Bannockburn did not end the war — it transformed it. Bruce immediately exploited his victory by launching systematic raids into England to force Edward II to make peace. Douglas led the first major raid in autumn 1314, sweeping through Northumberland and establishing the pattern that would continue for fourteen years. Towns and monasteries paid protection money to avoid burning. This policy — sometimes called the Scottish chevauchee — extracted enormous wealth from northern England and demonstrated the impotence of the English crown north of the Tyne.
Douglas with mounted raiding force c.2,000-4,000; no English field army
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 Northumberland