Battlefields›Kinmont Willie Rescue at Carlisle 1596
Tudor

Kinmont Willie Rescue at Carlisle 1596

1596
Cumberland, England
Also known as: Buccleuch rescues Kinmont Willie 1596 · Raid on Carlisle Castle 1596
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Cumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Carlisle garrison (England)
Forces
Carlisle garrison c. 100–200.
VS
Victor
Buccleuch (Scottish Kerrs)
Forces
Buccleuch/Kerrs c. 300–500
Outcome
Walter Scott of Buccleuch leads 80 men to storm Carlisle Castle at night and rescues the reiver William Armstrong called Kinmont Willie from custody
The Battle

History & Significance

The daring rescue of Kinmont Willie from a royal English castle by a Scottish border lord caused a major diplomatic furore and became the most celebrated single episode of the entire reiving era.

Casualties & Losses

Castle guard overpowered; no deaths recorded

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Kinmont Willie Rescue at Carlisle 1596

Carlisle Castle; medieval tower keep castle, two lengths of city wall, a 16th century battery, and part of an earlier Roman fort known as Luguvalium
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Area of Roman and medieval towns, bounded by Annetwell Street, Abbey Street, Castle Street and Paternoster Row
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
City wall, NE side
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
Carlisle Cathedral precinct
Scheduled monument · ~0.4 miles
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the field boundary west of Wall Knowe and Scotland Road including the Roman fort at Stanwix in wall mile 65
Scheduled monument · ~0.4 miles
More from this era

Other Tudor Battles

Rhys ap Thomas Pacification of Glamorgan 1486
1486
Bridgend, Wales
Rhys ap Thomas Mustering for Bosworth 1485
1485
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Henry Tudor's March — Dale to Bosworth
1485
Leicestershire, England
Skirmish at Welshpool during Henry Tudor March 1485
1485
Powys, Wales
Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Cumberland

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

Research a location near Cumberland
All Battlefields