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Battle of Melrose, 1378 and 1526

 

 

 

 

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In 1378 Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, a nephew of Archibald The 'Grim' Douglas (an illegitimate son of the 'Black' Douglas), took Berwick by surprise with 50 men, and was immediately besieged by the town's governor Thomas De Musgrave. Douglas and Lord Lyndsay of the Byres massed a relief army at Haddington, little more than 500 in number, but marched anyway hoping to collect more men on the way. When Archibald's army approached Berwick his scouts informed him that the English army around the castle numbered around 10,000, with archers, siege engines, heavy horse and ships blockading the river. Douglas then retreated to Melrose, followed by the English army. Just short of Melrose, Musgrave attacked. Fortunately Archibald's army had now been reinforced. During the ensuing Battle of Melrose, Musgrave was unhorsed and forced to yield for ransom. With Musgrave and other leaders captured, the remaining English not already slain fled back to Berwick with news of their defeat.

 

The English complained that "the Earl of March and Douglas, and the latter's cousin Sir Archibald,....are harassing the English Borderers by imprisonment, ransoms, and otherwise."

 

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On the site of the Waverley Castle Hotel close to the Tweed there was the last known Border Clan feud between the Scott's who were fighting for the release of James V and the Ker's of Cessford. The Ker's won the battle and were in pursuit of the Elliot's as they escaped west. At a point overlooking Abbotsford, Elliot turned and speared Ker to death.

In 1526, on the 25th July, Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch attempted to rescue the young King James V (1513 - 1542) from the clutches of the over-powerful Douglas, Earl of Angus while on a journey from Jedburgh to Edinburgh. Battle was joined at Skirmis Hill. Buccleuch was defeated, losing some 80 of his 600 spear men. The Douglas lost some 100 men killed including the Laird of Cessford. This death triggered a murderous feud between the Kers of Cessford and the Scotts of Buccleuch.

 

It is not known how the feud between the two clans arose, but the enmity of the Scotts and Kers had long been smoldering, when in 1526, during a Justice Court held at Jedburgh, the boy King, James V, secretly wrote to Sir Walter Scott, "Wicked Wat of Branxholm," bidding Sir Walter gather the Scotts at Melrose to free him from the power of Douglas, Earl of Angus, who had wed his widowed mother. From Jedburgh the King rode to Melrose, where, shortly after the escort of Kers and Howes had taken their leave, the Scotts under Sir Walter arrived a thousand strong. A fierce battle with Douglas and his men was ended by the unexpected appearance on the field of the returned Kers and Howes; the Laird of Buccleuch and his force being compelled to flee, "followed furiouslie" by the Kers.

At a rock, to this day known by the name of 'Turn Again," Buccleuch's men rallied, and here Ker of Cessford was slain and the chase seems to have ceased. But in consequence of this battle there ensued a deadly feud between the names of Scott and Ker, which raged for many years upon the borders. An attempt at a truce between the families was witnessed, amongst others, by George Douglas of Bonjedward in 1529, but in the year 1535 we find Sir Walter imprisoned for levying war upon the Kers, and in 1552 the Kers carried "the furies of the border var" to the streets of Edinburgh itself, where, in the High Street, old Sir Walter was set upon by a band of Kers and foully murdered.

Many a Scott and many a Ker paid with their lives for the deaths of Ker of Cessford and Scott of Buccleuch before the feud was ended.

 

Image by Andrew Spratt

 

Any contributions will be gratefully accepted We would welcome a full article on these two battles.