BattlefieldsBerwick Siege and Storming 1318
Medieval

Berwick Siege and Storming 1318

1318
Berwickshire, Scotland
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Berwickshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
England
Forces
English Berwick garrison
VS
Victor
Scotland
Forces
Douglas and Walter Stewart with Scottish force
Outcome
Berwick taken by surprise escalade; garrison overwhelmed; Scotland gained the key border town
The Battle

History & Significance

Robert Bruce s forces under Walter Stewart and James Douglas captured Berwick by surprise in April 1318. A Flemish merchant Peter de Spalding betrayed the English garrison by arranging to open a section of wall at night. Scottish forces scaled the walls on rope ladders and overwhelmed the garrison. The fall of Berwick was a catastrophic blow to English control of the eastern Border and a major triumph for Bruce.

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