BattlefieldsDacre at Naworth — West March Administration and Feuding 1534
Tudor

Dacre at Naworth — West March Administration and Feuding 1534

1534
Cumberland, England
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Cumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Victor
Thomas Dacre
Outcome
Dacre tried for treason in 1534 on charges of colluding with Scottish reivers; acquitted by his peers; continued as a powerful border figure; subsequent wardens faced the same structural tensions.
The Battle

History & Significance

William Dacre, 7th Baron Greystock, later 3rd Baron Dacre of Gilsland (c. 1493 – 18 November 1563) was an English peer, a Cumberland landowner, and the holder of important offices under the Crown, including many years' service as Warden of the West Marches.

The son of Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre, by his marriage to Elizabeth Greystoke, Dacre succeeded his mother as Baron Greystock on 14 August 1516 and his father as Baron Dacre in 1525. From his father, he inherited about 70,000 acres (280 km2) of land in Cumberland, 30,000 acres (120 km2) in Yorkshire and 20,000 acres (81 km2) in Northumberland.

On an unknown date between 18 May 1519 and 1527, he married Lady Elizabeth Talbot, the fifth daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, by his marriage to Anne Hastings, only daughter of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings. She was still alive on 6 May 1552.

Dacre was Captain of Norham Castle in 1522–23. Between 1523 and 1525, during the Scottish war, he was accused of stirring up border unrest and was later brought before the Star Chamber, where he lost his wardenries. Steward of Penrith, Warden of the West Marches from 1527 to 1534 and again from 1549 until his death in 1563, Governor of Carlisle 1549 to 1551 and Warden of the Middle Marches from 1553 until 1555. In 1534 he was accused of treason, being accused of holding unauthorised cross-border negotiations with the Scots, and was committed to the Tower on about 15 May 1534. He was tried in Westminster Hall and acquitted on 9 July 1534, to cheers, after defending himself in court for seven hours. However, he was fined heavily.

In June 1528 he wrote from London to Cardinal Wolsey mentioning that he had been on a pilgrimage to Canterbury and had fallen from his horse, breaking his left arm, "overthwart a cart-spirn".

On his death in 1563, he was succeeded by his eldest son Thomas Dacre, 4th Baron Dacre. William was buried at Carlisle Cathedral.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Dacre at Naworth — West March Administration and Feuding 1534 lies on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.

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Battlefields
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Roman Britain
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Geology
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Dacre at Naworth — West March Administration and Feuding 1534

Nether Denton Roman fort, associated vicus and length of Stanegate Roman road
Nether Denton Roman fort, associated vicus and length of Stanegate Roman road
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

Nether Denton Roman fort is a first and second century military installation located in Cumberland on the Stanegate road, which formed a significant supply and communication route across northern England prior to the construction of Hadrian's Wall. The fort was established to control passage alon…

St Cuthbert's Church, 100m north west of Upper Denton Farm
St Cuthbert's Church, 100m north west of Upper Denton Farm
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

St Cuthbert's Church is a medieval parish church located north-west of Upper Denton Farm in Cumberland. The church is designated as an ancient monument of archaeological significance, reflecting its long history of use and development within the local community. The structure exhibits characteris…

Ashley Columbus / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bastle at Upper Denton
Bastle at Upper Denton
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

Bastle at Upper Denton is a fortified farmhouse situated in Cumberland in the Anglo-Scottish border region. The structure dates to the early modern period, representing a distinctive building type developed in response to the endemic raiding and lawlessness that characterised the borderlands from…

Les Hull / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Birdoswald Roman fort and the section of Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the River Irthing and the field boundaries east of milecastle 50
Birdoswald Roman fort and the section of Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the River Irthing and the field boundaries east of milecastle 50
Scheduled monument · ~2 mi

Birdoswald Roman fort is a substantial auxiliary fort positioned on Hadrian's Wall in Cumberland, England, dating to the second century AD onwards. The fort was constructed during the reign of Hadrian and served as a garrison for auxiliary troops guarding this critical frontier installation. The…

Frombowen / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Roachburn Colliery
Roachburn Colliery
Scheduled monument · ~2 mi

Roachburn Colliery is a coal mining site located in Cumberland, England, dating from the industrial period. The colliery represents the exploitation of local coal resources during the development of Cumberland's mining industry, which expanded significantly from the eighteenth century onwards. Th…

Oliver Dixon / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Hadrian's Wall and vallum and their associated features between Poltross Burn and the River Irthing in wall mile 48
Hadrian's Wall and vallum and their associated features between Poltross Burn and the River Irthing in wall mile 48
Scheduled monument · ~2.4 mi

Hadrian's Wall in wall mile 48 between Poltross Burn and the River Irthing is a section of the Roman frontier fortification built under the Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD, extending across northern Britain from the Solway Firth to the Tyne estuary. This stretch retains substantial remai…

Derek Harper / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Roman signal station on Mains Rigg
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 miles
Moated site at Upper Denton
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 miles
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