The Battle of Roslin on 24 February 1303 was a Scottish victory in the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty ...

. It took place near the village of Roslin, where a force led by the Scots

John Comyn John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red (c. 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...

and Sir Simon Fraser ambushed and defeated an English reconnaissance party under Lord John Segrave.

Background

An Anglo-Scottish truce expired on 30 November 1302, and the English prepared for a fresh invasion of Scotland, with John Segrave as the king's lieutenant in Scotland.

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...

ordered Segrave to carry out a large-scale reconnaissance as far as Kirkintilloch, before the king himself fought a larger campaign. This force assembled at

Wark on Tweed Wark or Wark on Tweed is a village in the English county of Northumberland. It lies about south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It is on the south bank of the River Tweed, which marks the border between England and Scotland. Landmarks Th ...

and moved north.Traquair pp. 110-111

The battle

The English advanced in three divisions, harassed by the Scots. At night, they camped in three divisions, several miles apart. The two commanders,

and Simon Fraser, led a Scots force on a night march, fell on the English, capturing Segrave and several others. Robert Neville led his division towards the action. The English eventually freed Segrave, but the English paymaster Manton was killed.

Later legend

Scottish historian

John of Fordun John of Fordun (before 1360 – c. 1384) was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th ce ...

wrote a description of the fight: The battle was the subject of a fictional account written by

Walter Bower Walter Bower (or Bowmaker; 24 December 1449) was a Scottish canon regular and abbot of Inchcolm Abbey in the Firth of Forth, who is noted as a chronicler of his era. He was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian, in the Kingdom of Sc ...

in the mid-15th century. Like Fordun, Bower seriously exaggerated the size and importance of what was really a victory over a large-scale raid rather than an invading army. The distorted impression of Roslin has lingered in the public imagination to this day. A monument cairn erected by the Roslin Heritage Society at the end of the 20th century marks the site of the battle. At the start of the 21st century, the battlefield was under research to be inventoried and protected by

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.

References

External links

* * Scotsman article describing battle https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/roslin-1303-scotland-s-forgotten-battle-1-4375767 {{DEFAULTSORT:Roslin, Battle of Battles of the Wars of Scottish Independence Conflicts in 1303 1303 in Scotland History of Midlothian Battles between England and Scotland

Background

The battle

Later legend

References

Further reading

External links