Battlefields›Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526
Tudor

Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526

1526
Roxburghshire, Scotland
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Roxburghshire, Scotland
Status
Registered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Clan Scott of Buccleuch (with Eliotts)
VS
Victor
Clan Douglas (Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, reinforced by Kerrs and Maxwells)
Forces involved

Scott of Buccleuch's force was as large as 1,000 men; the Earl of Angus's force was reinforced during the fight by 80 Kerrs under Lord Hume; overall numbers not fully recorded.

Outcome
Scott of Buccleuch's attempt to rescue the young King James V from the Earl of Angus's control failed; Angus retained custody of the king and continued to Edinburgh the next day. The clash sparked a lasting feud between the Kerrs and Scotts after Andrew Kerr of Cessford was killed in the pursuit.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526 was a Tudor pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought at Roxburghshire, Scotland in 1526. Clan Douglas (Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, reinforced by Kerrs and Maxwells) prevailed over Clan Scott of Buccleuch (with Eliotts). Scott of Buccleuch's attempt to rescue the young King James V from the Earl of Angus's control failed; Angus retained custody of the king and continued to Edinburgh the next day. The clash sparked a lasting feud between the Kerrs and Scotts after Andrew Kerr of Cessford was killed in the pursuit.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526 lies on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.

Casualties & Losses
  • Approximately 100 killed on the Douglas/Angus side and approximately 80 killed on the Scott side, including Andrew Kerr of Cessford, killed during the pursuit.
Registered Historic Battlefield

This battlefield is listed on the Register of Historic Battlefields — a national designation identifying Britain's most significant battle sites for protection and further research.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526

This page covers Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526

Eildon Hill North,fort & Roman signal station
Eildon Hill North,fort & Roman signal station
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1 mi

Eildon Hill North is a defended settlement comprising an Iron Age fort and Roman signal station, located in Roxburghshire on the Scottish Borders. The monument occupies a commanding position on igneous bedrock of Carboniferous to Permian age, which has been weathered into a prominent hill offerin…

Jenny Gumbrell / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Newstead Roman military complex, 660m WSW of Broomhill Farm
Newstead Roman military complex, 660m WSW of Broomhill Farm
Scheduled monument · ~1.3 mi

Newstead Roman military complex is a fortified installation located in Roxburghshire, south-central Scotland, positioned 660 metres west-southwest of Broomhill Farm. The site occupies ground underlain by wacke bedrock of the Hawick Group, Wenlock age, typical of the Southern Uplands geology in th…

Huntly Burn,earthworks
Huntly Burn,earthworks
Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

Huntly Burn is a group of earthworks located in Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders. The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2528. The site lies on bedrock of the Hawick Group, formed during the Wenlock epoch, comprising wacke that ty…

Old Melrose,linear earthwork 300m W of
Old Melrose,linear earthwork 300m W of
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Old Melrose is a linear earthwork located in Roxburghshire, Scotland, situated approximately 300 metres west of the settlement. The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4018. Linear earthworks of this type, common across the Scottish Bor…

Cauldshiels Hill,fort
Cauldshiels Hill,fort
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2.6 mi

Cauldshiels Hill is a univallate Iron Age hill fort situated in Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders. The monument occupies a naturally defensive hilltop position and comprises a single defensive rampart enclosing an interior settlement area. The underlying bedrock comprises Wenlock-period wacke…

Old Melrose, St Cuthbert's Chapel & monastery site
Old Melrose, St Cuthbert's Chapel & monastery site
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.6 mi

Old Melrose, St Cuthbert's Chapel & monastery site is a medieval monastic settlement in Roxburghshire, positioned on the steep bend of the River Tweed where Hawick Group wacke bedrock rises sharply from the water. The site occupies one of the natural strongholds of the Borders landscape, its geol…

Melrose Abbey
Scheduled monument · ~0 miles
Easter Hill,fort
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1.4 miles
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Battles near Battle of Melrose (also known as Battle of Darnick), 1526

Battle of Melrose
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Darnick, Skirmish Field
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Battle of Darnick
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Englishmen's Sike, the Raid Stane
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