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Battle of Falkirk

Coordinates:55°59′15″N3°45′36″W/ 55.9875°N 3.7600°W/55.9875; -3.7600
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For battle in 1746, seeBattle of Falkirk Muir.
Battle of Falkirk
Part of theFirst War of Scottish Independence

Map of the battlefield
Date22 July 1298
Location
Falkirk,Scotland
55°59′15″N3°45′36″W/ 55.9875°N 3.7600°W/55.9875; -3.7600
Result English victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland

Kingdom of England

Commanders and leaders

Sir William Wallace
Sir John Stewart†
Macduff of Fife†

Sir John De Graeme {KIA}		 King Edward I
Antony Bek
Strength

c.6,000 men

c.15,000 men[2]

Casualties and losses
c.2,000 killed[4] c.2,000 killed[5]

TheBattle of Falkirk(Scottish Gaelic:Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice;Scots:Battle o Fawkirk), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in theFirst War of Scottish Independence.Led byKing Edward I of England,the English army defeated theScots,led byWilliam Wallace.Shortly after the battle Wallace resigned asGuardian of Scotland.[6]

Background

[edit]

After theBattle of Stirling Bridge,from November 1297 until January 1298 Wallace led a Scottish army south. FromNewcastle upon TynetoCarlisle,the Scots raided the countryside, bringing back the spoils.[7]: 82 

King Edwardlearned of the defeat of his northern army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.[8]After concluding a truce with the French king,Philip the Fairin October 1297,[9]he returned toEnglandon 14 March 1298 to continue the ongoing organising of an army for his second invasion of Scotland which had been in preparation since late 1297.[10]As a preliminary step he moved the centre of government toYork,where it was to remain for the next six years. A council-of-war was held in the city in April to finalise the details of the invasion. The Scottishmagnateswere all summoned to attend, and when none appeared they were all declared to be traitors. Edward then ordered his army to assemble atRoxburghon 25 June. The force counted 2,000 armoured cavalry and about 12,000 infantry[11]receiving wages, though, after the manner of medieval armies there would have been many more serving without pay either as a statement of personal independence, forgiveness of debts to the crown, criminal pardons or just for adventure.[12]Stuart Reidestimates Edward's force at 214 knights with 900 troopers, 1000 cavalry supplied by the Earls, 500 mercenarycrossbowmen,2000 archers withbillmenfrom the Lancashire and Cheshirefeudal levies,though the infantry may only have totalled 8,000.[13]

Edward left Roxburgh on 3 July and reachedKirklistonin two weeks, where he awaited supplies expected to arrive along the coastal ports, delayed due to weather. In the interim, Edward dealt with a Welsh mutiny. Finally, on 20 July, Edward advanced, reachingLinlithgowon 21 July. Edward was on the point of falling back onEdinburgh,when he received intelligence the Scots were atTorwood,nearFalkirk,ready to harass his retreat. Edward reportedly said that he "would not trouble them to seek me", and placed his army south of Falkirk on the morning of the 22nd. Edward wanted to make camp and feed his men while waiting for his infantry to catch up with his cavalry. His cavalry commanders though, favoured an immediate attack.[13][14]

Reid calculates the Scots could have manned fourschiltronswith about 1000 men each, in addition to the cavalry and archers. These men would have come from thesheriffdomsof Fife, Kinross, Midlothian, Haddington, Stirling, Linlithgow, Lanark, Merse and Teviotdale. With that, Wallace supposedly said, "I have browghte yowe to the ryng. Hoppe yef ye canne!" Absent were forces under the Comyns and Robert Bruce.[13]Also absent wasAndrew Moray,co-victor with Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, having been mortally wounded in that battle. It was Moray who used the schiltrons offensively.[15][16]

Battle

[edit]
Memorial Stone & Esplanade Gardens,Rothesay."In honour of the 'Men of Bute' who, under the command of Sir John Stewart, fell to a man at the Battle of Falkirk, 22nd July 1298.[17]Who fought for Wallace on Falkirk's field, John Stewart's men with sword and shield but o'er pow'rd thus! Their fate was sealed for freedom fell. "
The First Battle of Falkirk Monument (2000)[18]
Scots Wha Hae

The Scots army, again made up chiefly of spearmen as at Stirling Bridge, was arranged in four[19]great "hedgehogs" known asschiltrons.[20]The long spears (pikes) pointing outwards at various heights gave these formations a formidable and impenetrable appearance. The gaps between the schiltrons were filled with archers,[19]with 500 mounted knights at the rear.[13]

On Tuesday 22 July, the English cavalry, divided into fourbattles,[21]advancedin echelon.Thevanguard,led by theEarl of Lincoln,moved to the left to avoid a marshy area, followed by the battle ofJohn de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey.The battle ofAnthony Bek,Bishop of Durham,followed by the King's battle, moved around the marshy area to the right, toward the Scottish left flank. Lincoln's and Bek's battles charged the Scots and Lincoln quickly routed the Scottish cavalry.[13]

The Scots bowmen commanded bySir John Stewart,[22]the younger brother of theHigh Steward of Scotland,[23]stood their ground but were overrun by the English cavalry.[22]However, the schiltrons held firm, with the knights making little impression on the dense forest of long spears, and 111 horses were killed in the vain attempts. Edward's cavalry fell back as his infantry and archers arrived.[13]

John de Graeme's Memorial
Sir John De Graeme tomb, Falkirk Old Parish Church

Edward's archers, crossbowmen andslingersbegan raining projectiles on the inexperienced and poorly-armoured Scottish spearmen.[22]The schiltrons were an easy target: they had no defences and nowhere to hide.[22]Pinned in place by the English cavalry and infantry, unable to retreat or attack, the battle was lost for the Scots almost as soon as the first arrows began to fall. The English waited, this time observing the King's command, until the Scottish ranks were thinned out and disordered enough to allow them to break up the schiltrons.[24]The English cavalry and infantry then attacked the wavering Scottish spearmen, and the schiltrons broke and scattered.[24]

Aftermath

[edit]

Edward occupied Stirling and raidedPerth,St. AndrewsandAyrshire.Yet, he retreated to Carlisle by 9 September. Edward invaded again in the summer of 1300.[13]

Casualties among the Scottish leaders were not particularly heavy, but did include Wallace's second-in-command, SirJohn de Graham,as well asSir John Stewart,andMacduff of Fife.[23][13]

In the words of Reid, "while unquestionably a good partisan leader, William Wallace's military abilities were simply not up to the job of organizing, training and leading a conventional military force." At Falkirk, Wallace "simply drew up his army in an open field and froze."[13]

In the words of Evan Macleod Barron, it was Moray who "possessed military genius and military training", while Wallace possessed qualities that "make a great guerilla leader." Barron goes on to say, "Falkirk should never have been fought at all... it hardly looks as if the brain which conceived the plan of battle at Falkirk was the same as that which conceived the plan at Stirling Bridge." Though Wallace resigned his leadership and guardianship, he still "represented the mass of the people." Hence Edward's determination to "capture at all costs the man who was in himself the embodiment of that popular hostility, and who was in addition, a warrior of skill and daring and a leader who had won the heart and the imagination of the people."[7][25][26]

Falkirk Roll of Arms

[edit]

The Falkirk Roll is a collection of the arms of the English bannerets and noblemen present at the battle of Falkirk. It is the oldest known English occasional roll of arms, and contains 111 names and blazoned shields.[27]

Following are a collection of modern illustrations of the Falkirk Roll based on the blazons published in Henry Gough's book,Scotland in 1298. Documents Relating to the Campaign of King Edward the First.[27]

  • Panel 1 – La Vaunt Garde ("The Vanguard")
    Panel 1 –La Vaunt Garde( "The Vanguard" )
  • Panel 2 – La Batayle le Eveske de Dureme ("The Bishop of Durham's Battle")
    Panel 2 –La Batayle le Eveske de Dureme( "The Bishop of Durham's Battle" )
  • Panel 3 – La Bataille le Roy ("The King's Battle")
    Panel 3 –La Bataille le Roy( "The King's Battle" )
  • Panel 4 – La Quarte Bataille ("The Fourth Battle")
    Panel 4 –La Quarte Bataille( "The Fourth Battle" )

Possible battle sites

[edit]
South edge of Callendar Wood

The site of the battle is uncertain.[28]There have been three proposed sites: at Campfield, around the modern Central Retail Park;[29][30]south of Callendar Woods (as depicted in the diagrams above),[31]and; atMumrills,the site of theAntonineFort.[32][33]

Walter of Guisboroughstated that the Scots were positioned "on hard ground... on one side of a hillock". TheScalacronicareported that the site was "on this side of Falkirk." Stuart Reid has suggested the burgh muir of Falkirk (i.e. "the plain which is called Falkirk" ),[13]while also acknowledging a consensus among historians, that located the Scots' position below Callendar Wood, with Glen Burn in front.

References

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  1. ^Barrow, G. W. S.Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland,1976; and Fisher, Andrew (2002),William Wallace(2nd ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn,ISBN1-84158-593-9
  2. ^abUK. Battlefields,Battle of FalkirkArchived8 October 2021 at theWayback Machine
  3. ^UK. Battlefields,Falkirk IArchived23 February 2021 at theWayback Machine
  4. ^Fisher, Andrew (2002),William Wallace(2nd ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn,ISBN1-84158-593-9
  5. ^Prestwich p. 481
  6. ^Armstrong 2003,p. 80.
  7. ^abBarron, Evan (1997).The Scottish War of Independence.Barnes & Noble Books. pp. 70–85.ISBN978-0-7607-0328-1.
  8. ^Armstrong 2003,p. 34.
  9. ^Keen 2003,p. 28.
  10. ^Armstrong 2003,p. 60.
  11. ^Armstrong 2003,p. 69.
  12. ^Paterson, Raymond CampbellFor the Lion: History of the Scottish Wars of IndependenceJohn Donald Publishers Ltd (1997)ISBN978-0-85976-435-3pp. 21, 165
  13. ^abcdefghijReid, Stuart (2004).Battles of the Scottish Lowlands.Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Limited. pp. 18–25.ISBN978-1-84415-078-6.
  14. ^"'The Battle of Falkirk', Foghlam Alba ".Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2015.Retrieved16 July2015.
  15. ^Duncan, A. A. M. (2007). Cowan, Edward (ed.).William, Son of Alan Wallace: The Documents, in 'The Wallace Book'.Edinburgh: John Donald. p. 42.ISBN978-1-906566-24-1.
  16. ^Watson, Fiona (2007). Cowan, Edward (ed.).Sir William Wallace: What We Do – and Don't – Know, in 'The Wallace Book'.Edinburgh: John Donald. pp. 31–34.ISBN978-1-906566-24-1.
  17. ^Murison, Alexander Falconer (1900).Sir William Wallace.New York: C. Scribner. p. 105.Retrieved11 July2018.
  18. ^"Callendar Park Appendix 4: Historical Monuments".Falkirk Local History Society.Archivedfrom the original on 20 September 2021.Retrieved11 July2018.
  19. ^abArmstrong 2003,p. 67.
  20. ^Manning, Scott (2013)."Historiography of Falkirk (1298) as the Predecessor to Infantry Dominance".Saber and Scroll Journal.2(3): 84–94.Archivedfrom the original on 11 November 2021.Retrieved22 November2018.
  21. ^Armstrong 2003,p. 73.
  22. ^abcdArmstrong 2003,p. 77.
  23. ^abArmstrong 2003,p. 79.
  24. ^abArmstrong 2003,p. 78.
  25. ^Brown, Michael (2004).The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371, Volume 4 in The New Edinburgh History of Scotland.Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd. pp. 184–188.ISBN978-0-7486-1238-3.
  26. ^Brown, Chris (2008).Scottish Battlefields, 500 Battles That Shaped Scottish History.Stroud: Tempus Publishing. pp. 126–128, 270–273.ISBN978-0-7524-3685-2.
  27. ^abGough, Henry (1888).Scotland in 1298. Documents Relating to the Campaign of King Edward the First.London: Alexander Gardner. pp.131–157.ISBN0-85388-010-7.
  28. ^Scott, Ian (25 July 2015)."Battle of Falkirk site's smoking gun".The Falkirk Herald. Archived fromthe originalon 10 July 2018.Retrieved10 July2018.
  29. ^"Falkirk, Campfield".Canmore.Historic Environment Scotland.Archivedfrom the original on 10 July 2018.Retrieved10 July2018.
  30. ^"Site of the Battle by OS".Central Retail Park from zoomable 25 inch OS map with opacity slider.Ordnance Survey.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2012.Retrieved10 July2018.
  31. ^"Site of the Battle by OS".South of the Woods from zoomable 25 inch OS map with opacity slider.Ordnance Survey.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2012.Retrieved10 July2018.
  32. ^"Site of the Battle by OS".Mumrills from zoomable OS map with opacity slider.Ordnance Survey.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2012.Retrieved10 July2018.
  33. ^Beers, Roy (8 July 2018)."Does a mystery site at Mumrills hold the answer to Falkirk's most tragic secret?".Falkirk Herald. Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2019.Retrieved10 July2018.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Bain, J.,The Edwards in Scotland, 1296–1377,1961.
  • Barrow, G. W. S.,Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland,1976
  • Brown, C., "William Wallace", 2004.
  • Morris, J. E.,The Welsh Wars of Edward I,1994.
  • Nicholson, R.Scotland – the Later Middle Ages,1974.
  • Oman, C.,The Art of War in the Middle Ages,1898.
  • Santiuste, D.,The Hammer of the Scots: Edward I and the Scottish Wars of Independence,2015.
  • Fordun, John,Chronica Gentis Scotorum(Chronicle of the Scottish nation), 1363. Translated from the Latin text by Felix J. H. Skene. Ed. by William F. Skene. 1872
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