History of Scotland
Our ongoing history of Scotland that chronicles the events in Scotland over the past million years with a special focus on the last thousand as you might expect. We have also digitised a copy of Patrick Tytler's History of Scotland which is an eccentric but wonderfully written history of the the mediaeval years in Scotland. The project of chronicling Scotland's history is ongoing, as is the process of organising and structuring and linking the pages together.
Bruce invades Yorkshire
On the other side, King Robert in person led his army, about midsummer, into Yorkshire, and wasted the country, without meeting an enemy, as far as Richmond. A timely tribute, collected by the neighbouring barons and gentlemen, saved this town from the flames; but this merely altered the order of march into the West Riding, which was cruelly sacked and spoiled for sixty miles round, after which the army returned with their booty and many prisoners. Bruce then embarked for Ireland; and soon after the English king, encouraged by his absence and that of Randolph, summoned his military vassals to meet him at Newcastle, and determined to invade Scotland with great strength; but the Earl of Lancaster, to whom the conduct of the enterprise was intrusted, and the barons of his party, having in vain waited at Newcastle for the king's arrival, returned home in displeasure; so that the original design of Edward broke down into several smaller invasions, in repelling which, the activity and military enterprise of Sir James Douglas and the Steward, not only kept up, but materially increased, the Scottish ascendency. In Douglas, the adventurous spirit of chivalry was finely united with the character of an experienced commander. At this time he held his quarters at Linthaughlee, near Jedburgh; and having information that the Earl of Arundel, with Sir Thomas de Richemont, and an English force of ten thousand men, had crossed the Borders, he determined to attack him in a narrow pass, through which his line of march lay, and which was flanked on each side by a wood.
Expoit or Sir James Douglas
Having thickly twisted together, the young birch trees on either side, so as to prevent escape,he concealed his archers in a hollow way near the gorge of the pass, and when the English ranks were compressed by the narrowness of the road, and it was impossible for their cavalry to act with effect, he rushed upon them at the head of his horsemen, whilst the archers, suddenly discovering themselves, poured in a flight of arrows, so that the unwieldy mass was thrown into confusion, and took to flight. In the melee, Douglas slew Thomas de Richemont with his dagger; and although, from his inferiority of force, he did not venture to pursue the enemy into the open country, yet they were compelled to retreat with great slaughter.Soon after this, Edmund de Cailou, a knight of Gascony, whom Edward had appointed to be Governor of Berwick, was encountered by Douglas, as the foreigner returned to England loaded with plunder, from an inroad into Teviotdale. Cailou was killed; and, after the slaughter of many of the foreign mercenaries, the accumulated booty of the Merse and Teviotdale was recovered by the Scots. Exactly similar to that of Cailou, was the fate of Sir Ralph Neville. This baron, on hearing the high report of Douglas's prowess, from some of De Cailou's fugitive soldiers, openly boasted that he would fight with the Scottish knight, if he would come and show his banner before Berwick. Douglas, who deemed himself bound to accept the challenge, immediately marched into the neighbourhood of that town, and, within sight of the garrison, caused a party of his men to waste the country, and burn the villages. Neville instantly quitted Berwick with a strong body of men, and, encamping upon a high ground, waited till the Scots should disperse to plunder; but Douglas called in his detachment, and instantly marched against the enemy. After a desperate conflict, in which many were slain, Douglas, as was his custom, succeeded in bringing the leader to a personal encounter, and the superior strength and skill of the Scottish knight were again successful. Neville was slain, and his men utterly discomfited.
An old English chronicle ascribes this disaster to "the treason of the marchersbut it is difficult to discover in what the treason consisted. Many other soldiers of distinction were taken prisoners, and Douglas, without opposition, ravaged the country, drove away the cattle, left the towns and villages in flames, and returned to Scotland. So terrible did the exploits of this hardy warrior become upon the Borders, that Barbour, who lived in his time, informs us, the English mothers were accustomed to pacify their children by threatening them with the name of the "Black Douglas.
The Bishop of Dunkeld repulses the English at Dunybristle
Repulsed with so much disgrace in these attempts by land, the English monarch fitted out a fleet, and invaded Scotland, sailing into the Firth of Forth, and landing his armament at Dunybirstle. The panic created by the English was so great, that the sheriff of the county had difficulty in assembling five hundred cavalry, and these, intimidated by the superior numbers of the enemy, disgracefully took to flight. Fortunately, however, a spirited prelate, Sinclair bishop of Dunkeld, who had more in him of the warrior than the ecclesiastic, received timely notice of this desertion. Putting himself at the head of sixty of his servants, and with nothing clerical about him, except a linen frock, or rochet, cast over his armour, he threw himself on horseback, and succeeded in rallying the fugitives, telling their leaders that they were recreant knights, and deserved to have their gilt spurs hacked off. "Turn," said he, seizing a spear from the nearest soldier, " turn, for shame, and let all who love Scotland follow me!" With this he furiously charged the English, who were driven back to their ships with the loss of five hundred men, besides many who were drowned by the swamping of one of the vessels. On his return from Ireland, Bruce highly commended his spirit, declaring that Sinclair should be his own bishop; and by the name of the King's Bishop this hardy prelate was long remembered in Scotland.Unable to make any impression with temporal arms, the King of England next had recourse to the thunders of spiritual warfare; and in the servile character of Pope John the Twenty-second, he found a fit tool for his purpose. By a bull, issued from Avignon, in the beginning of 1317, the pope commanded the observance of a truce between the hostile countries for two years ; but the style of this mandate evinced a decided partiality to England. Giving the title of King of England to Edward, he only designated Bruce as his beloved son, " carrying himself as King of Scotland;"and when he despatched two cardinals as his legates . into Britain, for the purpose of publishing this truce upon the spot, they were privately empowered, in case of any opposition, to inflict upon the King of Scotland the highest spiritual censures.
Interference of the Pope
In the same secret manner, he furnished them with a bull, to be made public if circumstances so required, by which Robert Bruce and his brother Edward were declared excommunicated persons. The pope also directed another bull against the order of Minorite Friars, who, by their discourses, had instigated the Irish to join the" Scottish invaders, and rise in rebellion against the English government. These attempts to deprive him of his just rights, and to overawe him into peace, were met by a firm resistance on the part of Bruce; who, placed in a trying and delicate situation, evinced, in his opposition to the papal interference, a remarkable union of unshaken courage, with sound judgment and good temper, contriving to maintain the independence of his crown; whilst, at the same time, he professed all due respect for the authority of his spiritual father, as head of the church.Charged with their important commissions, the cardinals arrived in England at the time when Lewis de Beaumont was about to be consecrated Bishop of Durham. Their first step was to despatch two nuncios, the Bishop of Corbeil and Master Aumery, who were intrusted with the delivery of the papal letters to the Scottish king, and with the bulls of excommunication. As Durham lay on their road, Master Aumery and his brother nuncio set out with the bishop elect, and a splendid suite of churchmen and barons, intending to be present at the inauguration. But it proved an ill-fated journey for these unfortunate envoys. The Borders at this time were in a wild and disorderly state. Many of the gentry and barons of England, as already noticed, had entered into armed associations for the defence of the marches, against the destructive inroads of the Scots; but the habits of loose warfare, the extremities of famine, and the unpopularity of the king's person and government, had, in the course of years, transformed themselves and their soldiers into robbers who mercilessly ravaged the country.
Mission of the Papal Nuncios into Scotland
Anxious in every way to increase the confusions which then distracted the English government, the King of Scotland kept up an intelligence with these marauders; and, on the present occasion, aware of the hostility which was meditated against him by the cardinals, and of their attachment to his enemy, it seems very probable that he employed two leaders of these broken men, Gilbert de Middleton and Walter Selby, to intercept the nuncios, and make themselves masters of their letters and secret instructions. It is certain that, on the approach of the cavalcade to Rushy Ford, a large body of soldiers, headed by these lawless chiefs, rushed out from a wood near the road, and in a short time made the whole party prisoners; seized and stript of their purple and scarlet apparel the unfortunate churchmen; rifled and carried off their luggage and horses; but, without offering violence to their persons, dismissed them to prosecute their journey to Scotland. The bishop elect, and his brother Henry de Beaumont, were carried to Middleton?s castle of Mitford; nor were they liberated from their dungeon till their plate, jewels, and the rich vestments of the cathedral, were sold to raise money for their ransom.Meanwhile, the papal nuncios, in disconsolate plight, proceeded into Scotland, and arrived at court. Bruce received them courteously, and listened with attention to the message with which they were charged.
Their interview with Bruce
Having then consulted with those of his counsellors who were present, upon the proposals, he replied, that he earnestly desired a firm peace between the kingdoms, to be procured by all honourable means; but that as long as he was only addressed as Governor of Scotland, and his own title of king withheld from him, it was impossible for him, without convening his whole council, and the other barons of his realm, to admit the cardinal legates to an interview; nor was it possible for him, before the Feast of St Michael, to summon any council for this purpose. "Among my subjects," said the king, "there are many bearing the name of Robert Bruce, who share, with the rest of my barons, in the government of the kingdom. These letters may possibly be addressed to them; and it is for this reason, that although I have permitted the papal letters, which advise a peace, to be read, as well as your open letters on the same subject, yet to these, as they refuse to me my title of king, I will give no answer, nor will I by any means suffer your sealed letters, which are not directed to the King of Scotland, to be opened in my presence."
The nuncios upon this endeavoured to offer an apology for the omission, by observing, that it was not customary for our holy mother the church either to do or to say anything during the dependence of a controversy, which might prejudice the right of" either of the parties. If then," replied Bruce, "my spiritual father and my holy mother have professed themselves unwilling to create a prejudice against my opponent, by giving to me the title of king, I am at a loss to determine why they have thought proper to prejudice my cause, by withdrawing that title from me during the dependence of the controversy. I am in possession of the kingdom. All my subjects call me king, and by that title do other kings and royal princes address me; but I perceive that my spiritual parents assume an evident partiality amongst their sons. Had you," he continued, "presumed to present letters so addressed to other kings, you might have received an answer in a different style. But I reverence your authority, and entertain all due respect for the Holy See." The messengers now requested that the king would command a temporary cessation of hostilities. "To this," replied Bruce, "I can by no means consent, without the advice of my parliament, and especially whilst the English are in the daily practice of spoiling the property of my subjects, and invading all parts of my realm." During this interview, the king expressed himself with great courtesy, professing all respect for his spiritual Father, and delivering his resolute answers with a mild and placid countenance
.The two nuncios, it seems, had taken along with them into the king's presence another papal messenger, who, having come some time before to inform the Scottish prelates of the coronation of the pope, had been refused admission into Scotland. For this person, who had now waited some months without being permitted to execute his mission, the messengers entreated the king's indulgence; but Bruce, although the discarded envoy stood in the presence-chamber, took no notice of him, and changed the subject with an expression of countenance, which at once imposed silence, and intimated a refusal. When the nuncios questioned the secretaries of the king regarding the cause of this severity, they at once replied, that their master conceived that these letters had not been addressed to him, solely because the pope was unwilling to give him his royal titles. The Scottish councillors informed the nuncios, that if the letters had been addressed to the King of Scots, the negotiations for peace would have immediately commenced; but that neither the king nor his advisers would hear of a treaty, so long as the royal title was withheld, seeing that they were convinced that this slight had been put upon their sovereign through the influence of England, and in contempt of the people of Scotland.
Mission of Adam Newton into Scotland
Repulsed by Bruce with so much firmness and dignity, the Bishop of Corbeil returned with haste to the cardinals. They had remained all this time at Durham, and anxious to fulfil their mission, they now determined at all hazards to publish the papal truce in Scotland. For this purpose the papal bulls and instruments were intrusted to Adam Newton, the FatherGuardian of the Minorite Friars of Berwick, who was commanded to repair to the presence of Bruce, and to deliver the letters of his Holiness to the King of Scotland, as well as to the Bishop of St Andrews, and the Scottish prelates. Newton accordingly set out for Scotland, but, anticipating no cordial reception, cautiously left the papal bulls and letters at Berwick, until he should be assured of a safe conduct. After a journey of much hardship and peril, the friar found King Robert encamped with his army, in a wood near Old Cambus, a small town about twelve miles distant from Berwick, busily engaged in constructing warlike engines for the assault of that city, although it was now the middle of December.Bruce refuses to refuse him or his letters
Having conferred with Lord Alexander Seton, the seneschal of the king, and received a safe conduct, Newton returned for his papers and credentials to Berwick, and again repaired to Old Cambus. He was then informed by Seton, that Bruce would not admit him to a personal interview, but that he must deliver to him his letters, in order to their being inspected by the king, who was anxious to ascertain whether their contents were friendly or hostile, Newton obeyed, and Bruce observing that the letters and papal instruments were not addressed to him as King of Scotland, returned them to the friar with much contempt, declaring that he would on no account obey the bulls, so long as his royal titles were withheld, and that he was determined to make himself master of Berwick.
The envoy then publicly declared, before the Scottish barons, and a great concourse of spectators, that a two years' truce was, by the authority of the pope, to be observed by the two kingdoms; but his proclamation was treated with such open marks of insolence and contempt, that he began to tremble for. the safety of his person, and earnestly implored them to permit him to pass forward into Scotland, to the presence of those prelates with whom he was commanded to confer, or at least to have a safe conduct back again to Berwick. Both requests were denied him, and he was commanded, without delay, to make the best of his way out of the country. On his way to Berwick, the unfortunate monk was waylaid by four armed ruffians, robbed of his letters and papers, amongst which were the bulls excommunicating the King of Scotland, and after being stript to the skin, turned naked upon the road. "It is rumoured," says he, in an interesting letter addressed to the cardinals, containing the account of his mission, that the Lord Robert, and his accomplices, who instigated this outrage, are now in possession of the letters intrusted to me."