Battle of Linlithgow Bridge

History & Significance

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 2,500 led by James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran. The battle was part of a power struggle in Scotland for control of the young Scottish king, James V. The battlefield was added to the national Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland prepared by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.

The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge was a product of the power vacuum created by the death of James IV in the Battle of Flodden in 1513. His young son, James V, was only a year old when his father was killed, and so Scotland was ruled by regents during his childhood. The first was his mother, Margaret Tudor (sister of King Henry VIII of England), until she remarried in the following year, and was replaced by John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, who was himself next in line for the throne after James and his younger brother, Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross. In 1525, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, the young king's stepfather, took custody of James and held him as a virtual prisoner for three years, exercising power on his behalf. James’ mother made a number of attempts to free her son from the clutches of Douglas, and one of these resulted in the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge.

In 1526, Margaret persuaded the Earl of Lennox and Archbishop James Beaton to support her cause. Lennox raised an army over 10,000 and marched on Edinburgh from his base in Stirling. By this time Archibald Douglas had won the support of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and the latter was sent to try to delay the march by mustering the people of Linlithgow and the surrounding area. Arran arranged his force of 2,500 men on the strategically important Pace Hill overlooking Linlithgow and the River Avon. Lennox, seeing the strength of this defensive position had to rethink his plans.

Lennox intended to outflank and defeat Arran before Douglas could arrive from Edinburgh with reinforcements. Downstream from the town, the river was impassable but his scouts found a ford 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) upstream, at Manuel Convent. Lennox forced a crossing there and advanced on Arran's flank. However, Arran saw the threat and placed his troops facing south along the ridge of Pace Hill. Lennox's attack was across the Avon, over boggy ground and finally uphill, but he very nearly succeeded in dislodging Arran's outnumbered men. However time ran out for Lennox as Douglas reinforcements arrived followed by the reluctant King James.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Linlithgow Bridge lies on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Linlithgow Bridge

Newparks,lime kilns 120m NNE of

Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Newparks Lime Kilns is a lime kiln complex situated 120 metres north-north-east of Newparks in Stirlingshire. The site exploits the local geology to dramatic effect: the bedrock beneath consists of sedimentary rocks of the Clackmannan Group, which formed during the Westphalian period of the Carbo…

Bowden Hill,fort,Linlithgow

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1.3 mi

Bowden Hill is an Iron Age fort situated in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, commanding views across the surrounding landscape. The monument occupies a naturally defensible position on igneous bedrock of dolerite and tholeiitic basalt, dating from the Permian period. This geological foundation would ha…

Linlithgow Palace, Peel and Royal Park

Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

Linlithgow Palace, Peel and Royal Park is a royal residence and fortified enclosure in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The palace occupies a naturally defensible location atop Dinantian mafic lava and tuff, ancient volcanic bedrock th…

Almond Castle

Scheduled monument · ~1.5 mi

Almond Castle is a medieval fortified stronghold located in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The castle dates to the medieval period and represents a significant example of defensive architecture characteristic of its era. The site is designated as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland…

Avondale House,palisaded enclosure 630m S of

Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~2 mi

Avondale House is a post-medieval palisaded enclosure located in Stirlingshire, Scotland, situated approximately 630 metres south of Avondale House itself. The monument consists of a timber palisade fortification, a defensive structure type that remained in use well beyond the medieval period for…

Easter Gormyre, refuge stone, 475m ENE of

Scheduled monument · ~2.1 mi

Easter Gormyre is a refuge stone located in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, situated 475 metres east-north-east of the named settlement. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the scheduled monument reference SM7279. Refuge stones served as shelter points for travellers and s…

Other Tudor Battles

Battles near Battle of Linlithgow Bridge

Explore the landscape around this battlefield

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in the UK — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

• Battle of Linlithgow Bridge · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Linlithgow_Bridge · Wikipedia
• Battle of Linlithgow Bridge · Historic Environment Scotland
• Linlithgow Bridge · Canmore