Capture of Roxburgh (1314) - Misplaced Pages

1314 Siege of Roxburgh Castle during the First War of Scottish Independence This article is about the siege of 1314. For other sieges and captures of Roxburgh, see Capture of Roxburgh.

Capture of Roxburgh

Part of Wars of Scottish Independence

Date	19 February 1314
Location	Roxburgh Castle, Scotland55°35′46″N 2°27′25″W / 55.596°N 2.457°W / 55.596; -2.457
Result	Scottish victory

Belligerents

Kingdom of Scotland

Kingdom of England

Commanders and leaders

Lord James Douglas

Sir Walter Stewart

William Fiennes (WIA)

Strength

Unknown, inferior to the English

2,000+

Casualties and losses

Low

High

v t e First War of Scottish Independence
1296 1st Berwick Dunbar 1297–1304 Lanark Scone Stirling Bridge Falkirk Roslin Happrew Stirling Castle Earnside 1306–1314 Methven Dalrigh Loch Ryan Turnberry Glen Trool Loudoun Hill Slioch Inverurie Buchan River Dee Pass of Brander Roxburgh Bannockburn Ireland (1315–1318) Invasion of Ireland Moiry Pass Connor Kells Skerries Faughart 1315–1327 Carlisle Skaithmuir 2nd Berwick Myton Great Raid of 1322 Old Byland Weardale Treaties Auld Alliance Corbeil Edinburgh–Northampton

First War
of Scottish Independence

1296

1297–1304

1306–1314

Ireland (1315–1318)

Invasion of Ireland
- Moiry Pass
- Connor
- Kells
- Skerries
- Faughart

1315–1327

Treaties

The Capture of Roxburgh was a siege that took place in 1314, which was a major conflict in the First War of Scottish Independence. This siege was a prelude to the Battle of Bannockburn.

Background

Sir James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, after his victory over the Clan MacDougall, had been capturing several castles back from the English, but the mere thought of taking Roxburgh Castle was one that daunted him.

Siege

Roxburgh Castle was on impregnable ground, and was guarded well. Douglas and Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, disguised their few men as cows, so the garrison was unaware of their presence. They then used ladders to climb to the top and took the castle by total surprise. They inflicted heavy casualties on the garrison, including wounding their leader in the face with an arrow.

Aftermath

The Lanercost Chronicle records that "all that beautiful castle the Scots pulled down to the ground, like the other castles that they had succeeded in capturing, lest the English should ever again rule the land by holding the castles."

References

Charles Arnold-Baker (2001), The companion to British history, p. 426
Colvin, H. M.; Brown, R. A. (1963), "The Royal Castles 1066–1485", The History of the King's Works. Volume II: The Middle Ages, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, p. 819

This Scotland-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: