![Pennon of Sir Henry (Hotspur) Percy, Battle of Otterburn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Pennon_of_Sir_Henry_%28Hotspur%29_Percy%2C_Battle_of_Otterburn.jpg)
The Battle of Otterburn took place according to Scottish sources on 5 August 1388, or 19 August according to English sources, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the
Scots and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
The best remaining record of the battle is from
Jean Froissart's ''
Chronicles'' in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle. His account is still regarded with some concern as details, such as the distance between
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
and
Otterburn, are incorrect.
The Scottish noble
James, 2nd Earl of Douglas decided to lead a raid—one of a continuing series on both sides of the border—into English territory. It was timed to take advantage of divisions on the English side between
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Earl Marshal (c. 136421 October 1425), was an English nobleman of the House of Neville.
Origins
Ralph Neville was born about 1364, the son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville by his wife Maud Percy (d. ...
and
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was Mar ...
who had just taken over defence of the border.
The battle
The Scots divided their forces, with the main force and their
baggage train heading towards
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
, while a raiding party under the Earl of Douglas ravaged the countryside around
Durham and
Newcastle. Northumberland sent his two sons
Harry Hotspur and Sir Ralph Percy to engage while he stayed at
Alnwick
Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116.
The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...
to cut off the marauders' retreat.
Froissart says that the first fighting included a meeting of the Earl of Douglas and Henry Percy in hand-to-hand combat, in which Percy's
pennon
A pennon, also known as a pennant or pendant, is a long narrow flag which is larger at the hoist than at the fly. It can have several shapes, such as triangular, tapering (square tail) or triangular swallowtail (forked tail), etc. In maritime ...
was captured. Douglas then moved off destroying the castle at
Ponteland and besieging Otterburn Castle (now
Otterburn Tower
Otterburn Tower (sometimes spelled Otiburne; originally Otterburn Castle; currently Otterburn Tower Hotel) is a Grade II listed castellated, three star country house hotel in Otterburn, Northumberland. It is set in of deer park and woodland i ...
). Percy attacked Douglas's encampment with a surprise attack in the late afternoon, but first encountered the Earl's serving men, giving the bulk of the forces time to muster and attack them on their flank.
Douglas led the left wing, while
John Dunbar, Earl of Moray led the right. Hotspur's men, having ridden up from Newcastle, were tired and disorganized as they made their way onto the field. Hotspur was so overly confident that he attacked the Scots while the rest of his force was still marching up through
Otterburn.
During the battle on a moonlit night Douglas was killed; his death had no influence on the outcome of the battle and went unnoticed until much later. The Percys were both captured. Sir John Montgomery, 9th of Eaglesham, captured Henry Percy (later using the ransom to build Polnoon Castle) with the remaining English force retreating to Newcastle. Despite Percy's force having an estimated three to one advantage over the Scots, Froissart records 1,040 English were captured and 1,860 killed whereas 200 Scots were captured and 100 were killed. ''
The Westminster Chronicle
An important historical document for the reign of Richard II, the chronicle written at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the ...
'' estimates Scottish casualties at around 500.
Some have suggested that Hotspur's rashness and eagerness to engage the Scots and the added tiredness of the English army after its long march north, were without doubt, the reasons for English defeat, despite having a three to one advantage in numbers. It is possible that the reasons for this defeat may be more complex, however.
Aftermath
Such a decisive victory kept the two sides apart for some time. Of such renown was the battle of Otterburn that several
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s were composed in its honour including ''
The Battle of Otterburn'' and ''
The Ballad of Chevy Chase
"The Ballad of Chevy Chase" is an English ballad, catalogued as Child Ballad 162 (Roud 223Sehere/ref>). There are two extant ballads under this title, both of which narrate the same story. As ballads existed within oral tradition before being wri ...
'' (
Child ballad
The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...
s 161 and 162). Chevy Chase rather mangles the history of the battle and may be confusing other conflicts at around the same time but it is still cited as one of the best of the ancient ballads.
The
Percy Cross
The Percy Cross (also Battle Stone) is located just off the A696, from Otterburn, Northumberland, England. It was erected before 1400 to commemorate the Battle of Otterburn, which took place in 1388, and takes its name from Henry Percy, 1st Earl ...
, located just off the
A696, was erected before 1400 to commemorate the Battle of Otterburn.
Houses involved in the battle
Some of the various Scottish Lowland families involved in this battle were the
Clan Hall
Clan Hall is a clan of Norman descent. The clan has no position under Scots law as contrary to modern myth they were not Scots, nor considered themselves as such, and have no chief recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon.
History
Scottish hist ...
Swintons,
Johnstones,
Grahams,
Gordons,
Lindsays,
Leslies,
Herons, and
Montgomerys.
References
Notes
Sources
;Primary
*Froissart, Jean, ''Chronicles'', 1903 ed.
*Hardyng, John, ''Chronicles'', 1812.
*''Pluscarden, the Book of'', ed. F. H. Skene, 1880.
*''The Westminster Chronicle, 1381-1394'', ed. and trans. by L. C. Hector and B. F. Harvey, 1982.
*Wyntoun, Andrew of, ''Origynal Chronicle of Scotland'', ed F. J. Amours, 1908.
;Secondary
Fonblanque, E. B., ''Annals of the House of Percy'', London 1887.*Grant, A., ''The Otterburn War from a Scottish Point of View'', in War and Border Societies in the Middle Ages, ed A. Goodman and A. Took, 1992.
*Robson, J., ''Border Battles and Battlefields'', 1897.
*Tyson, C, ''The Battle of Otterburn: When and Where was it Fought?,'' in War And Border Societies, see above.
*Walton, R. H., ''The Otterburn Story,'' in History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club, vol. 35, 1961.
*Wesencraft, C. F., ''The Battle of Otterburn'', 1988.
*White, R. H., ''The History of the Battle of Otterburn'', 1857.
External links
Froissart's account of the battle* for Percy's Cross which marks the battlefield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otterburn, Battle of
1388 in England
1388 in Scotland
Conflicts in 1388
Battles between England and Scotland
Military history of Northumberland
*Battle of Otterburn
Registered historic battlefields in England
Battles of the Middle Ages
Otterburn, Northumberland
Night battles
Otterburn
Otterburn