View source for Source:Book of Pluscarden (Book IX, Chapter XXVIII)

{{Book section
|book=The Book of Pluscarden (vol. 2)
|source_type=Book
|section=Book IX, Chapter XXVIII
|transcription=<center>CHAPTER XXVIII.</center>

<center>''King David Bruce goes over to France.''</center>

{{smallcaps|The}} names of the magnates who came from England to Scotlaud
with this Edward were Henry Beaumont, the earl of
Atholl, Henry Ferrers and his two brothers, Alexander de Mowbray,
Richard Talbot, Walter Cumyn, Ralph Baroune and
William of Stafford :<sup>22</sup> and all who came from England were
not over a thousand<sup>23</sup> persons. Thereupon, however, the
same year, the friends of King David, who was in his minority
and not able to take his revenge, made him leave the kingdom
to the rule and governance of sir Andrew Murray le Riche
and retire to France, to the king of France, where he was received
with honour. He abode in that country eight years or
more, and returned to the kingdom of Scotland with his wife,
the sister of King Edward of England, in the year 1341, when
he was eighteen. It , should also be noted that, immediately
after the battle of Duplin, James Bane, bishop of Saint
Andrews, betook himself across the sea through excessive
grief. Subsequently, a short time after this, the town of Perth
was taken by James and Simon Frisale (Fraser), and Duncan
earl of Fife, the warden of the said town in the interest of
Edward Balliol, was taken prisoner there, together with the
said earl's wife and daughter. Among others they took
Andrew Murray of Tulibardine, and doomed him to a traitor's
most ignominious death. The said James and Simon Fresale
afterwards levelled to the ground the walls of the said town
of Perth. The year after the taking of Perth Thomas Randolph,<sup>24</sup> 
the younger earl of Murray, and Archibald Douglas,
brother of the noble James Douglas, with a thousand chosen
men, assembled secretly in the town of Moffat; and, while
Edward Balliol, who had brought under his allegiance sir
Alexander Bruce, earl of Carrick, with many of the nobles
of the country, both Galloway<sup>25</sup> and elsewhere, was spending
the night in the town of Annand, they went to reconnoitre
him, and the said Edward, being pressed by night by the
hostile pursuit of the aforesaid earls and their retainers, and
many of his men having been slain, took to flight with one
leg booted and the other naked, on a horse without saddle
or bridle, with only a halter on. Here Henry Beaumont,
John Mowbray and William Cumyn<sup>26</sup> were put to death,
together with many other nobles of both Scotland and England;
and here also the said earl of Carrick was taken and{{sfn|Skene|1880|p=[https://archive.org/details/historiansofscot10ediniala/page/200/mode/1up 200]}}
put to death<sup>27</sup> by the earl of Murray. But Edward Balliol,
straightway after his escape, went to Edward king of England
for help and succour; and the latter, like a base, faithless
perjurer, breaking through the ties of the treaty of alliance
and peace, and like a palterer with his oath and a breaker
of his word, unmindful of his salvation and regardless of his
own promise ratified by his seal and his oath, and against
his own sister, promised him speedy succour, and quickly got
together a large army, being joined by the Scottish partisans
of the said Edward Balliol. So in the year 1333 the
Scots, fearing the falseness of the English and hearing of the
muster of King Edward, appointed sir Patrick earl of the
Marches and sir Alexander Seton to guard the town of Berwick ; 
and at the same time the guardian of the kingdom
of Scotland was sir Andrew Murray le Eiche, in the absence
of the king who was still in France. Now the said guardian,
hearing that Edward Balliol had approached the borders of
Scotland, himself went in haste to Eoxburgh Castle and, while
pursuing the English too precipitately, as before, on the bridge of
that place, was taken prisoner by the English and brought and
presented to the English king Edward, who was himself in
person hastening to besiege the town of Berwick with a large
force of men-at-arms. At the same time William Douglas
of Liddesdale was taken prisoner at Lochmaben. But on the
2d of April<sup>28</sup> the king of England settled down to the siege
of the said town of Berwick with a very large force of men-at-arms,
and besieged that town of Berwick from the beginning of
April until the 14th of August;<sup>29</sup> and on Saint Mary Magdalen's
Day<sup>30</sup> was fought the woful [[battle of Halidon Hill]], where a
very great part of the nobles of Scotland were almost swept
away, especially of those who sided with King David. For,
when the king of England had laid the siege both by land
and by sea, and the Scotsmen had manfully defended themselves
inside, setting fire to great part of his fleet and sinking it, the
noble William Seton being drowned with the burning ships
before the eyes of his father who was on the wall of the
town, at length, fearing the king's malice, the Scots inside
offered to make terms on the Understanding that, if no reinforcements
came to them from Scotland by a time limited,
they should surrender the aforesaid town to him the king of
England; and Thomas Seton, son of the captain of the said
town, was given by his father as security for this. Meanwhile,
however, Archibald Douglas, called the Tineman, had been
made guardian of Scotland immediately after the capture of sir
Andrew Murray on Roxburgh bridge; and, being very war-like{{sfn|Skene|1880|p=[https://archive.org/details/historiansofscot10ediniala/page/201/mode/1up 201]}} 
and high-spirited, he straightway assembled the whole
force of the men-at-arms of Scotland who sided with King
David, to the number of sixty thousand, with whom he purposed
invading England, according to the decision of the
council, and laying it waste and consuming with fire and
sword everything he could see, that thereby they might force
the king to raise the siege in order to<sup>31</sup> give them battle. So,
when they came in sight of the said town, they showed themselves
and their banners and standards to their countrymen on
the walls of the said town ; and then, turning aside without
sending messengers to. the besieged governors of the said town
to unfold their purpose, they were minded to enter England.
The besieged, however, being in doubt, secretly sent messengers
to them from Berwick and urged them to fight with the English
force, deeming them to be the stronger force. So, yielding
to their advice, they unfortunately altered their mind and
halted that night in a certain park of Donamis. But the king
of England, hearing of this, came up to the gates before the day
appointed in the said agreement for the town to be given up
and surrendered, and demanded that the aforesaid town should
be given up to him; and, because this was refused him, he
straightway set up a gallows before the gates of the town and
hanged the aforesaid Thomas Seton before the eyes of his
father and mother and of all the others who were in the town.
Next morning, which was the Day of the blessed virgin Margaret,
they<sup>32</sup> marched towards the town with great display, in
order of battle, and recklessly, stupidly and unadvisedly chose
a battle-ground at Halidon Hill, where there was a marshy
hollow between the two armies, and where a great downward
slope, with some precipices, and then again a rise lay in front
of the Scots before they could reach the field where the English
were posted, with their troops skilfully and prudently distributed
and the vantage-ground well studied beforehand ; for in
that place one champion was enough to overcome three. So,
though they labour in vain, yet they attacked manfully and
slew many on either side. At length the Scots, out of breath
with climbing the above-mentioned hill, were forced to give way
and scattered in flight, cut down and pitifully massacred, killed
and taken prisoners and led off to the army of the king of
England. Next morning the king of England ordered them to
kill all the prisoners ; and this was accordingly done, save only
with such as were kept in concealment. Now the names of
the chief nobles who were slain on the side of David Bruce
were these : James, John and Alan Stewart, sons of the noble
Walter Stewart and brothers of Robert, afterwards king after{{sfn|Skene|1880|p=[https://archive.org/details/historiansofscot10ediniala/page/202/mode/1up 202]}}
David; Archibald Douglas, the aforesaid guardian of Scotland ; 
[[Hugh, 4th Earl of Ross ( -1333)|Hugh earl of Ross]] ; Kenneth earl of Sutherland ; Alexander
Bruce earl of Carrick; Andrew, Simon and James
Fresale, brothers ; and countless other nobles, whom it would
be tedious to enumerate, and more pitiful than useful. The
number of the slain in this battle was, by the estimate of
heralds worthy of belief, over ten thousand men. Immediately
after the battle was fought, as aforesaid, the lord earl of the
Marches and the lord Seton, being without hope of rescue,
surrendered to the said king the aforesaid town of Berwick,
together with the castle, the inhabitants being saved harmless
in life, limb and property; and they tendered the oath of
allegiance to him as their lord paramount. That earl was
compelled<sup>33</sup> by the said king of England to rebuild at his own
expense the castle of Dunbar, which had been previously battered
to pieces. But within a few days afterwards Edward
Balliol overran the whole kingdom with the forces of the king
of England, subduing it and unsettling it and distributing
offices and keeping in the hands of the English and of the Scots
who embraced his cause all the castles and strongholds but
four, namely Dumbarton Castle, the warden whereof was sir
Malcolm Fleming; Lochleven, the warden whereof was Alan
de Vypont ; Kildrummie, the wardenship whereof remained in
the hands of Christina Bruce ; and Urquhart Castle, of which
Thomas Lauder, who was called the Good, had the wardenship ; 
and there was also the stronghold of Lochdoun, the
warden whereof was the venerable John Thomson.{{sfn|Skene|1880|p=[https://archive.org/details/historiansofscot10ediniala/page/203/mode/1up 203]}}

:Page 200, n. 22. [[Walter Bower (chronicler)|Bower]], ii. 307, says “Radulphus baro de Stafford.”
:Page 200, n. 23. Bower, ii. 307, says 600.
:Page 200, n. 24. Bower, ii. 307-8, calls him John Randolph.
:Page 200, n. 25. Bower, ii. 308, only says “D. Alexandrum de Bruce comitem de Carrick et D. Galwidiæ.”
:Page 200, n. 26. Bower, ii. 308, says “Henry de Balliol, John Mowbray, Walter Cumyn and Richard Kirby.”
:Page 201, n. 27. Bower, ''ib''., says “delivered from death.”
:Page 201, n. 28. Bower, ii. 310, as well as some texts of Fordun, say “pridie Idus Aprilis.”
:Page 201, n. 29. Bower, ii. 310, says “usque ad decimum quartum Kal. Augusti.”
:Page 201, n. 30. Bower says “the day before the Feast of Margaret.”
:Page 202, n. 31. In text, voL i. p. 269, l. 12, “aut” should probably be “ut.”
:Page 202, n. 32. That is, the Scots.
:Page 203, n. 33. In text, vol. i. p. 270, 1. 18, “expulsus” should be “compulsus.” Compare Bower, ii. 311.
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|related_documents=Source:Liber Pluscardensis (Liber IX, CXXVIII)
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|citation_template=Pluscarden full
|volume=2
|bibliography=
|sort=Book of Pluscarden (Book 9, Chapter 28)
}}{{Timeline subobject
|entry_name=
|entry_precedence=1
|document_type=
|date=19 July 1333
|person_page=Hugh, 4th Earl of Ross ( -1333)
|place_page=Battle of Halidon Hill
|related_person=Edward III of England
|related_place=
|related_topic=Timeline of the Earls of Ross;Timeline of Earl of Ross references;Battle of Halidon Hill;Timeline of British history
|timeline={{date|19 July 1333|dmy}} - At length the Scots, out of breath with climbing [[Battle of Halidon Hill|Halidon hill]], were forced to give way and scattered in flight, cut down and pitifully massacred, killed and taken prisoners and led off to the army of the [[Edward III of England|king of England]]. Next morning the king of England ordered them to kill all the prisoners ; and this was accordingly done, save only with such as were kept in concealment. Now the names of the chief nobles who were slain on the side of David Bruce were these : James, John and Alan Stewart, sons of the noble [[Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland|Walter Stewart]] and brothers of [[Robert II of Scotland|Robert]], afterwards king after David; Archibald Douglas, the aforesaid guardian of Scotland ; [[Hugh, 4th Earl of Ross ( -1333)|Hugh earl of Ross]] ; Kenneth earl of Sutherland ; Alexander Bruce earl of Carrick; Andrew, Simon and James Fresale, brothers ; and countless other nobles, whom it would be tedious to enumerate, and more pitiful than useful.
|citation=[[#CITEREFSkene1880|Skene 1880]], p. [https://archive.org/details/historiansofscot10ediniala/page/203/mode/1up 203].
|citation_name=Liber Pluscardensis vol. 1 p. 203
}}