History of Scotland by Patrick Tytler 2

English defeated at Roslin

Segrave marched from Berwiok towards Edinburgh, about the beginning of Lent, with an army of twenty thousand men, chiefly consisting of cavalry, commanded by some of Edward's best leaders. Amongst these were Segrave's brothers, and Robert de Neville, a noble baron, who had been engaged with Edward in his Welsh wars. In approaching Raslin, Segrave had separated his army into three divisions; and not meeting with an enemy, each division encamped on its own ground, without having established any communication with the others. The first division was led by Segrave himself; the second probably by Ralph de Manton, called, from his office, Ralph the Cofferer; the third by Neville. Early in the morning of the 24th February, Segrave and his soldiers were slumbering in their tents, in careless security, when a boy rushed in, and called out that the enemy were upon them. The news proved true. Sir John Comyn the governor, and Sir Simon Fraser, hearing of the advance of the English, had collected a force of eight thousand horse, and marching in the night from Biggar to Roslin, surprised the enemy in their encampment. Segrave's division was entirely routed; he himself, after a severe wound, was made prisoner, along with sixteen knights, and thirty esquires; his brother and son were seized in bed, and the Scots had begun to collect the booty, and calculate on the ransom, when the second division of the English army appeared. A cruel but necessary order was given to slay theprisoners; and this having been done, the Scots immediately attacked the enemy, who, after an obstinate defence, were put to flight with much slaughter.

The capture of Ralph the Cofferer, a rich booty, and many prisoners, were the fruits of this second attack, which had scarcely concluded, when the third division, led by Sir Robert Neville, was seen in the distance. Worn out by their night-march, and fatigued by two successive attacks, the little army of the Scots thought of an immediate retreat. But this, probably, the proximity of Neville's division rendered impossible; and after again resorting to the same horrid policy of putting to death their prisoners, an obstinate conflict began, which terminated in the death of Neville, and the total defeat of his division. There occurred in this battle a striking but cruel trait of national animosity. Ralph the Cofferer had been taken prisoner by Sir Simon Fraser; and this paymaster of Edward, though a priest, like many of the ecclesiastics and bishops of those fierce times, preferred the coat of mail to the surplice. On the order being given to slay the prisoners, Sir Ralph begged his life might be spared, and promised a large ransom. "This laced hauberk is no priestly habit," observed Fraser; "where is thine albe, or thy hood! Often have you robbed us of our lawful wages, and done us grievous harm. It is now our turn to sum up the account, and exact its payment." Saying this, he first struck off the hands of the unhappy priest, and then severed his head with one blow from his body.The remains of the English army fled to Edward, in England; and the Scots, after resting from their fatigues, collected and divided their booty, and returned home.

Ungenerous Conduct of Philip

This persevering bravery of the Scots in defence of their country, was unfortunately united to a credulity which made them the dupes of the policy of Philip. Although not included in the treaty of Amiens, the French monarch had the address to persuade the Scottish deputies then at Paris, that having concluded his own affairs with Edward, he would devote his whole efforts to mediate a peace between them and England; and he entreated them, in the meantime, to remain with him at the French court, until they could carry back to Scotland intelligence of his having completed the negotiation with Edward on behalf of themselves and their countrymen. The object of Philip, in all this, was to prevent the return of the deputies, amongst whom were some of the most warlike and influential of the Scottish nobles, previous to the expedition which Edwardwas about to lead against theircountry. Unsuspicious of any false dealing, they consented to remain; and in the meantime addressed a letter to the governor and nobility of Scotland, in which they exhorted thent to be of good courage, and to persevere in vindicating the liberties of their country. "You would greatly rejoice," they say in this letter, "if you were aware what a weight of honour this last conflict with the English has conferred upon you throughout the world.

Distresses of the Scots

This persevering bravery of the Scots in defence of their country, was unfortunately united to a credulity which made them the dupes of the policy of Philip. Although not included in the treaty of Amiens, the French monarch had the address to persuade the Scottish deputies then at Paris, that having concluded his own affairs with Edward, he would devote his whole efforts to mediate a peace between them and England; and he entreated them, in the meantime, to remain with him at the French court, until they could carry back to Scotland intelligence of his having completed the negotiation with Edward on behalf of themselves and their countrymen. The object of Philip, in all this, was to prevent the return of the deputies, amongstwhom were some of the most warlike and influential of the Scottish nobles, previous to the expedition which Edwardwas about to lead against theircountry. Unsuspicious of any false dealing, they consented to remain; and in the meantime addressed a letter to the governor and nobility of Scotland, in which they exhorted thent to be of good courage, and to persevere in vindicating the liberties of their country. "You would greatly rejoice," they say in this letter, "if you were aware what a weight of honour this last conflict with the English has conferred upon you throughout the world.

Wherefore, we beseech you earnestly, that you ontinue to be of good courage. And if the King of England consent to a truce, as we firmly expect he will, do you likewise agree to the same, according to the form which the ambassadors of the King of France shall propose by one of our number, who will be sent to you. But if the King of England, like Pharaoh, shall grow hardened, and continue the war, we beseech you, by the mercy of Christ, that you quit yourselves like men, so that by the assistance of God, and your own courage, you may gain the victory."

Edward Invades Scotland

To gain the victory, however, over the determined perseverance and overwhelming military strength of the English king, was no easy task. The distress of Scotland, from its exposure to the continued ravages of war, had reached a pitch which the people of the land could endure no longer. They became heartbroken for a time, under a load of misery and suffering, from which they could see no relief but in absolute submission; the governor Comyn, the lateguardian Wallace, and the few patriotic nobles who were still in the field, found it impossible to keep an army together; and all men felt assured that the entire subjugation of the country was an event which no human power could possibly prevent or delay.

If Edward, at this crisis, again resumed the war, it was evident that nothing could oppose him. We may judge, then, of the desolating feelings of this unhappy country, when word was brought that the King of England had once more collected the whole armed force of his dominions, and, leading his army in person, had passed the Border. The recent defeat at Roslin had chafed and inflamed his passions to the utmost; and he declared that it was his determined purpose either to reduce the nation to entire subjection, or to raze the land utterly with fire and sword, and turn it to a desert, fit only for the beasts of the field. In recording the history of this last miserable campaign, the historian has to tell a tale of sullen submission, and pitiless ravage; he has little to do but to follow in dejection the chariot wheels of the conqueror, and to hear them crushing under their iron weight all that was free, and brave, in a devoted country.

Edward separated his army into two divisions. He gave the command of one to his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, who directed his march westward into Scotland, whilst the king himself, at the head of the second division, proceeded eastward by Morpeth and Roxburgh, and reached the capital without challenge or interruption in the beginning of June, 1303. The whole course of the king, as well as that of the prince, was marked by smoke and devastation, by the plunder of towns and villages, the robbery of granges and garners, the flames of woods, and the destruction of the small tracts of cultivated lands which yet remained. Wherever he turned his arms, the inhabitants submitted to a power which it was impossible for them to resist; and the governor Comyn, Sir Simon Fraser, and the late guardian William Wallace, were driven into the wilds and fastnesses, where they still continued the war by irregular predatory expeditions against the convoys of the English.

His desolating progress

From Edinburgh, Edward continued his victorious progress by Linlithgow and Clackmannan to Perth, and afterwards by Dundee and Brechin proceeded to Aberdeen. From this city, pursuing his march northward, he reached Banff, and from thence he pushed on to Kinloss in Moray. Leaving this, he struck into the heart of Moray, and for some time established his quarters at Lochendorb, a castle stronglysituated upon an island in a lake. Here he received the oaths and homage of the northern parts of the kingdom, and, it is probable, added to the fortifications of the castle. It is curious to find that, after a lapse of near five hundred years, the memory of this great king is still preserved in the tradition of the neighbourhood; and that the peasant, when he points out to the traveller the still massy and noble remains of Lochendorb, mentions the name of Edward I. as connected in some mysterious way with their history.

Submission of Comyn the Governor

Soon after this expiring effort, the governor, with all his adherents, submitted to Edward. The Earls of Pembroke and Ulster, with Sir Henry Percy, met Comyn at Strathorde in Fife, on the 9th of February; and a negotiation took place, in which the late regent and his followers, after stipulating for the preservation of their lives, liberties, and lands, delivered themselves lip, and agreed to the infliction of any pecuniary fine which the conqueror should think right. The castles and strengths of Scotland were to remain in the hands of Edward, and the government of the country to be modelled and administered at his pleasure. From this negotiation those were specially excepted, for whom, as more obstinate in their rebellion, the Kins of En£rland reserved a more signal punishment. In this honourable roll we find Wishart bishop of Glasgow, James the Steward of Scotland, Sir John Soulis the late associate of Comyn in the government of the kingdom, David de Graham, Alexander de Lindesay, Simon Fraser, Thomas Bois, and William Wallace. To all these persons, except Wallace, certainj;erms, more or less rigorous, were held out, on accepting which, Edward guaranteed to them their lives and their liberty; and we know that sooner or later they accepted the conditions. But of this great man a rigorous exclusion was made. "As for William Wallace," I quote the words of the deed, "it is covenanted, that if he thinks proper to surrender himself, it must be unconditionally to the will and mercy of our lord the king." Such a surrender, it is well known, gave Edward the unquestionable right of ordering his victim to immediate execution.

Wallace Retreats into Mountains

An English parliament was soon after appointed to meet at St Andrews, to which the king summoned the Scottish barons who had again come under his allegiance. This summons was obeyed by all except Sir Simon Fraser and Wallace ; and these two brave men, along with the garrison of Stirling, which still defied the efforts of the English, were declared outlaws by the vote, not only of the English barons, but with the extorted consent of their broken and dispirited countrymen.

At length Fraser, despairing of being able again to rouse the spirit of the nation, consented to accept the hard conditions of fine and banishment offered him by the conqueror; and Wallace found himself standing alone against Edward, excepted from all amnesty, and inexorably marked for death. Surrounded by his enemies, he came from the fastnesses where he had taken refuge to the forest of Dunfermline, and,, by the mediation of his friends, proposed on certain conditions to surrender himself. These terms, however, partook more of the bold character of the mind which had never bowed to Edward, than of the spirit of a suppliant suing for pardon. When reported to Edward he broke out into ungovernable rage, cursed him by the fiend as a traitor, pronounced his malediction on all who sustained or supported him, and set a reward of three hundred marks upon his head. On hearing this, Wallace betook himself again to the wilds and mountains, and subsisted on plunder.

Siege and reduction of Stirling castle

The castle of Stirling was now the only fortress which had not opened its gates to Edward. It had been intrusted by its governor, John de Soulis, who was still in France, to the care of Sir William Olifant, an experienced soldier, who, on seeing the great preparations made by Edward against his comparatively feeble garrison, sent a message to the king, informing him that it was impossible for him to surrender the castle without forfeiting his oaths and honour as a knight, pledged to his master, Sir John Soulis; but that if a cessation of hostilities were granted for a short time, he would instantly repair to France, inquire the will of his master, and return again to deliver up the castle, if permitted to do so. This was a proposal perfectly in the spirit of the age, and Edward, who loved chivalry, would at another time probably have agreed to it; but he was now, to use the expressive words of Langtoft, "full grim," and roused to a pitch of excessive fury against the obstinate resistance of the Scots. "I will agree to no such terms," said he; "if he will not surrender the castle, let him keep it against us at his peril." And Olifant, accordingly, with the assistance of Sir William Dupplin, and other knights, who had shut themselves up therein, proceeded to fortify the walls, to direct his engines of defence, and to prepare the castle for the last extremities of a siege. Thirteen warlike engines were brought by the besiegers to bear upon the fortress. The missiles which they threw consisted of leaden balls of great size, with huge stones and javelins, and the leaden roof of the refectory of St Andrews was torn away to supply materials for these deadly machines ; but for a long time the efforts of the assailants produced no breach in the Walls, whilst the sallies of the besieged, and the dexterity with which their engines were directed and served, made great havoc in the English army. During all this, Edward, although his advanced age might have afforded him an excuse for caution, exposed his person with an almost youthful rashness. Mounted on horseback, he rode beneath the walls to make his observations, and was more than once struck by the stones and javelins thrown from the engines on tire ramparts. One day, when riding so near that he could distinguish the soldiers who worked the balistae, a javelin struck him on the breast, and lodged itself in the steel plates of his armour. The king with his own hand plucked out the dart, which had not pierced the skin, and shaking it in the air, called out aloud that he would hang the villain who had hit him. On another occasion, when riding within the range of the engines, a stone of great size and weight struck so near, and with such noise and force, that the king's horse backed and fell with his master ; upon which some of the soldiers, seeing his danger, ran in and forced Edward down the hill towards the tents. Whilst these engines within the castle did so much execution, those of Edward, being of small dimensions in comparison with the height of the walls, had little effect; and when fagots and branches were thrown into the fosse, to facilitate the assault, a sally from the castle succeeded in setting the whole in flames, and carried confusion and slaughter into the English lines.

The siege had now continued from the twentysecond of April to the twentieth of May, without much impression having been made. But determination was a marked feature in the powerful character of the king. He wrote to the sheriffs of York, Lincoln, and London, commanding them to purchase and send instantly to him, at Stirling, all the balistfe, quarrells, bows and arrows, which they could collect within their counties; and he despatched a letter to the Governor of the Tower, requiring him to send down, with all haste, the balistas and small quarrells which were under his charge in that fortress. Anxious, also, for the assistance and presence of all his best soldiers, he published, at Stirling, an inhibition, proclaiming that no knight, esquire, or other person whatsoever, should frequent jousts or tournaments, or go in search of adventures and deeds of arms, without his special license ;" and aware that the Scottish garrison must soon be in want of provisions, he cut off all communication with the surrounding country, and gave orders for the employment of a new and dreadful instrument of destruction, the Greek fire, with which he had probably become acquainted in the East. The mode in which this destructive combustible was used, seems to have been by shooting from the balistae, large arrows,to whose heads were fastened halls of ignited cotton, which stuck in the roofs and walls of the buildings they struck, and set them on fire. In addition to this, he commanded his engineers to construct two immense machines, which, unlike those employed at first, overtopped the walls, and were capable of throwing stones and leaden balls of three hundred pounds weight. The first of these was a complicated machine, which, although much pains was bestowed on its construction, did no great execution; but the second, which the soldiers called the wolf, was more simple in its form, and, from its size and strength, most murderous in its effects.

These great efforts succeeded: a large breach was made in the two inner walls of the castle; and the outer ditch having been filled up with heaps of stones and fagots thrown into it, Edward ordered a general assault. The brave little garrison, which for three months had successfully resisted the whole strength of the English army, were now dreadfully reduced by the siege. Their provisions were exhausted. Thirteen women, the wives and sisters of the knights and barons who defended the place, were shut up along with the soldiers, and their distress and misery became extreme. In these circumstances—their walls cast down, the engines carrying the troops wheeled up to the breach, and the scaling ladders fixed on the parapet—a deputation was sent to Edward, with an offer to capitulate, on security of life and limb. This proposal the king met with contempt and scorn; but he agreed to treat on the terms of an unconditional surrender, and appointed four of his barons, the Earls of Gloucester and Ulster, with Sir Eustace le Poor, and Sir John de Mowbray, to receive the last resolution of the besieged.

Edward's Severity

Sir John and Sir Eustace accordingly proceeded to the castle gate, and summoned the governor; upon which Sir William Olifant, his kinsman Sir William de Dupplin, and their squire Thomas Lillay, met the English knights, and proceeded with them to an interview with the two earls. At this meeting they consented, for themselves and their companions, to surrender unconditionally to the King of England; and they earnestly requested that he would permit them to make this surrender in his own presence, and himself witness their contrition.

To this Edward agreed, and forthwith appointed Sir John Lovel to fill the place of governor. A melancholy pageant of feudal submission now succeeded. Sir William Olifant, and, along with him, twenty-five of the knights and gentlemen, his companions in the siege, presentedthemselves before the king, who received them in princely state, surrounded by his nobles and warriors. In order to save their lives, these brave men were compelled to appear in a garb and posture, against which every generous feeling revolts. Their persons were stript to their shirts and drawers; their heads and feet were bare; they wore ropes around their necks; and thus, with clasped hands and bended knee, they implored the clemency of the king. Upon this, Edward, of his royal mercy, exempted them from the ignominy of being chained; but Olifant was sent to the Tower, and the rest were imprisoned in different castles throughout England. The garrison was found to consist of no more than a hundred and forty soldiers; an incredibly small number, if we consider that for three months they had resisted the efforts of the army of England, led by the king in person.

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Timeline of Scottish History

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Timeline of Scottish History

History of Scotland by Patrick Tytler 2

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