Battle of Sark

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Sark, or the Battle of Lochmaben Stone, was fought between Scotland and England on 23 October 1448 or 1449. It was a decisive Scottish victory, the first since the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, and the last pitched battle to be fought between the two kingdoms during the Medieval period.

An entry in the Auchinleck Chronicle dated "The ᵹer̃ of god JMiiijCxlviij The xxv day of februar̃..." (The year of God 1448 the 25th day of February) is followed by the entry relating to the Battle of Sark which begins "That ſamȳ ᵹer̃ þe xxiij day of october̃..." (That same year the 23rd day of October) which suggests that the battle occurred on 23 October 1448.

However, at the time the chronicle was written, the 25th of March (the Feast of the Annunciation) was usually considered the beginning of the new year meaning that the entry dated 25 February 1448 would today be considered 25 February 1449, placing the battle which occurred during the following October on 23 October 1449.

Scotland and England agreed to a truce on 18 May 1444 which was to last ten years.

William Douglas, Earl of Douglas, took up residence at Threave Castle in 1447 and held a conference of borderers at Lincluden Abbey on 18 December 1448 to codify the laws of the Marches as ordained by his grandfather Archibald the Grim. Preparations were made for the defence of the West March including the erection of nine beacons in Nithsdale and eleven beacons in Annandale.

Henry Percy and Sir Robert Ogle destroyed Dunbar in May 1449, breaking the truce of 1444. On the 10th of May James II appointed commissioners to negotiate a new truce. The Earl of Douglas, alongside the Earls of Orkney, Angus, and Ormonde, retaliated by destroying Alnwick on the 3rd of June. The Warden of the West March Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, destroyed Dumfries later the same month. Scotland and England agreed to a new truce at Winchester on the 10th of July which was to begin on the 10th of August and last until the 20th of September. The Earl of Douglas returned to England with 1,100 men and destroyed Warkworth on the 18th of July and began raiding throughout Northumberland and Cumberland. Although 200 of the Earl's men were captured, less than ten were killed. The truce began on the 10th of August and continued until the 20th of September without incident and was renewed until the 19th of November.

Warden of the East March Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, with the support of King Henry VI, led an army into Scotland in October commanded by his son Henry Percy, Sir John Pennington, Sir John Harrington, and Magnus Redmane which comprised 6,000 men including an entire battle of archers, a contingent of Welshmen, and some cavalry to raid the lands of Douglas, breaking the existing truce. The English camped by the Lochmaben Stone on an area of flat ground between the River Sark and Kirtle Water on the north shore of the River Esk.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Sark lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Sark

The Bracken, enclosed settlement and droveway 370m WSW of

Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

The Bracken is an enclosed settlement and droveway located in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The site sits on Triassic bedrock comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate, typical of the geological formations underlying this part of the Southern Uplands. The settlement represents a form of rural…

Westhills, altar stone 35m N of

Scheduled monument · ~2.7 mi

Westhills altar stone is a stone monument located in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, situated 35 metres north of Westhills. The stone stands upon bedrock composed of Triassic rocks, a mixture of sandstone and conglomerate laid down during the Triassic period and now interbedded within the local geology.…

Calvertsholm, settlement 110m N of

Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

Calvertsholm is a settlement situated in Dumfriesshire, southern Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The site lies upon bedrock of Triassic age, comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that provides the geological foundation for this area of the…

Calvertsholm Cottages, cairn 320m NNW of

Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

Calvertsholm Cottages, cairn 320m NNW of is a Bronze Age burial cairn situated in Dumfriesshire, south-western Scotland. The monument stands on Triassic bedrock composed of sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded geological formations that date to the Triassic period. This underlying geology, typ…

Woodfield, enclosure 295m NE of

Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~3 mi

Woodfield is a post-medieval enclosure located in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, situated approximately 295 metres north-east of the settlement. The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12029. The enclosure lies upon bedrock composed of Triass…

Scots' Dike, boundary earthwork, Scotsdike Plantation

Scheduled monument · ~5.1 mi

Scots' Dike is a boundary earthwork located in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument consists of a linear bank formation within Scotsdike Plantation, serving as a demarcation line across the landscape. Such dikes were fundamental features of Scottish land organisation, typically constructed to ma…

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Battles near Battle of Sark

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• Battle of Sark · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Sark · Wikipedia
• Battle of Sark · Historic Environment Scotland
• Battle of Sark · Canmore