Battlefields›Battle of Northallerton 1138
Medieval

Battle of Northallerton 1138

1138
England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Registered · NHLE 1000027
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of the Standard, sometimes called the Battle of Northallerton, took place on 22 August 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire, England. English forces under William of Aumale repelled a Scottish army led by King David I of Scotland. King Stephen of England, fighting rebel barons in the south, had sent a small force (largely mercenaries), but the English army was mainly local militia and baronial retinues from Yorkshire and the north Midlands.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Northallerton 1138 lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Registered Historic Battlefield

This battlefield is listed on the Register of Historic Battlefields — a national designation identifying Britain's most significant battle sites for protection and further research. Reference: NHLE 1000027.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Northallerton 1138

This page covers Battle of Northallerton 1138. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Northallerton 1138

Harlsey Castle
Harlsey Castle
Scheduled monument · ~3.4 mi

Harlsey Castle is a medieval fortified enclosure located in North Yorkshire. The site comprises the earthwork remains of a castle, with evidence of a motte or raised platform and surrounding defensive works typical of Norman period fortifications. The castle dates to the medieval period, likely e…

Mick Garratt / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Howden Bridge
Howden Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~3.7 mi

Howden Bridge is a stone arch bridge located in Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire, which dates from the medieval period. The bridge crosses the River Derwent and represents an important example of medieval bridge construction in the region. Its design reflects the practical engineering requirement…

David Rogers / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Sigston Castle: an enclosure castle 400m north of Kirby Sigston church
Sigston Castle: an enclosure castle 400m north of Kirby Sigston church
Scheduled monument · ~3.9 mi

Sigston Castle is a medieval enclosure castle situated approximately four hundred metres north of Kirby Sigston church in North Yorkshire. The site comprises an earthwork defence consisting of a substantial bank and ditch that formerly enclosed a residential or administrative compound, typical of…

Mick Garratt / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Mount Grace Priory Carthusian monastery: monastic precinct, fishponds, moat, mill and well-houses
Mount Grace Priory Carthusian monastery: monastic precinct, fishponds, moat, mill and well-houses
Scheduled monument · ~5.5 mi

Mount Grace Priory is a Carthusian monastery founded in 1363 in North Yorkshire, England. The site preserves substantial remains of the monastic precinct, including the distinctive tower and church characteristic of Carthusian foundations, along with ancillary structures such as a mill, well-hous…

Frglrx / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Pre-Conquest and post-Conquest church and graveyard and medieval and post-medieval manors at Sockburn
Pre-Conquest and post-Conquest church and graveyard and medieval and post-medieval manors at Sockburn
Scheduled monument · ~5.7 mi

Sockburn is an ancient monument site in Durham comprising the remains of a pre-Conquest and post-Conquest church with associated graveyard and the sites of medieval and post-medieval manors. The church, dedicated to St Mary, has origins in the Anglo-Saxon period and was substantially rebuilt in t…

Ataffo / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Lime kilns 400m south west of Furlands
Lime kilns 400m south west of Furlands
Scheduled monument · ~6.7 mi

Lime kilns 400m south west of Furlands is a group of industrial monuments located in Yorkshire, England. The kilns date from the post-medieval period and represent the exploitation of local limestone resources for the production of quicklime, which had widespread applications in agriculture, cons…

Matthew Hatton / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Medieval village of Lazenby
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 miles
Moated site immediately south of Danby Wiske church
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Northallerton 1138

Battle of the Standard 1138
1138
~0.2 miles away
Battle of Catraeth (Yorkshire Context, c.600 AD)
600
~1.5 miles away
Scots Raid: Burning of Northallerton 1318
1318
~2.6 miles away
Scottish Raid into Yorkshire, 1316
1316
~5.7 miles away
Aubrey Research

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Sources
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