The Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought during the War of the Rough Wooing. The
Scottish victory put a temporary end to English depredations in the Scottish borders and lowlands.
Background to the War
As his reign drew to a close, King Henry VIII sought to secure the alliance of
Scotland and the marriage of the infant Mary, Queen of
Scots to his son Edward. He had the support of some Scots nobles who had
been taken prisoner at the Battle of Solway Moss, and mixed diplomacy with the
threat of force, but in December 1543 the Scottish Parliament, after much internal dissension,
decided to reject Henry's overtures and instead renew the alliance with France.
Campaign
Henry's reaction was to launch a ruthless war against Scotland. This attempt to force Scotland into alliance was known as the
"Rough Wooing". He ordered the Earl of Hertford, his Warden of the
Marches, to devastate Edinburgh, Leith and many other towns.
Hertford dutifully laid waste to much of southern Scotland in two expeditions in 1544.
The following year, an army under Sir Ralph Eure (alternatively spelt "Evers") continued to
pillage in the borders. Perhaps their worst atrocity was the burning of Brumehous Tower, with the lady of the house and her
children and servants inside. Their activities forced an unlikely alliance of two self-seeking Scottish nobles, the
Earl of Arran, Regent for the infant Mary, and the
Earl of Angus (whose estates had been razed, and family tombs
vandalised, by Hertford). Joined by borderers under Scott of Buccleuch (who may have been the
inspiration for their subsequent tactics), they moved to confront the English army near Jedburgh.
The battle
The English Army consisted of 3000 German and Spanish mercenaries, 1500 English borderers under Sir Brian Layton and 700 Scottish borderers. As they settled into an encampment under Gersit Law, a small
Scottish force made a feint attack and then retreated southwest towards Palace Hill. Much of the English force followed in
pursuit. As they reached the top of Palace Hill, they were attacked by the whole Scottish army which had been hidden on the far
side of the hill.
The Scots had the advantage of surprise, and of the setting sun which was behind them and dazzling the English, and of the
westerly wind which blew gunpowder smoke from arquebuses and pistols towards the English.
The English, who were in some disarray, were forced back by the initial Scottish attack. They tried to rally on the slope of
Palace Hill, but the Scottish borderers with them now chose to revert to their former allegiance. The English army now broke, and
was forced to scatter through a hostile countryside.
Results
The English lost 800 men killed (including Eure and Layton) and 1000 taken prisoner. This temporarily stopped their harrying
of Scotland.
The war came to an end shortly afterwards on the death of Henry VIII, only to break out again with perhaps even more violence
when Hertford, now Protector Somerset ruling on behalf of Edward VI, sought to impose his own political and religious settlement
on Scotland.
Sources
Famous Scottish battles, Philip Warner, Leo Cooper, ISBN 0-85052-487-3 A History of Scotland, R. L. Mackie
External links
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