Sir Brian Layton, also spelled Laiton, Leyton, or Leighton, (died 27 February 1545) was an English soldier and Captain of

Norham Castle Norham Castle (sometimes Nornam) is a castle in Northumberland, England, overlooking the River Tweed, on the border between England and Scotland. It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle saw much action durin ...

Border service

As Captain of Norham, Layton watched the border between Scotland and England. In December 1539, his men tracked the English priest Dr Hilliard, who was fleeing into Scotland. Layton's men arrested Hilliard's servant, but Hilliard crossed the Tweed 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 ...

. Layton's spies in Scotland discovered that Hilliard was received by the Prioress of Coldstream and hoped to meet

David Beaton David Beaton (also Beton or Bethune; 29 May 1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation. Career Cardinal Beaton was the sixth and youngest son of eleven children of John Beaton (Bethune) of Ba ...

. In April 1540, Layton saw fires lit in Scottish villages on the night of

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the ...

which celebrated the birth of the son of

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

and

James V of Scotland 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 dur ...

. On the same day, he questioned a Scottish man about the secret plans of James V for a sea voyage. In October 1542, Layton was troubled by rumours of a plot by members of his own garrison at Norham to hand the castle over to the Scots. He questioned suspected soldiers, and sent reports to

Cuthbert Tunstall Cuthbert Tunstall (otherwise spelt Tunstal or Tonstall; 1474 – 18 November 1559) was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser. He served as Prince- Bishop of Durham during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edw ...

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, which give useful historical information about the castle and the routine of the garrison. Layton rode with the force of border horseman to the

burning of Edinburgh (1544) The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English sea-borne army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. A Scottish army observed the landing on 3 May 1544 but did not engage with the English force. The Provost of Edinburgh w ...

. He and Ralph Eure commanded an English invasion of Scotland during the War of the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

in February 1545. The soldiers destroyed tombs of the Douglas family at

Melrose Abbey St Mary's Abbey, Melrose is a partly ruined monastery of the Cistercian order in Melrose, Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David I of Scotland and was the chief house of tha ...

. Layton and Eure were both killed at the

Battle of Ancrum Moor The Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought during the War of the Rough Wooing in 1545. The Scottish victory put a temporary end to English incursions in the Scottish border and lowlands. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Hist ...

Marcus Merriman Marcus Homer Merriman (1940–2006) was an historian and academic researching Anglo-Scottish relations in the 16th century and their European context. Background Merriman was born in Baltimore on 3 May 1940. Educated at Bowdoin College, Maine ...

, ''The Rough Wooings'' (Tuckwell, 2000), p. 359: ''Letters & Papers, Henry VIII'', vol. 20 part 1 (London, 1905), nos. 253, 285, 301, 306, 355

References

{{authority control 16th-century English soldiers 1545 deaths Year of birth unknown English people of the Rough Wooing English military personnel killed in action Burials at Melrose Abbey