Siege of Roxburgh Castle (1460)
Who Fought
History & Significance
The capture of Roxburgh was a siege that took place during the Anglo-Scottish Wars. Following the Second War of Scottish Independence intermittent conflict continued along the Anglo-Scottish border with Roxburgh Castle being held by the English since 1346 and by the 1380s was one of the last English held strongholds in Scotland. In July 1460 James II of Scotland began a campaign to reclaim Roxburgh, aiming to take advantage of the fact that the Wars of the Roses were raging in England.
During the siege James was mortally wounded when one of his own cannons exploded and the siege was continued by his wife, Mary of Guelders. The castle surrendered on 5 August and was subsequently destroyed by the attackers.
During the Second War of Scottish Independence in the 1330s lands in Southern Scotland had been ceded to England, with English garrisons as far north as Perth or Dunnottar Castle and successive Scottish governments attempted to reclaim these lands. Conflict along the Anglo-Scottish border continued, with Roxburgh castle held continuously by the English since 1346. This intermittent conflict led to the decline of the city of Roxburgh as trading patterns in the region broke down, and by 1460 it was little more than a garrison post. By the 1380s Berwick, Roxburgh and a handful of minor keeps were the only strongholds still in English hands. James launched attacks against English holdings between 1455-1460, as part of efforts to persuade the French to join a united attack on England.
By 1460, England was in the middle of a civil war, the Wars of the Roses, and James II had been negotiating with both sides in this struggle, intending to exploit the opportunity this presented. A parliament due to meet in Aberdeen was moved to Edinburgh as the fragilities of Henry VI's regime became apparent. A muster was called for shortly after the conclusion of the parliament in early July.
Prior to the attack on Roxburgh, the English had believed that Berwick was the target, and were thus outmanoeuvred.
James and his army first arrived at Roxburgh in July, first taking the English dominated town before laying siege to the castle. The castle itself is located on a triangular hill flanked by the rivers Tweed and Teviot to the north and south. Two ditches defended the approach to the castle between these rivers, while a curtain wall enclosed the whole area.
On 3 August James was standing close to one of his cannons when he ordered it to be fired. The cannon exploded, mortally wounding him. Writing 100 years later Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie stated the king's thigh was snapped in two and he was "stricken to the ground and died hastily".
The ground they fought on
The site of Siege of Roxburgh Castle (1460) lies on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.
The most striking detail of the siege is that the Scottish king who launched it did not live to see its success. On 3 August 1460, James II was standing beside one of his own bombards when he gave the order to fire. The cannon exploded, and the fragments fatally wounded him. According to Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, writing a hundred years after the event, the king's thigh was snapped in two and he was "stricken to the ground and died hastily". Rather than abandoning the siege, his queen, Mary of Guelders, took command and within two days had compelled the castle to surrender, then ordered it torn down so it could never again serve as an English stronghold.
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