Cleanse the Causeway
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The
skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an ir ...
known as Cleanse the Causeway, or Clear the Causeway, took place in the
High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
of
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, on 30 April 1520, between rival noblemen
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and 2nd Lord Hamilton (c. 14751529) was a Scottish nobleman, naval commander and first cousin of James IV of Scotland. He also served as the 9th Lord High Admiral of Scotland. Early life He was the eldest of ...
, chief of
Clan Hamilton The Clan Hamilton, or House of Hamilton, is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council o ...
, and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, chief of
Clan Douglas Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. The f ...
.


Background

The skirmish was the result of enmity between the House of Hamilton and the "Red"
Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...
line of the House of Douglas who were locked in a struggle for supremacy since the death of
King James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...
. James' death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 had created a power vacuum in the Kingdom of Scotland. Both the Douglases and the Hamiltons were powerful noble families with royal connections. The Earl of Angus was married to
Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Marg ...
- James IV's widow, sister to
King Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...
and mother of the infant
King James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...
- and the Earl of Arran was the cousin of the late King. Each side was jealous of the others influence over the 8 year old James V. Scotland at this time was under the
regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
of Angus' rival,
John Stewart, Duke of Albany John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (8 July 14822 July 1536) was the regent of the Kingdom of Scotland and the count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France. Early life John was a son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, son of King James II of S ...
, but he had been detained in France since 1516. In his absence, a council of senior nobles and clergy were to share power; which included Arran and Angus. Albany (who was born in France to a French mother) also added a French ally to the council as a more neutral party, Antoine d'Arcy or De la Bastie. d'Arcy was murdered in September 1517 by members of the
Home family A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
with whom he had a feud and this implicated their allies the Douglases and by extension Angus. The murder of a French noble sparked a diplomatic incident and in response the council voted to place Arran as their leader who punished the offenders by seizing Home lands and castles, having a senior member of the family executed and imprisoning Angus' brother George Douglas of Pittendreich, Master of Angus on the island of
Inchgarvie Inchgarvie or Inch Garvie is a small, uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth. On the rocks around the island sit four caissons that make up the foundations of the Forth Bridge. Inchgarvie's fortifications pre-date the modern period. In the da ...
. Angus had become estranged from his wife Margaret in 1516 but had managed to reconcile with her against Arran's wishes and took control over her, her Scottish estates and dowager income. Margaret in response attempted to use her influence with her brother King Henry VIII, the absent Regent Albany and her husband's rival Arran to improve her situation. Arran, at the head of the Hamiltons, was determined to stop his rival Angus from gaining control over King James V and aimed to secure the regency for himself as the closest blood relative of the late James IV. In addition, Arran had been the
Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...
since 1517 but had alienated himself from the Edinburgh
burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...
es in 1519 over a disputed sale of a cargo of
timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
from a Dutch ship in
Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...
. At this time the Burgh of Edinburgh had customs and trading rights over the port of Leith however Arran had sided with the Leith merchants, supported by
Robert Barton Robert Childers Barton (14 March 1881 – 10 August 1975) was an Anglo-Irish politician, Irish nationalist and farmer who participated in the negotiations leading up to the signature of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. His father was Charles William Bar ...
. Barton was a shipowner of considerable political influence and cited a privilege granted to him by James IV that allowed him to avoid abiding by import and export customs. By ignoring the rights of the Edinburgh burgesses, Arran lost their support and instead they supported the side of Angus during the skirmish.


The Skirmish

Arran had entered Edinburgh at the head of his retinue of around 500 armed footmen and had based himself at the house of James Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow at the foot of Blackfriars Wynd in the east of the city, intent on arresting Angus. However Angus was protected by a similar number of armed followers and had based himself at his town house on the
West Bow The Grassmarket is a historic market place, street and event space in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Location The Grassmarket is located direct ...
at the other end of the High Street. Tensions were high between the rival factions as a Douglas follower, John Somerville, had recently attacked a party of Hamiltons on the highway and had killed 5 of them, seized 30 of their horses and forced the remainder to flee. A stand off ensued as each armed party attempted to gain ascendancy without wanting to be the one that instigated violence. On hearing of Arran's plan to arrest him, Angus sent his uncle
Gavin Douglas Gavin Douglas (c. 1474 – September 1522) was a Scottish bishop, makar and translator. Although he had an important political career, he is chiefly remembered for his poetry. His main pioneering achievement was the ''Eneados'', a full and fai ...
, Bishop of Dunkeld, to mediate with his opponent and "''to caution them against violence, and to inform them that if they had anything to allege against him he would be judged by the laws of the realm, and not by men who were his avowed enemies''". The Bishop of Dunkeld found that Arran and his party were armed, armoured and intended to fight. Even the Archbishop of Glasgow was wearing a coat of chain mail under his ecclesiastical robes. Dunkeld therefore returned to Angus with the news and retired to the safety of his lodgings to prey. In the meantime, Angus had drawn up his followers near the
Netherbow Port There have been several town walls around Edinburgh, Scotland, since the 12th century. Some form of wall probably existed from the foundation of the royal burgh in around 1125, though the first building is recorded in the mid-15th century, when ...
at the head of Blackfriars Wynd, his ranks swelled by men of the city intent on revenge against Arran. The residents of the city who had gathered at their windows to watch the unfolding spectacle are reputed to have handed down weapons to those drawn to Angus' party who needed them. The heads of the closes (the narrow side streets of Edinburgh) had been barricaded to avoid him being attacked in his rear and to prevent his enemies from escaping. An alternative version of events states that it was Arran who had the barricades erected, to trap the Douglases in the city so they could be surprised, attacked individually and be unable to flee. The Hamiltons commended the assault, led by Arran's half brother
Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil Sir Patrick Hamilton (died 1520) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman. He was an illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, and a younger brother of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran. Royal legitimation In January 1513 James IV declared t ...
who attempted to rush up Blackfriars Wynd at the Douglases but was quickly killed - reputedly by Angus. A bloody street battle ensued in which the Douglases took the upper hand and with a cry of "Cleanse the Causewayat this time in Scotland, a cobbled street was known as a Causeway or Causey." forced the Hamiltons back down Blackfriars Wynd, with some 70 to 80 of their number being killed and the "''wounded began to cumber the causeway in every direction''". Towards the end of the action, 800 more Douglases arrived under the leadership of Angus' brother William Douglas,
Prior of Coldingham The Prior of Coldingham was the head of the Benedictine monastic community of Coldingham Priory in Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predecessor King Edgar of Scotland h ...
. Arran himself and his illegitimate son
James Hamilton of Finnart Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (c. 1495 – 16 August 1540) was a Scottish nobleman and architect, the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran, and Marion Boyd of Bonshaw. Although legitimated in 1512 while still a minor, he contin ...
managed to fight their way out of the mêlée and escape down one of the steep, narrow closes on the north of the High Street to the marshy edges of the
Nor Loch The Nor Loch, also known as the Nor' Loch and the North Loch, was a man-made loch formerly in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the area now occupied by Princes Street Gardens and Waverley station which lie between the Royal Mile and Princes Street. G ...
. Here they found a collier's horse which they stole and both waded upon it across the shallows of the loch to the parkland beyond where they made their escape. At the end of the action, the Douglases were in control of Edinburgh and Angus sent trumpeters around the city offering quarter to any remaining Hamiltons on condition that they leave the city, which some 800 apparently did.


Aftermath

Amongst the Hamilton dead was John, Master of Montgomery and son of
Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...
. The Archbishop of Glasgow fled to his church at Blackfriars where he was apprehended from behind the altar by the victorious Douglases, but was spared upon the intervention of Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld and allowed to flee on foot to
Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...
, 16 miles distant. In revenge for their loss the Hamiltons besieged
Dean Castle Dean Castle is situated in the Dean Castle Country Park in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the stronghold for the Boyd Family, who were lords of Kilmarnock for over 400 years. The Castle takes its name from ‘The Dean’ or wooded ...
in
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
which was held by a Douglas ally, Robert Boyd, but were unable to capture it. A tit-for-tat struggle continued between the Douglases and Hamiltons until Regent Albany returned from France the following year and retook control of Scotland and its young king. Albany quickly put Angus on charges of High Treason and had him exiled to France. Arran was returned to the regency council in 1522 under Albany, and in 1524 he and Margaret were able to oust Albany and have the 12 year old James proclaimed as adult ruler. In 1525, Angus returned with the backing of Henry VIII of England and was able to forcefully have himself readmitted to the council of regency, take control of King James, and hold him virtual prisoner and rule on his behalf. The power struggles that followed would result in an unlikely alliance between Angus and Arran, and it was the latter who would lead the victorious pro-Angus forces at the
Battle of Linlithgow Bridge The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge is a battle that took place on 4 September 1526 in the village of Linlithgow Bridge, outside the Scottish town of Linlithgow. It was fought between a force of 10,000 men led by the Earl of Lennox and a force of 2 ...
in 1526 against the pro-Margaret force under
John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox (4 September 1526, Linlithgow, West Lothian) was a prominent Scottish magnate. He was the son of Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox and Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton and ...
.


References


''Historic Earls and Earldoms of Scotland''Encyclopædia Britannica online
{{Scottish clan battles, state=collapsed Conflicts in 1520 Battles involving Scotland History of Edinburgh 1520 in Scotland Royal Mile Cleanse