscript
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