In July in 1548, a military of 12,000 troops laid siege to the East Lothian city of Haddington.
For 18 months, Scotland and France wrestled to expel the two,000-strong English garrison. The English dug-in in a remaining try to safe the wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots. Learn on to find extra about the longest siege in Scottish historical past.
The ‘Tough Wooing’
The ‘Tough Wooing’ is the title given to the wars fought between Scotland and England between 1543 and 1550. Henry VIII began this battle with the purpose of forcing a wedding between his son Edward, and Mary, Queen of Scots.
If Henry was profitable, Scotland and England would ultimately share a ruler and Scotland must break off its ‘Auld Alliance’ with France. Henry, nonetheless, died earlier than seeing the plan by means of. After his loss of life, Edward VI was topped king aged 9. Management was given to a council headed by his uncle, Edward Seymour.
England’s new ruler continued the struggle, and his marketing campaign started with an enormous victory. In September 1547, Seymour defeated a military of 20,000 Scots at Pinkie, close to Musselburgh.
A memorial on the location of the Battle of Pinkie
Why Haddington?
Although the English crushed the Scottish military at Pinkie, they weren’t a lot nearer to their goals. Seymour realised victory on the battlefield wasn’t sufficient, so devised a brand new plan.
The thought was to construct a number of forts throughout the east of Scotland, creating an English occupation. English troopers may use them to trip out into the nation and, with a combination of concern and reward, persuade the locals that marrying their Queen off was the fitting concept.
Nestled in East Lothian, Haddington was the crown jewel of the occupation. Lord Gray of Wilton, English hero of the battle of Pinkie, was appointed as captain of this flagship fort.
Haddington Excessive Road in 1955 (© St Andrews College Library. Licensed through Scran)
Assist from France
On Christmas Day 1547, two French galleys landed at Dumbarton Fort. Fifty French captains disembarked. They wearing effective velvet coats, carried swords, and wore tufts of feathers of their morion helmets. These had been the specialists of struggle despatched to assist Scotland battle again after Pinkie. They arrived with sufficient cash to pay 10,000 Scots for a yr, courtesy of the Pope.
However way more was on its approach. 6,000 extra French had been ready for a good wind to sail to Scotland. The French weren’t the one overseas troopers concerned. Mercenaries from Italy, Germany and Spain joined the English and Scots of their 1000’s. Loyalty might be purchased, and a few Scots fought alongside the English or acted as their spies.
Dumbarton Fort
Testing the defences
On 1 July 1548, the French military began their assault on Haddington. For the primary couple of months there was fierce preventing. Both sides fired cannon day and evening into one another’s camps. Haddington’s partitions had been battered however didn’t fall. French troopers dug trenches, hoping to get shut sufficient to dig beneath the partitions and blow them up.
Males from throughout Scotland travelled to affix the siege. One group from Orkney had been so prepared for a battle that as quickly as they arrived 600 of them charged at Haddington’s gate!
A stranglehold
Although they couldn’t break the doorways down, the French and Scots had a stranglehold on Haddington. Their cavalry patrolled the countryside, stopping provides reaching the garrison. As chilly, winter climate set in, dwelling situations turned horrendous.
Meals was scarce and garments rotted with damp. To make issues even worse, the plague labored its approach by means of the fort. Solely half of the two,000 males had been match to battle simply 5 months after the siege started.
Whereas Scotland had the higher hand, younger Mary was whisked away to France. However England hadn’t misplaced but…
Mary, Queen of Scots. This posthumous portrait might be discovered at Falkland Palace (© Nationwide Belief for Scotland. Licensed through Scran)
In with the brand new
How then had been the English capable of maintain Haddington? The secret is within the design of the fort. It was constructed utilizing the newest design of the day, Hint Italienne (Italian define). When accomplished, it was solely the third of its sort in Britain (after Eyemouth and Lauder) and it made Haddington extraordinarily laborious to assault.
In Hint Italienne, the excessive, stone partitions of castles had been changed with deep ditches and low earth partitions. Whereas excessive fort partitions would crumble, earth soaked up cannon shot with ease. At evening, any harm to the wall might be repaired by a soldier with a shovel!
The opposite new function of Hint Italienne had been ‘bastions’ – partitions which jut out at sharp angles. From the bottom they’d appear like nothing greater than an earth financial institution, however there isn’t some extent that an attacker wouldn’t be uncovered to a cannon or musket. Fort George (under), although constructed a lot later, is that this design perfected.
Assured Scots
The English couldn’t pull off the occupation with out native help. They relied on Scots who had been keen to affix them – or too afraid to refuse. Scots who joined the English pledged allegiance in an settlement known as ‘assurance’. They had been troopers, spies and native guides.
There have been many, complicated explanation why Scots fought for the English. In some circumstances within the Scottish Borders, the English took benefit of previous feuds between households. In case you joined the English, they helped you compromise previous scores. Regardless of the causes, there was a lot to realize from being assured, together with fee in cash or property.
After the English seized Haddington, over a thousand Scots arrived to grow to be assured. There have been so many who Lord Gray doubted their loyalty. Nevertheless, by April, Gray was more than pleased along with his Scottish allies, stating that they’d “English hearts”.
Websites concerned within the story of the siege
Tantallon Fort
Many Historic Scotland websites performed an vital half within the story of the siege.
Tantallon Fort was dwelling to George Douglas, the Earl of Angus. He had helped the English prior to now, so Lord Gray wrote to him asking him to grow to be assured. For months, Douglas performed the sphere and had Lord Gray consider he was serving to the English.
Douglas saved the sport up for a number of months, however in October 1548 Lord Gray determined to not waste any extra phrases. He sieged Tantallon with the assistance of German mercenaries. Ferocious musket and cannon hearth beat the English again, so that they burnt the encompassing farmlands as a substitute.
Hailes Fort by the River Tyne.
Although George Douglas refused to affix the English, his uncle, Hugh Douglas, fortunately turned assured. After the English seized Hailes Fort in March 1548, they gave it to Hugh to command as a reward. Throughout the time of the siege of Haddington, 50 English troopers and their horses had been stationed at Hailes.
Broughty Fort was captured by the English in September 1547. Not glad with the fort alone, they constructed one other fort in close by Broughty Ferry within the space now known as Forthill. Broughty’s significance was its location – a stone’s throw from Dundee, which the French and English viciously fought to manage.
An artist’s impression of Broughty Fort being bombarded by English ships in 1547
Giving up Haddington
Lord Gray and Seymour really believed that maintaining Haddington above all would win them Scotland. However with Mary safely throughout the channel, they noticed the probabilities of her marrying Edward VI dwindling.
As a result of the fort was so sturdy, the price of the struggle saved rising. Consequently, Seymour turned very unpopular, and solely a month after the English walked out of Haddington he was overthrown by his personal lords.
At the moment, we are able to keep in mind that for 18 months, a city in East Lothian was the centre of a serious European struggle. Nevertheless, as dynamic and dramatic this story is, it’s vital to keep in mind that actual individuals had been victims. Many households had no selection however to choose a aspect to remain alive.
There’s at all times extra to find…
Kildrummy Fort
Need extra tales of sieges? Firstly, keep in East Lothian to uncover the occasions that result in Cromwell’s siege of Dirleton Fort. After that, head to Aberdeenshire to seek out out about Christina Bruce’s superb defence of Kildrummy Fort.
And for much more terrific tales, take part with our celebration of Scotland’s Yr of Tales.
