Battlefields›Execution of Johnnie Armstrong 1530
Tudor

Execution of Johnnie Armstrong 1530

1530
Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie and his band
VS
Victor
King James V of Scotland
Forces involved

Armstrong reportedly led a band of around 160 men on his journey to meet the king, though the size of the forces actually engaged is not precisely recorded.

Outcome
James V lured Armstrong to Caerlanrig with a promise of safe conduct, then had Armstrong and about 36 of his men hanged without trial, eliminating Armstrong's threat to royal authority and asserting central control over the Borders.
The Battle

History & Significance

Execution of Johnnie Armstrong 1530 was a Tudor skirmish, fought at Dumfriesshire, Scotland in 1530. King James V of Scotland prevailed over Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie and his band. James V lured Armstrong to Caerlanrig with a promise of safe conduct, then had Armstrong and about 36 of his men hanged without trial, eliminating Armstrong's threat to royal authority and asserting central control over the Borders.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Execution of Johnnie Armstrong 1530 lies on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.

Casualties & Losses
  • Armstrong and approximately 36 of his followers were hanged.
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Monuments
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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.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
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.
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.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Execution of Johnnie Armstrong 1530

Lairhope Cottage,deserted settlement 300m WNW of
Lairhope Cottage,deserted settlement 300m WNW of
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

Lairhope Cottage is a deserted settlement located in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. The site stands approximately 300 metres west-north-west of its stated reference point, occupying ground formed from Hawick Group wacke, a competent sedimentary rock of Wenlock age that characterises the…

Teindside Lodge,cairn 50m N of
Teindside Lodge,cairn 50m N of
Scheduled monument · ~2.7 mi

Teindside Lodge cairn is a Bronze Age burial monument located in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. The cairn lies approximately 50 metres north of Teindside Lodge, positioned on landscape underlain by Hawick Group wacke bedrock of Wenlock age. This greywacke geology characterises much of th…

North House Cottages,cairn 200m SW of
North House Cottages,cairn 200m SW of
Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

North House Cottages Cairn is a Bronze Age burial monument situated in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, approximately 200 metres south-west of North House Cottages. The cairn lies on bedrock of the Hawick Group, Wenlock wacke, a hard sedimentary stone characteristic of the upland terrain of this…

Gray Hill,earthwork
Gray Hill,earthwork
Scheduled monument · ~4.2 mi

Gray Hill is a earthwork monument located in Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders. The site sits on bedrock belonging to the Hawick Group, a wacke formation dating to the Wenlock period of the Silurian, which gives the underlying geology its characteristic hard, fine-grained appearance. This anc…

Prehistoric settlement, 200m ENE of Northhope Haugh
Prehistoric settlement, 200m ENE of Northhope Haugh
Scheduled monument · ~4.2 mi

Prehistoric settlement, 200m ENE of Northhope Haugh is a Bronze Age or Iron Age occupation site in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders. The settlement occupies ground underlain by Hawick Group wacke, a sedimentary rock formed during the Wenlock period of the Silurian. This geology is characteristic o…

Burgh Hill, fort and settlement
Burgh Hill, fort and settlement
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~4.4 mi

Burgh Hill is a fortified Iron Age settlement situated in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders. The site occupies a naturally commanding position on felsic igneous bedrock of Permian age, which would have provided both defensive advantages and a stable foundation for construction. The underlying geolo…

Crom Rig,earthwork
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 miles
Crom Rig,farmstead 640m SW of Change House
Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~2.4 miles
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Other Tudor Battles

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Battle of Aldy Charrish
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Skirmish at Newark
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Simnel March into Yorkshire 1487
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In the same landscape

Battles near Execution of Johnnie Armstrong 1530

Langholm area Border raid 1540
1540
~12.7 miles away
Battle of Arkinholm
1455
~12.8 miles away
Dacre Raid on Hollows (Gilnockie) Tower, 1528
1528
~16.3 miles away
Siege of Burnswark
140
~20.9 miles away
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