Siege of Berwick (1355)

The siege of Berwick took place in November 1355, during which the Scottish army recaptured, in a surprise attack, the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.[1]

Siege of Berwick
Part of Anglo-Scottish Wars
DateNovember 1355
Location
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Result Scottish victory
Territorial
changes		 Berwick captured
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England

In the absence of Edward III, Thomas Stewart Earl of Angus together with the Earl of March collected a great number of ships. During the night, they disembarked a group of men-at-arms on the northern side of the Tweed. The next morning, they moved unobserved to the foot of the wall and applied their scaling ladders at the gate. The English who were on guard were quickly overpowered and the townsmen escape to the other gates and abandoned the garrison to the assailants.

In the battle Alexander Ogle, Captain of the town, Thomas Percy and Edward Grey were killed on the English side. The Scottish lost Andrew Scott of Balwearie,[2] Thomas Vaux, John Gordon, William St Clair, Thomas Preston, and Alexander Moubray.

Aftermath

The strategic importance of Berwick pushed the English king, Edward III, to recover it. He arrived at Durham on the 23 December, and attended the remaining soldiers at Newcastle on the 1 January 1356. On 14 January, Edward III marched at the head of his army and his navy laid siege to the town, bringing the English forces to attack by both land and sea. At Berwick Castle Edward III guided the soldiers in person, accompanied by his guards and Sir Walter Manny, one of the most celebrated captains of the time, together advancing a mine on the wall with the help of some miners.

The double front of the fight forced the Scottish to capitulate and the English retook the garrison again.

References
  1. "BERWICK-UPON-TWEED TOWN WALLS". castlesfortsbattles.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  2. "Battle of Halidon Hill (1333)". clanscottscotland.com. Retrieved 22 June 2020.

Sources
  • Moses Aaron Richardson, "The Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences ..., Volume 1".
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