Battlefields›Scottish Ravaging of Northumberland 1297
Medieval

Scottish Ravaging of Northumberland 1297

1297
Northumberland, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Raid
Location
Northumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Northumberland and Cumberland (English civilian population; garrisons of Newcastle and Carlisle held out)
VS
Victor
Scotland (William Wallace, with Galwegian and other Scottish forces)
Outcome
Following Stirling Bridge, Wallace led a sustained raiding campaign into Northumberland and Cumberland from October to December 1297, burning mills, churches, granges and settlements (including Felton mill, Longhorsley church, Corbridge and Wylam) and destroying Mitford castle (25 November). Wallace besieged Carlisle from around Martinmas (11 November) but withdrew without taking the city by c. 8 December. Newcastle was also approached but not attacked after townspeople made a show of force. The Scots withdrew laden with plunder; no pitched battle occurred. The devastation was severe and long-lasting: Norhamshire tithe income fell from GBP193 (1292-93) to GBP88 16s 8d (1297-98) and Islandshire tithes from GBP137 13s 4d to GBP59, with some manors not recovering to pre-invasion revenue levels even by 1314-15.
The Battle

History & Significance

Scottish Ravaging of Northumberland 1297 was a medieval raid, fought in the area of Northumberland, England in 1297. Scotland (William Wallace, with Galwegian and other Scottish forces) prevailed over Northumberland and Cumberland (English civilian population; garrisons of Newcastle and Carlisle held out). Following Stirling Bridge, Wallace led a sustained raiding campaign into Northumberland and Cumberland from October to December 1297, burning mills, churches, granges and settlements (including Felton mill, Longhorsley church, Corbridge and Wylam) and destroying Mitford castle (25 November). Wallace besieged Carlisle from around Martinmas (11 November) but withdrew without taking the city by c. 8 December. Newcastle was also approached but not attacked after townspeople made a show of force. The Scots withdrew laden with plunder; no pitched battle occurred. The devastation was severe and long-lasting: Norhamshire tithe income fell from GBP193 (1292-93) to GBP88 16s 8d (1297-98) and Islandshire tithes from GBP137 13s 4d to GBP59, with some manors not recovering to pre-invasion revenue levels even by 1314-15.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Scottish Ravaging of Northumberland 1297 lies on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

Casualties & Losses
  • No numerical casualty figures recorded. Sources note civilian killings and ruin in places such as Hethpool and Akeld (bondmen recorded as killed) and widespread destruction of property, livestock and agricultural infrastructure, but do not give troop or overall death tolls.
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview
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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
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Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
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Literature
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Scottish Ravaging of Northumberland 1297

The Lady's Well and section of Roman road
The Lady's Well and section of Roman road
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

The Lady's Well and section of Roman road is a Romano-British monument located in Northumberland. The site comprises a well structure associated with a surviving length of Roman road, likely constructed during the period of Roman occupation in northern Britain. The well represents evidence of Rom…

Chris Gunns / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Round cairn 340m west of The Beacon
Round cairn 340m west of The Beacon
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

Round cairn 340m west of The Beacon is a Bronze Age funerary monument located in Northumberland. The site comprises a circular mound of stone construction typical of cairn burial practices during the Bronze Age period. As a designated heritage asset, it represents evidence of prehistoric burial c…

Leanmeanmo / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bastle, 100m south-west of Holystone Grange
Bastle, 100m south-west of Holystone Grange
Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

Bastle, situated approximately 100 metres south-west of Holystone Grange in Northumberland, is a fortified farmhouse of medieval or early modern date. The structure represents a defensive dwelling type characteristic of the Anglo-Scottish border region, built to provide protection against raiding…

David Clark / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Multivallate hillfort, 400m west of Harehaugh
Multivallate hillfort, 400m west of Harehaugh
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Multivallate hillfort, 400m west of Harehaugh is a prehistoric fortified settlement located in Northumberland. The site is defined by multiple concentric defensive earthworks comprising banks and ditches, a characteristic from which it derives its name, indicating construction during the Iron Age…

Leanmeanmo / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Roman camp, 1.58km west of North Yardhope
Roman camp, 1.58km west of North Yardhope
Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

The Roman camp 1.58km west of North Yardhope is a military fortification dating to the Roman occupation of Britain. The site preserves earthwork remains characteristic of a marching camp, with defensive ditches and ramparts arranged in the typical Roman rectangular plan. Located in Northumberland…

Defended settlement, field system, cairnfield, round cairn and medieval settlement, 300m south east of Barrow
Defended settlement, field system, cairnfield, round cairn and medieval settlement, 300m south east of Barrow
Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

This site comprises a complex sequence of archaeological remains located southeast of Barrow in Northumberland, spanning multiple periods from prehistoric to medieval times. The round cairn represents Bronze Age burial activity, whilst the cairnfield and defended settlement reflect the later preh…

Multivallate hillfort, 70m east of Campville
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
Holystone Priory (site of)
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
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Battles near Scottish Ravaging of Northumberland 1297

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