Sunday 15th June, 2003

  David and Carol Roscoe organised a coach-based Field Trip to Bannockburn and the surrounding area, to tell the story of the Battle of Bannockburn. The guide for the day was local author and historian, David R. Ross.

The party assembled in front of Sauchie Hall at noon to wait for the coach.   The weather was warm, but overcast with a very slight breeze.   A good day for walking.   The coach went via Tillicoultry to pick up a number of other passengers, and from there we carried on to the Bannockburn Heritage Centre to rendevous with the remainder of the party and our guide for the day.

We gathered in the field in front of the Flagpole at the Borestone Monument.   Here we were told how History led to the Battle taking place around the time of Midsummer - in the year 1314.

  David R. Ross explained how Scotland had been coveted by King Edward I of England.   Edward had been defeated in the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, but had taken his revenge the following year by destroying the Scots army at Falkirk.   Scotland seemed to be at his mercy.   Sir William Wallace was captured and put to death in 1305, on the orders of Edward I.   Scotland was occupied by the English and there were garrisons in every major town up and down the country.   The final fall and surrender seemed imminent.  
 

  Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scots at Scone in 1306.   Bruce turned out to be a master of military tactics and guerrilla warfare, and in the years which followed, the towns and English fortresses were all slowly but surely retaken.   By the spring of 1314, very few castles were still in English hands, but of the few that were, Stirling was the most important.
 
 

  David R. Ross went on to explain that in the year 1313, King Robert's brother, Sir Edward Bruce, had been laying siege to Stirling Castle.   David explained that Sir Edward was a Cavalry officer, and was not experienced at performing long drawn out siege operations.   Sir Edward Bruce made a bargain with the English Governor of the Castle, Sir Philip Moubray.   The agreement stated that Stirling Castle would be handed over to the Scots if it was not relieved before Midsummer Day (24th June 1314).   King Robert was not best pleased with his brother. So far, the King of Scots had avoided large-scale pitched battles with the English army, he knew that his own army was very much smaller than that of the English.   He also knew that the English were also better armed than his own, so he would have prefered to stick to his successful guerrilla warfare tactics.  

  David Ross also explained that the English King Edward II didn't just want to surrender his hold on Stirling Castle without a fight, as it would show him in a very bad light - besides, he thought that if the English army could draw the Scots out into a battle, then he could finally destroy Robert the Bruce and the Scots resistance to regain power in Scotland.   King Robert the Bruce knew that Edward II would have to come to relieve the Castle, and in March 1314 started to prepare his defences and train the Scots troops to fight the English Army in an attempt to prevent them reaching Stirling Castle and Sir Philip Moubray.  
 

  The English army had been on the march for many days before reaching Stirling.   They left Wark on 17th June, 1314 and had marched up Lauderdale to Edinburgh to collect supplies from Leith.   From here they continued on to Falkirk, arriving late on the evening 22nd June, 1314.   The next morning, they marched out on the old Roman road from Falkirk to Stirling.   This advance was reported to be "of great strength and magnificence", with the sun shining brightly on the great column of English polished armour, and was said to be many times stronger than that of the Scots.
 
 

  As the "Main Body" of the English Army stayed on the Roman Road, a "Great Vanguard" force moved forward and round to their left flank, this force consisted of heavy cavalry, foot soldiers and archers.   They were led by the the Earl of Gloucester and the Earl of Hereford.   Meanwhile, King Robert was out in front of his army, inspecting the defensive positions and pits that had been dug to hamper the English advance, he was without his armour and only riding a small pony, saving his warhorse for the forthcoming battle.   He did, however, have his battle-axe at his side, and he was wearing his gold coronet.   This made King Robert recognisable, and Sir Henry de Bohun, an English knight, spotted him.   He told his soldiers to stay back, levelled his lance, and charged the King of Scots.   As a skillful horseman, King Robert neatly side-stepped and parried the lunge.   Bruce rose up in his stirrups and split open de Bohun's helmet and skull with a single swing of his battle-axe, breaking the shaft of the axe as he did so.   As the leading elements of the Vanguard entered the woods of the "New Park", the Scots drove them back onto their own follow-up force, who were already in difficulties with the hidden pits in the Milton Bog.   Soon, the whole "Great Vanguard" was in total confusion, and staggered back across the Bannock Burn in chaos.

  Another English force of 800 Cavalry under the leadership of Clifford and de Beaumont went on a right flanking manoeuvre, fording the Bannock Burn at the Carse.   de Beaumont's mission may have been to outflank the Scots, moving in behind them, in order to destroy any retreating forces, after King Edward II's expected victory in the coming battle.   However, their movement was seen by the Scots, and Randolph, Earl of Moray took his force of about 500 spearmen made up from the men of Ross, the Province of Moray, with the townsmen from Inverness, Elgin, Nairn and Forres to face them.   The two forces met at the Standing Stones in what is now the grounds of the "Randolphfield" Police HQ in Stirling.   The Scots quickly formed themselves into a "schiltron" - a hedgehog of spears.   The Scots were well trained, and they calmly stood firm as the English cavalry made their first charge.   The horses reared up and shied away as they reached the immovable ranks of Scots spearmen.   The leader at the front was Sir Thomas Gray - he was thrown from his horse and winded by the fall.   He was then captured by the Scots and dragged inside the "schiltron".
 

  The English surrounded the Scots "hedgehog" and tried to break in.   Mounted knights were throwing maces and axes at the Scots to force an opening, but none appeared.   Randolph counter-attacked and forced the English from the field.   It is believed that Clifford and de Beaumont lay among the dead on the field, the English survivors scattered, some making for the Castle and others returning disheartened to the Main Body.   It is also recorded that only one Scot had been killed in the action.   No more fighting took place this day, however the morale of the English was now very low and they were quite tired.   Edward couldn't make a frontal assault on the strong and well protected front line of the Scots' army, attacking from the Scots right flank was practically impossible, due the dense woodland to that side, so Edward II decided to stop and rest where they were, however they had to find somewhere safe for the 10,000 English troops in the army to rest, and find a source of clean drinking water.

  Edward selected a site in the Carse of Stirling where they were protected from attack by rivers on two sides, and marshland on a third, leaving only a narrow front for possible attack.   The logistical challenge of getting his army, horses and equipment into that location would have been daunting to say the least, the ground was silty-clay farmland with many streams, irrigation channels and tidal ditches crossing the fields. Improvised bridging would have been required, and it would have been very unlikely if any of the food or supplies could have managed to cross to the troops, so they probably didn't get fed that night.   It would have been wet and uncomfortable   Morale in the English camp would be at an all-time low.
 

  The English were now in an ideal position as far as Robert the Bruce was concerned, they were unable to manoeuvre, and they couldn't use their cavalry.   The Bruce decided that he would attack at first light.   The morning of 24th June was fine and sunny, the Scots had an early meal and moved towards the Carse.   David R. Ross explained to us that he believed that the Scots lined up roughly where the line of houses lie to the left of the School building.   King Robert's plan was to attack the English with his brother's division leading on the Scots right flank, Randolph Earl of Moray was the middle division, a small distance behind, with Sir James Douglas in command of the third division on the left, again, slightly behind that of Moray.   When the English saw the Scots lined up, there was a mixture of surprise that the Scots would ever consider attacking such a numerically superior force, and panic because the English were caught unawares, without their armour.   The cavalry rushed to mount their horses, grabbing their armour on the way.

  David R. Ross believed that as the right hand division advanced, the cavalry of the English "Vanguard" under the Earl of Gloucester rode up from the Carse to the "Dryfield" to meet them.   The Scots schiltron immediately formed their "hedgehog" formation to receive the charge.   The Earl of Gloucester fell dead on the Scots spears, and the vanguard was stopped in the same way that Clifford and de Beaumont's was that previous day.   The Earl of Moray advanced on Edward Bruce's left and together, they turned the great English "Vanguard" back upon the main body, causing mayhem.   As Sir James Douglas advanced, the three Scots divisions steadily pushed forward, eventually engaging the entire English front.   The spearmen kept their ranks and pressed forward.   Robert the Bruce saw some English archers make their way to the Scottish left flank and fire on the Scots.   He immediately ordered a small group of light cavalry, under the command of Sir Robert Keith to engage the English archers.   This action was completely successful, the archers had no armour or any defence against cavalry, and were driven from the field.   Bruce then brought his own division forward and the English front line started to give ground.   This front line was driven back onto those who were still trying to push forward to get into the battle.

  David Ross explained that the English King Edward II sensed defeat, and was persuaded to leave the field and seek safety in Stirling Castle.   When the English royal standard was seen to leave, the whole English army wavered and the "Small Folk" gave a cheer, and came rushing down the escarpment.   The English thought this to be another division of Scots troops and the entire English force collapsed and fled in all directions.   Sir Philip Moubray refused to allow Edward II into the castle, as he would definitely have been captured by the Scots, so with a loyal escort party, he made his way to Dunbar, pursued all the way by Sir Robert Keith's light cavalry.   At Dunbar he then escaped by boat to Berwick.  

  Many of the English troops fled to the River Forth, and died there, while those on the Scots right flank were forced into the steep gorge of the Bannock Burn at high tide.   The Burn quickly became a mud bath, with horses and knights in armour trying to fight back up to get out again.   Most of the English were killed here.   It was written in the literature of the age, that " ... Bannock Burn betwixt the braes was so charged with horses and men that men might pass dry over it upon drowned horses and men ..."   Bruce pressed the chase everywhere. His spoils of war from the English supply train were huge.   England quoted the value to be in the region of £200,000 which would be about £50 million today.   Every town in Scotland was said to possess items from the haul.  

You can view more images from this Field-Trip on the Bannockburn Photo Gallery pages.