While Edward II besieged Berwick in 1319, Bruce responded by sending Moray and Douglas on a deep raid into Yorkshire. The Archbishop of York scraped together a force of clergy, monks and townspeople — dubbed the Chapter of Myton for its clerical composition. The Scots set fire to hay to create a smokescreen and charged. The English fled in panic; hundreds drowned in the River Swale. The affair was called the White Battle for the white habits of fleeing clerics. Edward II had to abandon Berwick to deal with the crisis, handing Bruce another strategic victory without a major engagement.
Hundreds of English killed or drowned in the Swale
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 North Yorkshire