The Battle of Melrose was a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official ...

battle that took place on 25 July 1526.Battle of Melrose
melrose.bordernet.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2014.

Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch Sir Walter Scott, 1st of Branxholme, 3rd of Buccleuch (c. 1495 – killed 4 October 1552), known as "Wicked Wat", was a nobleman of the Scottish Borders and the chief of Clan Scott who briefly served as Warden of the Middle March He was an "inv ...

attempted to rescue the young

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 James IV of Sco ...

from the powerful

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (c. 148922 January 1557) was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the son of George, Master of Angus, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden, and suc ...

Background

Guardianship of the young

had been secured by Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus in what was supposed to be a three monthly arrangement whereby each of the four members of the Council of Regency would care for James.Battle of Melrose 1378 and 1526
douglashistory.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2014. However, Douglas refused to hand James over to the Earl of Arran whose turn it was next. James sent a message out to Sir Walter Scott asking him to launch a rescue attempt. The young King James, while being escorted on a journey to

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 ...

by Douglas was intercepted by a large body of

Border Reivers Border reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border ...

led by Sir Walter Scott at Melrose.

Battle

Angus's force mainly consisted of Kerrs and stood its ground, managing to drive off the attackers. Scott led as many as 1000 men down

Eildon Hill Eildon Hill lies just south of Melrose, Scotland in the Scottish Borders, overlooking the town. The name is usually pluralised into "the Eildons" or "Eildon Hills", because of its triple peak. The high eminence overlooks Teviotdale to the Sout ...

at Melrose. Angus’s men charged and Scott’s men stood their ground also. However, the Lord Hume arrived with a reinforcement of 80 Kerrs to support Angus, they attacked the wing of Scott's force afresh, and the

Scotts Scotts or Scott's may refer to: Businesses and brands *Scott's (restaurant), in London *Scott's Food & Pharmacy, an American supermarket chain *Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, an American multinational corporation *Scott's Porage Oats, a Scottish bre ...

and Eliotts began to fall back and run. During the pursuit Andrew Kerr of Cessford was killed by one of the Eliotts. Scott lost about 80 of his men while the Earl of Angus lost about 100, but still won the battle.

Aftermath

The young King James stayed at Darnick Tower on the night following the battle and proceeded to Edinburgh the next day. In the aftermath of the Battle of Melrose a deadly feud raged for many years in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

between the Kerrs and Scotts due to the death of Andrew Kerr, Laird of Cessford at the battle. On 4 September 1526 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 ...

took place where once again anti-Douglas forces attempted to rescue the young King James from the Earl of Angus.

References

External links

The Battle of Melrose
bolb.org.uk. (Article about the Battle of Melrose on website about the later Battle of Linlithgow Bridge). * Conflicts in 1526 1526 in Scotland 16th-century Scottish clan battles * *Battle of Melrose {{Scottish clan battles, state=collapsed