The Capture of Roxburgh was a siege that took place in 1314, which was a major conflict in the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland (1296), English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until ...

. This siege was a prelude to the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...

Background

Sir

James Douglas, Lord of Douglas Sir James Douglas (also known as Good Sir James and The Black Douglas; – 25 August 1330) was a Scottish knight and feudal lord. He was one of the chief commanders during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Early life He was the eldest son ...

, after his victory over the

Clan MacDougall Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan, historically based in and around Argyll. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in Scotland, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as ...

, had been capturing several castles back from the English, but the mere thought of taking

Roxburgh Castle Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers Tweed and Teviot, in the Borders region of Scotland. The town and castle developed into the royal burgh of Roxburgh, which the Scots destroyed along with ...

was one that daunted him.

Siege

Roxburgh Castle was on impregnable ground, and was guarded well. Douglas and

Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland Walter Stewart (G. W. S. Barrow, 'Stewart family (per. c.1110–c.1350)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004.9 April 1327) was the 6th Hereditary High Steward of Scotland and was the father of King Robert ...

, disguised their few men as cows, so the garrison was unaware of their presence. They then used ladders to climb to the top and took the castle by total surprise. They inflicted heavy casualties on the garrison, including wounding their leader in the face with an arrow.

Aftermath

The

Lanercost Chronicle The ''Lanercost Chronicle'' is a northern English history covering the years 1201 to 1346. It covers the Wars of Scottish Independence, but it is also highly digressive and as such provides insights into English life in the thirteenth century as ...

records that "all that beautiful castle the Scots pulled down to the ground, like the other castles that they had succeeded in capturing, lest the English should ever again rule the land by holding the castles."

References

1314 in Scotland Battles of the Wars of Scottish Independence Castles in the Scottish Borders Conflicts in 1314 Roxburgh Sieges involving England Sieges involving Scotland Attacks on castles in Scotland {{Scotland-stub