BattlefieldsScots Raid — Burning of Northallerton 1318
Medieval

Scots Raid — Burning of Northallerton 1318

1318
North Yorkshire, England
Also known as: Douglas raid on Northallerton 1318 · North Riding devastated 1318
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
North Yorkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Northallerton townspeople
VS
Victor
Scots (Douglas)
Outcome
Northallerton burned; market town devastated; surrounding vale communities paid ransom
The Battle

History & Significance

Northallerton — which had been the muster point for the English army at the Battle of the Standard in 1138 — was burned by the Black Douglas in 1318. The irony that the site of a great English victory over the Scots was now being devastated by Scots was not lost on contemporaries. Northallerton was the principal market town of the North Riding and its burning affected the entire agricultural economy of the Vale of Mowbray. The community would have taken years to recover.

Forces Involved

Scottish raiders (Douglas): c. 500–1,500. Town militia: c. 100–400.

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