Battlefields›William I's crossing into Scotland 1072
Medieval

William I's crossing into Scotland 1072

1072
Northumberland, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Campaign
Location
Northumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Malcolm III
VS
Victor
William I
Outcome
Treaty of Abernethy: Malcolm III submitted and became William's liegeman, gave his son Duncan as a hostage, and Edgar Aetheling was expelled from the Scottish court; no pitched battle occurred.
The Battle

History & Significance

William I's crossing into Scotland 1072 was a medieval campaign, fought in the area of Northumberland, England in 1072. The victor was William I. Treaty of Abernethy: Malcolm III submitted and became William's liegeman, gave his son Duncan as a hostage, and Edgar Aetheling was expelled from the Scottish court; no pitched battle occurred. The precise site is not recorded in the surviving sources, so the location shown is approximate.

Approximate location. The precise site is not recorded in the surviving sources, so the marker shows the best available identification.
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of William I's crossing into Scotland 1072 lies on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about William I's crossing into Scotland 1072

This page covers William I's crossing into Scotland 1072. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
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
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
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.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near William I's crossing into Scotland 1072

Round cairn 850m, and two Romano-British farmsteads, associated trackway, moated site, medieval settlement and field system 900m SSE of Middleton Dean
Round cairn 850m, and two Romano-British farmsteads, associated trackway, moated site, medieval settlement and field system 900m SSE of Middleton Dean
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Round cairn 850m, and two Romano-British farmsteads, associated trackway, moated site, medieval settlement and field system 900m SSE of Middleton Dean is a complex of archaeological features spanning from prehistoric to medieval periods in Northumberland. The site comprises a Bronze Age round cai…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Round cairn cemetery 1000m north west of Heddon Hill
Round cairn cemetery 1000m north west of Heddon Hill
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

Round cairn cemetery 1000m north west of Heddon Hill is a Bronze Age burial site located in Northumberland, England. The site comprises multiple round cairns, characteristic of funeral monuments constructed during the Bronze Age period, when such stone-built mounds were commonly erected to mark h…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Stone circle and stone alignment 370m west of Threestoneburn House
Stone circle and stone alignment 370m west of Threestoneburn House
Scheduled monument · ~2.4 mi

Stone circle and stone alignment 370m west of Threestoneburn House is a prehistoric monument located in Northumberland. The site comprises a stone circle and associated stone alignment, indicating Neolithic or Bronze Age ritual and ceremonial activity in the region. Such monuments typically serve…

Kenneth Ross / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Green Castle ringwork 320m south west of Humbleton Mill
Green Castle ringwork 320m south west of Humbleton Mill
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Green Castle ringwork is a medieval earthwork fortification located in Northumberland, approximately 320 metres south-west of Humbleton Mill. The site comprises a ringwork, a type of defended enclosure characteristic of the 11th and 12th centuries, consisting of a circular or oval bank and ditch…

Andrew Curtis / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Newtown Bridge
Newtown Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Newtown Bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in Northumberland, England. The bridge dates from the medieval period and represents an example of local stone construction techniques characteristic of its era. As a listed ancient monument, it survives as evidence of medieval infrastructure and…

Graham Robson / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Settlement S of Hare Law
Settlement S of Hare Law
Scheduled monument · ~3.4 mi

Settlement S of Hare Law is a prehistoric settlement located in Northumberland, England. The site comprises the remains of a small settlement dating to the Iron Age, consisting of the earthwork foundations and structural elements typical of domestic occupation from this period. The settlement for…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Medieval shieling 600m south east of South Middleton
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Iron Age defended settlement 740m south east of South Middleton
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near William I's crossing into Scotland 1072

Battle of Hedgeley Moor (1464)
1464
~3.6 miles away
Battle of Homildon Hill 1402
1402
~4.1 miles away
Battle of Humbleton Hill
1402
~4.6 miles away
Battle of Yeavering
1415
~6.4 miles away
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