The Battle of Skaithmuir was a

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 i ...

of 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

Coldstream Coldstream ( gd, An Sruthan Fuar , sco, Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army. Description Coldstream l ...

, on the

Anglo-Scottish border The Anglo-Scottish border () is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to as "the Borderlands". The ...

, in February 1316. The skirmish was fought between the Scottish captain

Sir James Douglas James Douglas may refer to: Scottish noblemen Lords of Angus * James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus (1426–1446), Scottish nobleman * James Douglas, Earl of Angus (1671–1692), son of the 2nd Marquess of Douglas Lords of Douglas * James Douglas, ...

, and an English raiding party from

Berwick upon Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

. The English were having difficulty getting supplies to Berwick after the Scots had won back the surrounding territory and the garrison was facing starvation. Under Edmond Caillou, a Gascon knight, about 80 men set out from Berwick to raid Teviotdale for cattle. Douglas, having been informed that there were fewer in the raiding party, set out to cut them off. Douglas won, and Caillou was killed. Douglas later called it the most difficult fight of his long career. The Scots under Douglas and Thomas Randolph went on to capture Berwick in April 1318.

References

Bibliography

*''Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland'', ed. Bain, J. Vol III, AD 1307–1357. Edinburgh 1887

*Davis, I.M., ''The Black Douglas''. London 1974. * John Barbour (poet), Barbour, J., ''

The Brus ''The Brus'', also known as ''The Bruce'', is a long narrative poem, in Early Scots, of just under 14,000 octosyllabic lines composed by John Barbour which gives a historic and chivalric account of the actions of Robert the Bruce and Sir Jame ...

'' ed. Mackenzie, W.M. London 1909

* William Fraser (historian), Fraser, Sir William, ''The Douglas Book'' IV vols. Edinburgh 188

*Haines, R.M, ''King Edward II: Edward of Caernarfon, his life, his reign, and its aftermath-1284-1330''. McGill-Queens Univ. Press. 2003

* Herbert Maxwell, Maxwell, Sir Herbert, ''History of the House of Douglas'' II vols. London 1902 * Michel, F.X.,''Les Écossais en France, les Français en Écosse''II vols. London 186

(in French) * David R. Ross, Ross, D.R., ''James the Good-The Black Douglas''. Glasgow 2008.

External links

Battle of Skaithmuir, 1316
The Douglas Archives Battles of the Wars of Scottish Independence Battles between England and Scotland Conflicts in 1316 1316 in England 1316 in Scotland {{England-battle-stub