Scotland William Wallace

The Battle of Stirling Bridge..

Edward was at this time, still fighting his war with France and in an effort to obtain more fighting men to go there with him, he released many of the Scottish nobles imprisoned after the Battle of Dunbar.

These nobles were released on the condition that they first return to Scotland to try and calm the uprising before they headed to France to fight with Edward.

They did return to Scotland but on realising just how bad the feelings were towards Edward, they did not attempt to calm the people and did not return to Edward.

To prevent Edward from realising they would never return to be ruled by him, they sent messages to Edward stating that they would return once things settled down.

Edward, in his arrogance, thought he had left enough men and leaders to fight the Scots and took himself and the rest of his army to France to continue the war there.

Left in charge of the forces to fight Scotland were the Earl of Surrey, John de Warenne, and Hugh Cressingham, the English treasurer of Scotland.

These men gathered an army of around 600 cavalry and 20 000 thousand infantry to fight against a much smaller Scottish force of only 150 cavalry and 5000 foot soldiers.

Stirling Castle was still under English control and it was vital to the English that it remained that way. The Castle and the bridge crossing the river Forth were the key to entering the heart of Scotland.

The Scottish nobles recently released by Edward were still technically under his rule and led by two men, James Stewart and The Earl of Lennox, decided that it might be advisable to try and avoid this battle.

These lords all had land in Scotland and although they themselves did not want to fight the English, the people of the lands did, these people being the backbone of William Wallace's army.

Both armies marched to Stirling reaching there in September of 1297.

The English set up camp on the southern side of the bridge, the Scots on the strategic slopes of Abbey Craig.

Stewart and Lennox went to the English camp to speak with Warenne and made the offer to try and settle this without warfare, to go speak with the Scots and try to negotiate their surrender.

William Wallace's reply?

Tell your commander that we are not here to make peace but to do battle to defend ourselves and liberate our Kingdom. Let them come on, and we shall prove this in their very beards.

The actions of Stewart and Lennox, raise the question of what were they really doing.

Stalling for time? Acting as traitors to both sides by relaying information about the forces each had?

Whatever, they returned to the English camp and informed Warenne of the words Wallace had said.

That evening, 10th September 1297, Warenne informed his troops that the next morning they would cross the bridge and fight.

At first light the English began to cross the bridge only to be recalled, as Warenne was not yet awake.

Once Warenne was awake they proceeded to cross again only to be recalled yet again, this time Warenne had spotted Stewart and Lennox coming to the English camp and hoped they brought news of a Scottish submission.

That was not the case, and so Warenne ordered his army to cross the bridge and engage the Scots in battle.

Both Warenne and Cressingham were aware that the bridge was narrow, allowing only two Knights side by side and that at the other side it offered only a narrow causeway for the use of the heavy cavalry, the rest of the ground immediately on crossing being marsh land.

Still Cressingham had no hesitation, he was sure of the outcome, his well trained army against a much smaller poorly trained Scottish army, it was a forgone conclusion that the English would win.

Cressingham took up the front position leading his troops across the bridge into battle.

William Wallace and Andrew Murray from their vantage point on the slopes of the Abbey Craig watched and waited.

Once Wallace had decided that there were enough English over the bridge but not too many as to outweigh his smaller army, he blew his horn for battle.

From the slopes they appeared, sweeping down with one thought and one thought only, we fight for freedom and if that should cost our lives so be it.

The Scots armed with their long spears advanced upon the English on the causeway.

Wallace had chosen his moment well; the English were in no position to form a front of any size.

The battle was over before it had ever really begun, the Scots facing Knights in armour on horseback found them easy targets, kill or be killed. They did kill and in doing so caused the advance party of the English to fall back upon those still crossing, those already on the north side were killed as the Scots reached them, those halfway across panicked and tried to return to the southern side.

Cressingham was one of the first to be killed and now it was utter chaos.

The English in full retreat, Warenne having been one of the first to go into retreat, what were his army to think, one leader dead the other running for his life.

The English nobles faired better than their footmen, having horses on which to make their escape.

The unlucky foot soldiers attempted escape by heading toward Falkirk to the south of Stirling, unknown to them, Stewart and Lennox plus the Scottish nobility who were with them, were hidden in the woods.

Stewart now sure that the Scots were the victors, changed sides and attacked the English soldiers as they passed.

The battle of Stirling Bridge was over.

Warenne had left his army to do as they wished, left the Southern parts of Scotland in Scottish control and left the door wide open for the Scots to invade in the Northern parts of England.

The mighty English army defeated by a bunch of Scottish rebels, yes, and this news soon spread far and wide, adding yet more support to Wallace and his cause.

As England had lost one of it's leaders so too had the Scots. Andrew Murray was later to die from injuries sustained at this battle, but for the moment Wallace was jubilant in his victory.

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