It
fell about the Lammas tide,
When
the muir-men win their hay,
The
doughty Earl of Douglas rode
Into
England, to catch a prey.
In 1388, England and France were locked in the struggle for dominance in the Hundred Years War. The Auld Alliance of Scotland with France
gave the Scots a great excuse to raid the north of England and settle
some old scores. The long standing enmity between the Douglases on
the Scottish side and the Percy family of Northumberland never needed
much to fan the flames of open conflict.
In
August of that year James, the second Earl of Douglas led a raid as far south as Newcastle where he took a pennon as a trophy of
his victory over Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, vowing to fly it
from his castle at Dalkeith.
The
Scots were retreating northwards and had camped for the night when
Hotspur, still smarting at the loss of his standard, caught up with
them and attacked.
The
battle went the way of the Scots and Henry Percy and his brother Ralph were captured and later ransomed.
The site of the battle |
The
bleak hillside is now grazed by sheep, the cries of the wounded and
the clash of steel replaced by the happy sound of children playing
at the nearby primary school.
James
Douglas was fatally wounded in the encounter and it was said that those closest to him
hid his body under a bush so his army would not know of his death and wouldn't lose heart
for the fight.
My
wound is deep : I fain would sleep
Nae
mair I'll fighting see,
Gae
lay me in the braken bush
That
grows on yonder lee.
Sir
Henry Percy came into combat with Hugh Montgomery, Douglas's nephew
and, being wounded was given the chance to surrender. He refused,
saying he would only surrender to the Earl of Douglas as befitted his
rank. Montgomery indicated where the dead body of the Scots leader lay and
Percy yielded to the bush.
Thou
shalt not yield to knave or loun
Nor
shalt thou yield to me,
But
yield thee to the braken bush
that
grows upon yon lee
The
deed was done at Otterburn
About
the breaking of the day
Earl
Douglas was buried at the braken bush
And
the Percy led captive away
The
original stone, the Battle Stone, that marked the site
of
Douglas's death is lost but base was incorporated into the
replacement erected in 1777 when the turnpike road was made close by
the spot.
A red flag as a warning of imminent firing on the range |
The
association with war is still attached to the area as it is now an
Army firing range. What would Hotspur and Douglas have made of these
weapons?
Otterburn Castle |
The castle was owned by Sir Robert de Umfraville, Lord of Redesdale whose younger brother, Thomas, led the English troops that flanked around the battle to try and capture the Scottish camp. The castle had been attacked on the morning on the 19 August 1388 as the Scottish forces traveled from Newcastle towards the border but withstood the attempts made against it. Despite the Scots winning the battle, they quickly withdrew as English reinforcements arrived and therefore the castle was left intact.
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