The Battle of Lochmaben Fair was an engagement in

Lochmaben Lochmaben ( Gaelic: ''Loch Mhabain'') is a small town and civil parish in Scotland, and site of a castle. It lies west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway. By the 12th century the Bruce family had become the local landowners and, in the 14th ...

, Scotland, on 22 July 1484 between Scottish loyalists to

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh ...

and the rebels

Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany (7 August 1485), was a Scottish prince and the second surviving son of King James II of Scotland. He fell out with his older brother, King James III, and fled to France, where he unsuccessfully sought help. In 1 ...

and

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. Early life The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daug ...

, leading cavalry from England. Both exiles from Scotland, Albany and Douglas invaded with permission but not support of

Richard III of England Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

, hoping to encourage rebellion against James. Instead, they were met with armed resistance. The loyalists took the day. Douglas was captured and Albany forced to retreat.Battle of Lochmaben Fair
douglashistory.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2013.

Background

The unpopular Scottish king James III had been imprisoned in

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

following his arrest by his own nobles at Lauder Bridge in July 1482. Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, his younger brother, soon took control of the government, but his power was short-lived. Through bribery and the support of such powerful individuals as

George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly (died 8 June 1501) was a Scottish nobleman and Chancellor of Scotland from 1498 to 1501. Life George was the son of Alexander (Seton) Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly and his second wife Elizabeth Crichton, daughter ...

, James III regained his throne, and Albany was forced to flee, first in January 1483 to

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...

and then on 9 April to England. Douglas, a rebel against Albany's father

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

, had resided in England since his lands had been forfeit to the crown in 1455. There, in the employ of

Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

, he had become a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

Invasion

The recently crowned English king Richard III initially planned to invade Scotland, but with other matters of state taking precedence instead only gave his permission for Albany and Douglas to launch an invasion on their own. The pair did so, bringing 500 horsemen to Lochmaben on 22 July 1484 during the annual fair. Though Albany and Douglas had hoped to incite the Scots to rebel against James, instead the townspeople took to arms against them, soon receiving assistance from the gentry in the area. The rebel cavalry routed, Albany retreated to France, while Douglas was captured.

References

, 1829. * ''Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland, 1357-1509,'' ed. J. Bain, 1888. * Hall, Edward, ''Chronicle of England'', 1809. * Hardyng, John, ''Chronicles'', 1812. * Higden, Raphael, ''Polychronicon'', 1527. * ''The Paston Letters, 1422-1509,'' ed. J. Gardiner, 1872-5. ; Secondary * Borland, R., ''Border Raids and Reivers'', 1910. * Dunlop, A. I. ''The Life and Times of James Kennedy'', 1950. * Fraser, W., ''The Douglas Book'', 1885. * Gairdner, J., ''Richard the Third,'' 1898. * Ramsay, J. H. ''Lancaster and York,'' 1892. * Ridpath, J., ''The Border History of England and Scotland'', 1810. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lochmaben Fair, Battle of 1484 in Scotland *Battle of Lochmaben Fair Conflicts in 1484 15th-century military history of Scotland

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Background

Invasion

References

Further reading