BattlefieldsBruce Recovers Linlithgow Peel 1313
Medieval

Bruce Recovers Linlithgow Peel 1313

1313
Scotland
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
English garrison of Linlithgow Peel
Forces
English garrison of Linlithgow peel
VS
Victor
Scottish forces under William Bunnock
Forces
William Bunnock commanding ruse with concealed Scottish fighters
Outcome
Linlithgow peel captured through hay-cart ruse; English garrison killed; key road between Edinburgh and Stirling freed from English surveillance
The Battle

History & Significance

The English peel-tower at Linlithgow controlling the road between Edinburgh and Stirling was captured in September 1313 by a local farmer named Binnock who concealed armed men in a hay-cart and prevented the gates from closing when the cart was pulled under the portcullis at delivery time. The ruse was pre-planned with William Bunnock acting as the cart driver. The Linlithgow recovery removed a key English outpost on the central road and contributed to the progressive isolation of Stirling Castle before Bannockburn.

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