David Pilling relives Black Saturday, one of Scotland’s worst historic military defeats THE BAttLE OF Pinkie Cleugh 1547 he Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, fought Right: Duke of Somerset on the banks of the River Esk on 10 September 1547, was one of the Tworst military defeats in Scotland’s history and is remembered in Scotland today as Black Saturday. The battle was fought as part of a war known as the ‘Rough Wooing’ whereby the government of England attempted to force the Scots hand over their child-Queen Mary for betrothal to Prince Edward, only son of Henry VIII. The Scots were reluctant to In September 1547 Somerset personally led an army be forced into an alliance with England, into Scotland, supported by a large well-equipped fleet and when diplomacy failed Henry sent an army into Scotland to force the issue. After Henry died in January 1547 the guns, but these were not as mobile or well awareness of the superior English artillery Duke of Somerset, who was appointed manned as Somerset’s. The only cavalry and equipment, Arran tried to avoid a Protector of England until Prince Edward, available to the Scots were 2000 Borderers, pitched battle by sending two challenges now Edward VI, came of age, continued fine soldiers in their way but unreliable to his opponent. One was for Arran and the ‘Rough Wooing’. Somerset shared and only lightly equipped. Somerset to settle the issue by single Henry’s ambition of coercing Scotland As soon as his army was ready Arran combat and the other for 20 champions into an alliance, and also of imposing marched to block Somerset’s advance and to be picked from both sides to decide the Anglican Reformation on the Scottish deployed his men on the west bank of the the matter. Somerset, equally aware that church. Thus in September 1547 Somerset River Esk, where his flanks were protected he held all the advantages, declined both personally led an army into Scotland, by the Firth of Forth on his left and an proposals. Battle was now unavoidable. supported by a large well-equipped fleet. impassable bog to his right. Arran also On the morning of 10 September The English army was partially had some fortifications built and mounted Somerset made the first move, advancing composed of traditional levies armed with them with cannons, some pointing out his army towards Inveresk. Meanwhile longbows and bills (a kind of curved bill- towards the Forth to ward off the English Arran hurried his army across the Esk and hook mounted on a short stave) but also fleet. Arran’s cause was not helped by one marched rapidly in three massive columns had modern elements. These included of his lieutenants, the Earl of Home, who of pikes to meet the English, hoping to German mercenaries armed with an early contrived to lose most of the Scottish close with them before their artillery could form of handgun known as the arqebus, cavalry in a pointlessly chivalrous gesture. deploy. Abandoning his fortified position a formidable artillery train and thousands On 9 September a division of Somerset’s on the banks of the Esk meant that his of armoured cavalry, including a troop army moved to occupy Falside Hill, own guns could not protect his army from of Spanish mounted gunmen. This large three miles east of Arran’s main position. being fired upon by English warships, and and well-equipped army formed a stark Home chose this moment to lead 1500 his left wing was raked with cannon fire. contrast to that of the Scots, which largely horsemen towards the English camp and The columns of pikes began to consisted of the same kind of pikemen challenge an equal number of English disintegrate as shot tore through their and Highland archers that had fought at cavalry to a fight. The English accepted tightly packed ranks and the lightly Bannockburn centuries before. and sent out 1000 men-at-arms and 500 armed Highlanders broke and fled almost Somerset marched along the east coast lancers to engage the Scottish Borderers, immediately. The survivors pushed of Scotland, intending to stay in touch whose light armour and shaggy hill ponies into Arran’s own division in the centre, with his fleet and so avoid running were no match against the tide of heavy impeding but not halting their advance, out of supplies. Lightly armed Scottish horses, sabres, lances and arqebuses. After and the bulk of the Scottish army horseman, most of them from the lawless a short and brutal melee the Borderers continued to plough onwards, much to Border regions, harried his army as it broke and fled west, and were pursued the surprise of the English who were not marched but could do nothing to check and cut down all the way back to the yet ready to meet them. its progress. In the meantime the Regent main Scottish encampment. This bloody Desperate to give his infantry and of Scotland, the Earl of Arran, hastily skirmish decimated the Scottish cavalry artillery time to deploy, Somerset threw scraped together as many men as possible. and rendered them virtually useless as a his cavalry against the Scots. Heavily Other than the pikeman and Highland fighting force. armoured, equipped with lances, archers he managed to assemble some Perhaps because of this setback and his swords and maces and mounted on EAST LOTHIAN LIFE 46 EAST LOTHIAN LIFE 47 English cavalry, Lord Grey, galloped out of the dreadful melee bleeding heavily from a pike wound to his mouth and throat, soon followed by the remnants of his cavalry who abandoned their futile efforts to break through the pikes and retreated up Fawside Brae. With the ground before them strewn with dead and the English cavalry in full flight, the Scots for a moment glimpsed victory. But it was an illusion: having ruthlessly sacrificed his cavalry, Somerset used the time they gave him to organise his artillery, archers and arquebusiers. They were now drawn up in disciplined formation right in front of the Scots, and at Somerset’s order began to fire at massed point-blank range into the dense blocks of pikemen. At the same time the English warships resumed their bombardment and Arran’s hapless army was exposed to a rolling barrage of shot, shell, bullets and arrows tearing into its front, flank and rear. Unable to advance into the storm of missiles and abandoned by the remnants of their cavalry, who spent the battle greedily eyeing the English baggage train but making no move to help, the Scots had no option but to stand and endure the storm. Brave as they were, it was impossible to bear the storm for long and they began to waver, and then broke Above: ‘Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) seen here powerful warhorses, the English cavalry into headlong flight. The rout was led in adulthood. As a child she was smuggled out of were formidable but unlikely to break by Arran, who leaped aboard the nearest Scotland and betrothed to the Dauphin of France’ the disciplined wall of Scottish pikes. horse and quit the field as his army died Below: ‘An arquebusier or handgunner loading Nonetheless they galloped full tilt into around him. his weapon: these new type of firearms gave the English a decisive advantage over the less well- the pikemen, who by now were partially This was the signal for the English equipped Scots’ obscured by a pall of gunsmoke from the cavalry, which had reformed on the cannon fire of the English warships. slopes of Fawside Brae, to launch a second Beneath the thundering impact of charge that smashed through the tottering the English charge the Scottish line remnants of the Scottish pikes and put the was seen to buckle and waver, but it whole to flight. Enraged by the casualties refused to break. An Englishman named they had suffered, the horsemen went William Patten, Somerset’s secretary after the fugitives in a pursuit so merciless and an eyewitness of the battle, noted that even Somerset was shocked into the admirable discipline of the Scottish recalling them. pikemen. Somerset had won a resounding victory, ‘They thrust shoulders (he wrote) nigh but in the long run it counted for little. together, the fore rank, well nigh to Despite the slaughter of their army the kneeling, stood low before their fellows Scottish government refused to submit behind holding their pikes in both to English demands for the infant Queen hands…the one end of the pike against Mary to be handed over, and instead their right foot, the other against the smuggled her out of the country to enemy breast high’ France to be betrothed to the Dauphin Against this impenetrable hedge of Francis. Somerset reacted by occupying pikes the English cavalry soon came to the Lowlands and filling Scottish towns grief, many having their horses speared and strongholds with English soldiers, from under them while others, described but this achieved nothing except an as ‘a few lewd soldiers’ by Patten, gave exhausting drain on the English treasury. up the unequal fight and fled. The more The English garrisons were surrounded by determined among them attempted hostile Scots and exercised no authority to batter down the pikes with swords beyond town and castle walls, and in the and maces, but achieved little. At one end Somerset was forced to admit defeat point the bearer of the Royal Standard, and evacuate Scotland. Thus the Battle of Sir Andrew Flammack, was surrounded Pinkie Cleugh is an interesting example and almost pulled from his horse, but of a ‘modern’ army defeating one armed was rescued by a fellow cavalryman and with virtually obsolete weaponry, but its managed to hack a path to safety, still political significance was negligible and clutching the Standard that had been must be considered a pointless slaughter torn from its staff.