Inventory Battlefield

Battle of Linlithgow BridgeBTL25

Date of Battle: 4 September 1526

Status: Designated

Documents

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Designation Record and Full Report Contents

  • Name
  • Summary Information
  • Overview and Statement of Significance
  • Inventory Boundary
  • Historical Background to the Battle
    • The Armies
    • Numbers
    • Losses
    • Action
    • Aftermath and Consequences
  • Events and Participants
    • Context
  • Battlefield Landscape
    • Location
    • Terrain
    • Condition
  • Archaeological and Physical Remains and Potential
  • Cultural Association
    • Commemoration and Interpretation
  • References

Summary

Date Added
30/11/2011
Last Date Amended
14/12/2012
Local Authority
Falkirk, West Lothian
NGR
NS 97883 76573
Coordinates
297883, 676573

Overview and Statement of Significance

The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge is significant as the largest attempt to free the young James V from the control of the Earl of Angus by military means. James himself was forced to attend the battle on Angus' side, although he was able to delay his own arrival until after the fighting had concluded. The attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, leaving James in the hands of Angus' ever growing power, and leads to the death of the Earl of Lennox, James' close confidante and friend.

The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge was fought between the Earl of Lennox and the Earl of Arran on 4 September 1526 as part of an ongoing struggle for control over the 14-year old King James V. Lennox was marching on Edinburgh to free the King from the control of the Earl of Angus, when he encountered an army under the Earl of Arran at Linlithgow Bridge. As the bridge over the Avon was held against him, he marched downstream to a ford from where he attacked upslope, hoping to deal with Arran's men before reinforcements could arrive from Edinburgh. However, he was unsuccessful and after a long push of pikes, his men broke as Angus arrived with fresh troops.

In the rout that followed, Lennox was taken prisoner, disarmed and then killed. Angus remained in control of the young King for another two years until James escaped from Edinburgh and began to reign directly; Angus was forced to flee to England as his lands were confiscated.

Inventory Boundary

The Inventory boundary defines the area in which the main events of the battle are considered to have taken place (landscape context) and where associated physical remains and archaeological evidence occur or may be expected (specific qualities). The landscape context is described under battlefield landscape: it encompasses areas of fighting, key movements of troops across the landscape and other important locations, such as the positions of camps or vantage points. Although the landscape has changed since the time of the battle, key characteristics of the terrain at the time of the battle can normally still be identified, enabling events to be more fully understood and interpreted in their landscape context. Specific qualities are described under physical remains and potential: these include landscape features that played a significant role in the battle, other physical remains, such as enclosures or built structures, and areas of known or potential archaeological evidence.

The Inventory boundary for the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge is defined on the accompanying map and includes the following areas:

  • Peace/Pace Hill, which was where the eastern end of the bridge was defended by Arran's men.
  • Easter Manuel, where Lennox's force approached the bridge initially and where Lennox's potential artillery may have been located.
  • The Manuel nunnery, which marks the rough location of Lennox's crossing point of the River Avon at the ford.
  • The south-eastern slopes of Manuel Hill and the area around Whitecross, marking Lennox's line of approach and his subsequent movement to the ford.
  • The area of the bridge across the Avon, in a similar place to the current bridge of the A803.
  • The area around Kettilstoun and Linlithgow Leisure Centre, where some of the fighting between Lennox and Arran's forces may have occurred and through which Angus and his force arrived to the battlefield.

Historical Background

The Earl of Lennox advanced from Stirling towards Edinburgh at the head of an army of around 12,000 men. At Linlithgow Bridge, he encountered the Earl of Arran with around 2,000 men, who held the crossing of the River Avon against him. Arran was deployed on the east side of the Avon with his artillery covering the approaches and a guard at the bridge. Lennox decided to outflank Arran and bypass the bridge; he knew that more troops were coming from Edinburgh and he wanted to act before they arrived. He decided, based on the reports of his scouts, to cross at the Manuel nunnery. Once he realised Lennox's intention to ford the river, Arran deployed his troops to face south on Peace Hill (formerly Pace Hill). This left the Earl of Angus, who was racing from Edinburgh with another 2,000 men to support Arran, enough space to deploy his troops on Arran's left when he arrived and to launch a flank attack on Lennox's hemmed-in forces.

Lennox's vanguard made for the ford under heavy fire and crossed by the nunnery; however the difficult crossing slowed them and left them unable to attack the hill quickly. Lennox's main force then crossed the river and formed up into two battles with a screen of arquebusiers and bowmen in front. As the two battles advanced, they began to lose their formation, while the fire on them increased from Arran's men. As Lennox's army struggled up hill, Arran's forces charged down into them and a melee began which would last for some time. Eventually, Arran's men gained the upper hand and Lennox's men broke, possibly with the arrival of Angus, but certainly before the King arrived. Lennox himself was killed, possibly at the hand of Sir James Hamilton of Finnart, the illegitimate son of Arran.

The Armies

John Stewart, Earl of Lennox, commanded the forces seeking to liberate the King. James Douglas, Earl of Angus, and James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, commanded those seeking to hold him.

Numbers

Lennox: According to Pitscottie, Lennox gathered 10,000 men at Stirling, where he was joined by James Beaton from Fife and Killmaurs (Glencairn) from Ayrshire with another 2,000, giving a total of 12,000. They left Stirling divided into three battles and with artillery. Lawson says that 1,000 of Lennox's men were volunteers from the Highlands (Lawson 1849). Another source numbers Lennox's force at 10,000 (Waldie 1868).

Angus / Arran: According to Pitscottie, the Earl of Arran had 2,000 men and Angus brought another 2,000. Another 3,000 Edinburgh militia were en route (Pitscottie 1899).

Lawson says that 1,000 of Lennox's men were volunteers from the Highlands (Lawson 1849). Another source numbers Lennox's force at 10,000 (Waldie 1868). Very different figures were given by Albany, an adversary of the Douglases, who paints a picture of an outnumbered Lennox force of 4,000 being surprised and defeated by the 6-7,000 of Arran and Angus (Cooper 2004).

Losses

The sources do not quantify the losses. Pitscottie says that many were slain on both sides, in particular Lennox with many gentlemen from the west, while Glencairn was mortally wounded and many of his friends and servants slain with many gentlemen of Fife also slain or captured (Pitscottie 1899).

An extrapolation of losses from the battles of Pinkie and Flodden suggests that a casualty rate of 25% would not be unreasonable for the losing side, with a much lower percentage for the victorious side who would not have suffered the losses of a rout. This would give 3,000-4,000 casualties on Lennox's side and 500-1,000 on the side of Arran and Angus (Cooper 2004). However, this is speculative because there is no certainty about the figures from Pinkie or Flodden, and the figures remain purely indicative.

Action

There are a number of different accounts of the battle, and although there is no divergence on the result, the sources differ on when Angus arrived on the battlefield and what part his forces played. A very detailed modern study of the battle uses the sources and informed speculation to paint a picture of the likely course of the battle. In this version Arran deployed his troops on the east side of the Avon with his artillery covering the approaches and a guard at the bridge. The artillery could only cover along the Falkirk road, which approached from the south-west close to the nunnery, as far as the crest below East Manuel farm. At some point Lennox rode forward to certify the reports from his cavalry scouts. He knew that Arran was waiting, had fortified the bridge and had troops gathered on the Peel at Linlithgow. He then decided, with Glencairn, to outflank Arran and bypass the bridge; he knew that more troops were coming from Edinburgh and he wanted to act before they arrived but a frontal attack across the river and up the hill against a fortified position at the bridge was likely to be unsuccessful, or, at best, successful but costly. Forcing a crossing downstream meant being hemmed in against Linlithgow Loch and the Binns (the hills to the north) even if he could find a place to cross. Upstream he would have to go a long way round towards Bathgate to avoid the Manuel Gorge, thus exposing his rear and enabling Arran to cut him off from Stirling. He decided, based on the reports of his scouts, to cross at the Manuel nunnery, but it is not clear if he understood the state of the land on the other side. It is possible that he set up artillery on Manuel Hill to cover his movements. There is no report in the accounts of an artillery duel although cannon balls found in the river suggest there were artillery exchanges. Hamilton's 200 men at the bridge were involved in skirmishing all day with Glencairn's cavalry. Arran now had forces to his front and a flanking movement under way; he had three choices 'to withdraw through the town, redeploy along the bluffs and form a skirmishing line, or he could maintain cohesion, minimise his redeployment, turn south and face Lennox's attack. Lennox could not leave a force the size of Arran's to his flank and rear, especially with Angus's reinforcements coming along the road from Edinburgh. Once he realised Lennox's intention to ford the river, Arran deployed his troops to face south on Peace Hill (formerly Pace Hill). This left Angus space to deploy his troops on Arran's left when he arrived and launch a flank attack on Lennox's hemmed in forces. However, the combined forces of Arran and Angus would still be outnumbered three to one.

Lennox's vanguard, consisting of the horse and perhaps 2,000 foot made for the ford under heavy fire, crossing by the nunnery, but lost shape and coherence, losing the momentum required to successfully storm the heights. Lennox's main force then crossed the river and formed up. This took time because of the troops' inexperience, harassing fire from the heights and the marshy ground. Two battles were formed, with the standards and their guard at the centre, surrounded by pike men up to 20-30 ranks deep. The professional and most loyal household troops would be in front, with the rest of the levy grouped around this central block. In front was a screen of arquebusiers and bowmen. As the two battles advanced, the difficult ground and the lie of the land caused them to lose shape, funnelling them together in a narrow space, thus reducing the number who could attack abreast and reducing the numerical advantage. The fire on them increased from both cannon and arquebuses and arrows. As Lennox's men struggled up the hill Arran's forces charged down with pike and bill. A fierce close quarter struggle ensued 'at push of pike' which lasted two hours. Finally, Arran's men were left in control of the ridge, and the fighting broke up into a series of smaller actions where Lennox's men stood and fought, in groups such as Glencairn's. Finally, Lennox's men broke, possibly with the arrival of Angus's men, but certainly before the King arrived. Lennox died, possibly at the hand of Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (Cooper 2004).

The historical sources differ one from another on several points of detail. Pitscottie gave the most detailed contemporary account of the battle and the events before and after it (although he dated it to 1520 by mistake). He was in no doubt that Angus was involved from the start. He said that word reached Edinburgh that Lennox was within a mile of Linlithgow with three great hosts and artillery, and was marching on Edinburgh. George Douglas, Angus' brother, urged the King to rise and ride to the help of the outnumbered Angus with the Edinburgh militia, but the King delayed his departure as long as he could. He eventually rode out of Edinburgh with 3,000 men. When they reached the crags at Corstorphine, they could hear the artillery at the battle sounding like thunder. Douglas urged the King to ride faster so that they could rescue and help Angus. News reached them that the fighting was taking place two miles west of Linlithgow and that

'the Earle of Angus and the Earle of Glencairneis was zokit [yoked] togither and the Lord Hamilltounis and the Earle of Lennox in lyke maner and baitht fightand furieouslie.'

At this the King started to ride faster, but fresh news reached them that Lennox's men had fled and he had lost. The King ordered his followers and servants to ride to the field and stop the slaughter and in particular to save Lennox if he were still alive. Sir Andrew Wood of Largo went on to the field but found Lennox dead, slain by Sir James Hamilton after he had been taken prisoner and disarmed by the Laird of Pardovan. Hamilton, Pitscottie claims, killed Lennox without mercy and did the same with everybody he overtook in the rout that day. Wood continued to try to save anybody he could and came upon Glencairn, with 30 surviving followers, still standing and fighting. Wood removed him from the fighting and took him to a place where neither the Douglases nor the Hamiltons could do him harm. Returning to the field. Wood came upon the Earl of Hamilton standing beside the body of Lennox, his nephew, lamenting,

'The wyssist man, the stoutest man, the hardiest man that ewer was brede in Scotland was slain that day'. Hamilton placed his scarlet cloak over the body and ordered a guard to be put upon it until the King's servants came to bury it (Pitscottie 1899).

Lesley gave a rather different version, describing Arran fighting alone, without Angus. In his account, Arran, having received Lennox's refusal to withdraw, did not wait for the King coming with Angus, but met Lennox on the west side of Linlithgow where vicious fighting took place with spear, sword and gun. Lennox and many of his followers were slain, but there is no mention of how Lennox died. The King and Angus arrived after the fighting was finished because of the King's attempts to delay, by pretending to be sick and riding slowly. The slowness of the King's horse made George Douglas so furious that he drove the horse on, and 'spairet nocht proud wordis to the Kingis selfe'. The King never forgot nor forgave this and later banished him (Cooper 2004).

In Lawson's version, Angus arrived after the fighting had started, but his forces played a key role in the victory. In this account, Lennox, who knew when Angus and Arran were due to meet, set off intending to cut off the Hamiltons, but Arran knew this and seized the bridge across the Avon, little more than a mile westward of Linlithgow. He stationed a strong force there and took up position on rising ground nearly opposite the priory of Manuel. Lennox's men, who were weary from their march, had to ford the Avon. Arran tried again to get Lennox to turn back, but he refused and split his army into three to attack the Hamiltons. The Lennox vanguard 'imprudently made too much haste' when advancing against the Hamilton troops on the heights and were out of breath when they came to close quarters. The Hamiltons 'stood their ground and charged with such fury as to drive them back to their second line.' At this critical moment a detachment of the forces of Angus came up shouting 'A Douglas, A Douglas'. Immediately the army of Lennox gave way and a total rout ensued, which was marked by a considerable slaughter (Lawson 1849).

Buchanan paints a similar picture. Lennox, hearing that the Hamiltons had gathered at Linlithgow to prevent his march, decided to attack them before they were joined by the Douglases. The Hamiltons were informed of his intention to leave Stirling and sent for the Douglases from Edinburgh. The Hamiltons, threatened with the approach of their enemy and expecting the assistance of their friends, drew up their forces in order of battle, at a bridge over the river Avon, about a mile beyond Linlithgow, and having placed a small guard upon the bridge, posted the rest along the tops of the hills, which they knew the enemy must pass. Lennox, being prevented from crossing the bridge, ordered his troops to ford the river at a shallower place, a little farther up near Manuel nunnery, and drive the Hamiltons from the hills before the Douglases joined them. The Lennox men marched rapidly through a rugged road, annoyed by the stones thrown from the heights , and had just reached the enemy, when a shout announced the arrival of the Douglases, who, rushing from the road into the midst of the battle, quickly decided the fortune of the day. The Lennox party was forced to fly with great loss. The Hamiltons, but particularly Sir James Hamilton, the illegitimate son of Arran, were ruthless in victory and slaughtered the defeated without mercy. William Cunningham, the Earl of Glencairn's son, was severely wounded, but his life was spared by the Douglases, on account of his relationship. John Stewart, the Earl of Lennox, was killed, greatly lamented by the Earl of Arran, his uncle, and even by Douglases, but above all by the King, who, when he heard by the tumult and noise that the battle had commenced, sent Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, his favourite, ahead to endeavour to save his life, but he arrived too late.

In this account the King, delayed the progress of the Edinburgh reinforcements by getting up later than normal, travelling slowly, and often turning aside upon the journey, endeavouring by every means in his power, to delay their progress until at last the exasperated and angry George Douglas, bluntly told him 'Before the enemy shall take thee from us, if thy body be torn in pieces, we shall have a part.' (Buchanan 1827).

In another account in which Angus arrived in time to take part in the battle and the King arrived later with Sir George Douglas, more detail is given about the nature of the battlefield.

'Arran held the bridge over the Avon, below which for some distance the passage of the river was not easily practicable, with the steep banks which bend round Manuel Haugh, above; and Lennox was under the double disadvantage of fording the river and forcing the heights between Manuel Convent and the bridge.'

This account echoes Pitscottie in having Angus opposing the division under the Earl of Glencairn, and the Hamiltons opposing the division under Lennox. Glencairn's life was saved by Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, who was despatched by the King to stop the slaughter, but Lennox, after having surrendered to the Laird of Pardovan, was slain by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (Waldie 1868).

Aftermath & Consequences

The crushing victory won by Angus and Arran strengthened Angus's control over the King and his grasp on the reins of power. Having already placed his relatives in powerful positions in the royal household, he took the chancellorship for himself in 1527, after the resignation of Beaton, and appointed his uncle, Archibald Kilspindie, first as treasurer then also as keeper of the privy seal. The concentration of power became narrower as Angus could not trust or appeal to Lennox supporters, and a split also developed between him and Arran with whom the ward of the Lennox Earldom had been distributed equally after the battle. In 1528, when the King reached the age of sixteen and Angus's failure to govern effectively was becoming apparent, James escaped to Stirling and with the support of his mother and other magnates assumed power himself and proceeded to take his revenge on the Douglases (Cameron 1998). The Douglases were proscribed and forbidden from coming within seven miles of the King. Angus escaped to England, where he remained until the death of James V in 1542.

Events & Participants

Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, was one of the most powerful Scottish nobles of the sixteenth century. He first came to prominence on 6 August 1514 when he married Margaret, the Dowager Queen, widow of James IV, mother of James V and elder sister of Henry VIII of England. The marriage was instrumental in breaking the fragile peace in Scotland as Margaret's regency was to last until James V came of age or she re-married. She had been holding a delicate balance between the pro-French and pro-English factions at Court, but her marriage to Angus gave impetus to the pro-French group to push her out and install the Duke of Albany as regent. She eventually fled to England, leaving Angus in Scotland, where he promptly took a mistress and started spending Margaret's money. The ensuing enmity between the couple coloured Scottish politics for years to come. Angus was charged with high treason by the Duke of Albany, and was sent as a prisoner to France in 1522. He escaped to London in 1524 and then returned to Scotland with the support of Henry VIII. In 1524, Margaret made an alliance with the Earl of Arran and Angus had to take refuge in his ancestral home of Tantallon Castle. However, with the influence of Henry VIII from south of the border, Angus was able to force his way back into power and was appointed to the Council of Regency, which looked after the King in rotation despite Margaret's declaration in 1524 of his majority. Angus was the first of the council to have physical custody of the King, but refused to hand him over at the end of his three month period. He imposed himself as the Chancellor of Scotland, filled all positions of authority with Douglas family members and supporters and kept the young King effectively a prisoner. The Battles of Darnick and Linlithgow Bridge were both attempts to wrest control of the King from Angus. Despite his victory in both battles, Angus would only retain his control for another two years. James V escaped his custody in 1528 and began to rule on his own account, with his first order of business the removal of Angus, who had retreated to Tantallon again. Despite considerable effort on the part of James, Angus held out until 1529 when he was able to escape to England under a treaty between James and Henry VIII. Angus remained in England until James' death in 1542, at which point he returned on a mission from Henry to arrange a marriage between the infant Mary Queen of Scots and the future Edward VI. However, in 1544 he was in open conflict with the Earl of Arran, son of his ally in 1526, and imprisoned briefly. The English Rough Wooing (1543-1550), which attempted to coerce the Scots into accepting the marriage between Mary and Edward, hit Douglas lands hard and caused Angus to settle with Arran and the two fought together at the Scottish victory of Ancrum Moor and the defeat at Pinkie in 1547. He eventually died in 1557.

James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, was a significant figure in the politics and wars of James IV. He was a grandson of James II and nephew of James III. He was as much a mariner as a soldier in his early career, commanding a Scottish fleet that helped the Danes defeat a Swedish rebellion in 1502, then led a fleet to put down a rebellion in the Western Isles in 1504. He commanded the Scottish navy in actions against the English in 1513, attacking the main English base in Ulster at Carrickfergus before heading to France to support the French King; however, before he arrived, James IV had been killed at Flodden, and Arran had to return home. He was accompanied by the representative of John Stewart, Duke of Albany, who would later become regent, but Arran initially acted against Albany and was besieged and in the end Hamilton had to make terms with the Regent. In 1516, on the death of the infant Alexander, James V's brother, Arran was declared next in line to the throne. He had constant antagonism with Angus, leading to the Cleanse the Causeway incident when Angus and his supporters drove Arran out of Edinburgh on 30 April 1520; however, by the following year, Arran had re-taken control of the city. In 1524, he supported Margaret as she declared James to have reached his majority; he was one of the Council that was to rotate custody of the King, and was supposed to take custody from Angus when the latter refused to hand over James. Despite this, Arran considered that his interests would be best served by allying with Angus and thus it was that he found himself defending the approach to Edinburgh against Lennox on behalf of Angus. Despite this, when James V escaped from Angus in 1528, Arran was a close advisor of the King until the Earl died in 1529.

James V, King of Scots, was crowned on 21 September 1513, at the age of just eighteen months, following the death of his father James IV at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513. He was a pawn in the politics of the period, being moved around as a symbol of the authority of whichever magnate was in the ascendancy. He was variously a guest of his mother Margaret, of his step-father the Earl of Angus and of the Regent, the Earl of Albany, all of whom acted in their own interests but in his name. In 1526, James began to actively seek a means of escape from the control of Angus, who was essentially holding him prisoner. At Darnick, James asked Walter Scott of Buccleuch to attempt to free him, and although James played no part in the subsequent battle, he seems likely to have witnessed it from the safety of a nearby tower. By the time of the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge, the fourteen-year old James was put in charge of 3,000 Edinburgh militia and sent to aid his captors against his friend the Earl of Lennox, again seeking to free him from Angus control. On the way, he was roundly abused by Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich, the Earl of Angus' brother, who was supervising him; this was yet another slight to be avenged once James achieved his independence from Angus. Lennox's defeat and death meant that James was forced to endure a further two years under the control of Angus. In May 1528, he was able to escape from Edinburgh and appeared in Stirling, where his mother Margaret had her powerbase. He now started to rule on his own account, dismissing many of the Douglas partisans from the offices given by Angus, and he ordered Angus to go into ward north of the Spey; when he refused, he was declared a traitor and his lands forfeit. This was ineffectual, however, and the subsequent military action against the Douglas family entirely unproductive. James concluded a treaty with Henry VIII, on whom Angus relied for support, in December 1528 that allowed Angus and his brothers to go into exile in England.

Context

James IV's death at Flodden in September 1513 left his infant son as the new king, James V. This required a regency, which initially was straightforward as his mother, Margaret Tudor (Henry VIII's sister) was declared regent in accordance with James IV's wishes. However, in 1514 she married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and was disqualified from the regency, ceding the position to John Stewart, Duke of Albany. In May 1524, Margaret staged a coup d'état and ended Albany's regency; he was far more interested in France and gave little resistance to her manoeuvring. Margaret now relied for support on James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, and John Stewart, the Earl of Lennox. The relationship between Margaret and Arran was strengthened by a shared dislike of Angus; Arran and Angus were long term enemies, while Margaret had discovered that Angus had installed a mistress in one of her castles and was spending her money on the mistress and the daughter they had produced. Margaret had the regency declared at an end. This meant that James V theoretically governed in his own right, though in practice power would be controlled by a Council of Regency, led by his mother.

At this point, in 1525, Angus returned from exile with the strong backing of Margaret's brother, Henry VIII of England. Although Margaret tried to keep him out of Edinburgh by threatening to fire on him with the cannons of Edinburgh Castle, Angus used the backing of Henry to ensure he was a member of the Council of Regency. It was agreed amongst the Council that there should be a scheme for the physical custody of the young King to be rotated between each of four groups every three months; the rotation scheme reflected the main divisions between the magnates. Angus was one the leaders of the first group and Arran one of the leaders of the second. James Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, was one of the leaders of the third, and Lennox one of the leaders of the fourth. Angus effected a coup d'état by refusing to hand James over to Arran at the end of the first quarter, and in June 1526 set about legitimising this position. Parliament declared that James was now 14 years old, had reached his majority and hence was of an age to exercise his royal authority personally. All prior delegations of authority were annulled; this meant that the agreement of July 1525 was rescinded.

The King was now technically responsible for his own decisions, and did not need to have physical guardianship shared between the magnates. In truth, he was effectively a prisoner in Edinburgh controlled by Angus and a royal household filled with Douglas adherents who were effectively his jailers. This may not have been just a bid by Angus for sole power but a means of preserving his position as one of the lords of Scotland. By holding onto the King and declaring his majority, a tactic which Margaret's supporters had used in 1524, Angus acquired not just a cloak of legitimacy but also a degree of protection, as an attack on him could be interpreted also as an attack on the King. The most likely source of that attack was his former wife Margaret.

The first challenge to Angus came in January 1526 at Linlithgow when there was confrontation between Angus and Arran, but Arran backed down. On 21 June, a secret council was appointed in parliament to advise James. Its members included Angus, Argyll, Lennox, Morton, Glencairn, Lord Maxwell and Gavin Dunbar, Archbishop of Glasgow. Five days later, James secretly obliged himself to Lennox, his uncle, agreeing to take the Earl's advice on all important occasions 'fyrst and befor ony man'. A second challenge to Angus came in June 1526 with an unsuccessful attempt by Walter Scott of Buccleuch to abduct the King (Cameron 1998).

The third challenge to Angus was mounted by Lennox in September 1526, by which time Arran had dropped his opposition to Angus and instead given him the support of the Hamiltons. Lennox called a meeting at Stirling with his supporters including Queen Margaret, Argyll, Cassillis, Beaton, Glencairn, Moray, Home and Ruthven at which he put forward a proposal for freeing the King. They all agreed and marched on Edinburgh (Buchanan 1827). Arran had joined Angus because he offered Arran a share in his administration and also because he was worried about Lennox; James intended to declare Lennox his heir, which would disregard the rights of the house of Hamilton (Lawson 1849).

Pitscottie, a contemporary writer, in his own individual style, says that Lennox's challenge was at the behest of the young King

'The King hierand thir wordis send for the Earle of Lennox and spak with him and gaif him commissioun to raise his leigis as he pleissit to that effect that he sould com to Edinburgh witht all the powar that he might be and tak the Kingis out of the Douglassis handis perforce. The Earle of Lennox heirand this charge and commisioun of the King was weill contentit to obey the samin and to that effect gaderit all that he might in Fyfe, Angus, Streerne, Stirllingschyre and all the haill wastland and come to Stirling witht the number of ten thowsand men quhair bischope James Bettone mett him witht all the gentillmen of Fyfe and thair accompaned witht him to the effect foresaid and also the Master of Killmaris come to him out the wast, Kyle, Carrick, Cunninghame, quhilk was in number 2000 men, and tuk his wangaird in hand to come fordward to the toun of Edinburgh.'

Angus, hearing of this, rallied his forces to meet Lennox's challenge:

'he 'tuic sic curage and hardement that he knew weill thair was no remedie bot ether to do or die, and send incontenent to all his kin and freindis and in spetiall to the lorde of Home and Fairnihirst and the laird of Cesfurde, ' also he send to the Lord Hamilltoun schawand his enemies the Earle of Lennox was to come ' witht ane airmie to tak the King from him beseikand him that he wald concur witht him and support him in that cause quhilk was ffor his awin weill; sayand 'gif that the Earle of Lennox owercome him that the nixt day he wald do siclyke witht him, thaifor best it war to debait witht baitht thar powaris and strengthis in tyme'. Of this desyre lord Hamilltoun was weire weill contentit and promist to metitt the Earle of Angus witht all his kin and freindis at Lythtgow.'

When Angus heard that Lennox was on the march he asked the King to raise the militia in Edinburgh but James prevaricated in the hope of buying time for Lennox

'Sa schone as the Earle of Angus knew of thair coming he went and schew the King the maner of how it stude, desyrand his grace gar mak procliematioun baitht in Leytht and Edinburgh that all maner of man betuix sextie and sexten zeiris sould ryse incontienent to follow the King and debait his grace. They hierand thir wordis of the Earle of Angus and knew the matter how it stude gaif bot lyttill ansuer agan wnto the Earle of Angus. The Earle seand that the King was slaw in the matter wist weill thair was nothing bot ether do or die and thairfor maid him manfullie to the feildis and caussit his friend Archibald Douglas, provost of Edinburgh to ring the common bell and put the toun in order and command thame to ryse and come witht the King in all haist to defend him aganis his enemis and left his brother George witht the King to cause him ryse and come fordwart for to support him ffor he wald pase incontienent forward to meit the Lord Hamilltoun quho was abone Lythgow in redynes witht ane great number of 2000 men , and the Earle of Angus himself witht the Homes and the Karis quhilk was in the number of 2000 men' (Pitscottie 1899).

Lesley says that once Arran was at Linlithgow at Angus's summons he tried to get Lennox, who was his nephew, to drop his challenge, otherwise he would not consider him his sister's son, but an enemy to him and to the realm. Lennox refused, saying he would march to Edinburgh or die in the attempt 'Arran thocht this ouer proud a ansuer til his syster sone: quhairfor quhom he culd not lay with wordis, he labouris to stay with swordis' (Lesley 1830).

Battlefield Landscape

The battlefield is reasonably well preserved given its proximity to the town of Linlithgow and the presence of a large quarry that has re-sculpted a large part of the general landscape into a nature reserve. However, the overall shape of the landscape remains, with the river valley still being crossed by bridges, while the slopes above the haughlands are still capable of indicating the level of difficulty posed to an advancing army. Despite the depredations of the River Avon, the general area of the crossing can be determined, marked by the presence of the Manuel nunnery, giving a good impression of the view presented to Lennox and his troops as they mustered to attack Arran's men.

Location

Nothing visibly remains of the Linlithgow Bridge of 1526 although it is known that the bridge was on the site of the modern road to Polmont. The site of Manuel nunnery is known (NS97NE 19), although little remains today. The River Avon has eroded the banks and washed away the majority of the buildings and the associated cemetery. It was always a small establishment, and in 1552 had a prioress and four nuns. Much of the eastern bank below Peace Hill (formerly Pace Hill) was quarried away and has been restored as a nature reserve. However, the rising ground to the ridge where Arran's men were drawn up is still untouched and the overall landscape can still be understood. There is a steeply rising bluff enclosing the low lying land on the eastern side. This bluff rises to meet Peace Hill just before the bridge. The low lying land is funnelled from a width of 300 metres opposite the nunnery to 100 metres at the foot of Peace Hill (Cooper 2004). It is possible that the fighting took place on the slopes of Peace Hill, but the steepness of the slope makes this seem rather unlikely. An alternative explanation is that Lennox was attempting to reach the higher ground where the slope is less severe, hoping to come round the left flank of Arran's men at the bridge.

Lennox appears to have been using an older Medieval route to the bridge past the Manuel nunnery when he found the bridge blocked by Arran's men. They then returned to the nunnery, where there was a ford. From here, the older route climbed up to the high ground that is now the location of the Union canal before heading towards Linlithgow.

Terrain

Despite its proximity to the town of Linlithgow, the battlefield has been relatively unaffected by urban development. Peace/Pace Hill stands above the haughland of the River Avon, and there is a road bridge and a rail bridge to cross the river valley. The slopes of the hill are very steep and present a major challenge to any attacking force, and it is easy to see why Lennox decided to go downstream to find another crossing point. The course of the river Avon has changed a few times over the centuries, and it is difficult to know where exactly the crossing was made. It is likely that the river is less easy to ford now, because the crossing took place near the nunnery, which has been largely washed away by river action. The land rising up from the area of the nunnery is relatively gently sloping; downstream, the slopes become very steep and form somewhat of a gorge, while upstream the slopes again become steeper.

Condition

The positions of Arran's men at the bridge and along the high ground at Peace Hill have been lost to housing, but if there was fighting to the south-west, some of this may well be preserved as the expansion of Linlithgow has not extended far in this direction. The main impact upon the battlefield has been a large quarry that operated on the eastern bank of the river, running at the base of the scarp up to Peace Hill. Inevitably, this will have removed traces of any part of the action on this lower-lying ground. If the course of the battle was an advance by Lennox along the low-lying haughland to Peace Hill, with the assault being up the steep slopes of the hill, then the majority of this ground will have been lost. However, if the course of the battle was for Lennox to have tried to gain the higher ground near the river crossing, so that he could outflank Arran's men, then the quarry will have had relatively little impact on the battlefield.

Archaeological & Physical Remains and Potential

There were discoveries of bodies in the area in 1840, 1926 and 1956, but the way in which they were buried in stone cists suggest they were not the dead from this battle, and the exact locations of the remains are now unclear. It may be that many of the dead were buried at the nunnery, but most of the cemetery at the south side has been washed away by floods. Cannon balls have been found in the river, and a small cross and a spur which may have been lost during the battle have been discovered by metal detecting (Cooper 2004).

Given the nature of the fighting, there is the potential to find small items of military and personal equipment lost during the close quarter fighting; there is also the potential of arquebus balls and arrowheads given the presence of both arquebusiers and archers in Lennox's army. However, extensive quarrying and the action of the river may well have removed some evidence of the battle.

Cultural Association

A cairn is known to have stood on Kettleston Farm in 1856, and was later moved to the entrance of the Kettleston Housing Estate, which was built on what had been the farmland. It serves as a monument of the battle, and more specifically is said to have marked the spot where Lennox was killed; it is unlikely that there is any truth in this suggestion, since the spot was not marked in 1526, and it is unlikely that the idea is anything more than wishful thinking. Many of the roads in the local housing estates are named after the key protagonists in the fighting and legend has it that the property on Linlithgow Bridge High Street named Borestane House has in its back garden the stone where Douglas was said to have raised his banner at the battle (Cooper 2004).

There has been much recent activity devoted to commemorating and interpreting the battle. A book devoted purely to the battle, The Heart and the Rose by Jon Cooper, appeared in 2004, and a local group, the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge Project, has a web-site on the battle. A battlefield trail has been established, with a series of display boards explaining and picturing the battle. The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge Project has also planted a 'Lennox rose' on the cairn site and has established a memorial garden round the cairn incorporating plants used as badges by the combatants such as roses, lilies, thistles and hawthorns.

There are no known ballads, tunes or songs that commemorate the battle. It has left little impact culturally, unlike the later events of the reign of Mary Queen of Scots.

Commemoration & Interpretation

No further information.

References

Bibliography

Cooper, J. 2004. The Heart and the Rose. The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge 1526. Partizan Press. Leigh-on 'sea.15-19, 59-112.

Donaldson, G. 1971. Scotland James V to James VII. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh. 39-40.

Lawson, J.P. 1849. Historical Tales of The Wars of Scotland, and of the Border Raids, Forays, and Conflicts. Vol.II. Fullarton A. & Co., Edinburgh, London and Dublin.158-163.

The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge Project: www.bolb.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 [Last accessed: 27/11/2012]

Information on Sources & Publication

Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie (c1532-c1586) completed his Historie and Chronicles of Scotland by 1579, covering the period 1436-1565 and some of the events he recorded were contemporary. His language has been praised as the flower of sixteenth century Scots prose and his chronicle has greatly influenced conceptions of Scottish history. However, his work has also been criticised on several grounds including for getting some of his facts wrong.

John Lesley (1527-1596), the Catholic Bishop of Ross from 1565, was a supporter of Mary Queen of Scots and it was to her that he presented his History of Scotland, from The Death of King James the First in the year MCCC.XXXVI to the year MD.LXI in 1571. He is likely as a result to have been more sympathetic to Arran, whose son was allied to Mary of Guise and led the pro-French faction after James V's death.

George Buchanan (1506-1582), a distinguished scholar in various European universities, was at various times in his life tutor to James V's son, denounced as a heretic for satires on the friars (which James V encouraged him to write), imprisoned by the Inquisition in Portugal, classical tutor to Mary Queen of Scots against whom he later gave evidence, Moderator of the General Assembly and Lord Privy Seal. His bust is included in the 'Hall of Heroes' in the Wallace Monument. His History which relates the history of Scotland from its origins to the death of the Regent Lennox in 1571 was dedicated to James VI with whose education he had been entrusted and was completed in the year of his death.

Primary Sources

Buchanan, G. 1827. The History of Scotland. Trans Aikman, J. Blackie, Fullarton and Co., Glasgow. 293-294.

Lesley, J. Excerpt from Historie of Scotland, 1830, Bannatyne Club, Edinburgh.

Pitscottie, Robert Lindsay of 1899 The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland Vol.2. Ed A J G Mackay, The Scottish Text Society, Edinburgh. 315-322.

Stewart, J. Duke of Albany. Reprise of the Memorandum by Albany to the Chancellor [Du Prat] for Francis 1, [November December1526], Teulet I, 69, H.iv 2539.

Cartographic & Illustrative Sources

No further information.

Secondary Sources

The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907'21). Volume III. Renascence and Reformation ' re George Buchanan www.bartleby.com/213/0717.html [Last accessed: 29/11/2011]

Cameron, J. 1998. James V: The Personal Rule 1528-1542. Tuckwell Press, East Linton. 9-30.

Cooper, J. 2004. The Heart and the Rose. The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge 1526. Partizan Press. Leigh-on 'sea.15-19, 59-112.

Donaldson, G. 1971. Scotland James V to James VII. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh. 39-40.

Fraser, W. 1874. The Lennox. T&A Constable, Edinburgh. 358-360.

Lawson, J.P. 1849. Historical Tales of The Wars of Scotland, and of the Border Raids, Forays, and Conflicts. Vol.II. Fullarton A. & Co., Edinburgh, London and Dublin.158-163.

Waldie, G. 1868. A History of the Town and Palace of Linlithgow. Waldie, Linlithgow. 36-37.

Wilson G, Forum for Modern Language Studies 1993 XXIX (2):97-110; doi:10.1093/fmls/XXIX.2.97) re Pitscottie.

The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge Project: www.bolb.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 [Last accessed: 27/11/2012]

About the Inventory of Historic Battlefields

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

The inventory is a list of Scotland's most important historic battlefields. Battlefields are landscapes over which a battle was fought. We maintain the inventory under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We add sites of national importance to the inventory using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

The information in the inventory record gives an indication of the national importance of the site(s). It is not a definitive account or a complete description of the site(s).

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Find out more about the inventory of historic battlefields and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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