Stirling Council Supplementary Guidance May 2019 SG: Historic Environment Battlefields www.stirling.gov.uk/planning de1 Supplementary Guidance Battlefields 1. Introduction 1.1 Historic Environment Scotland maintains the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland, while inclusion in the inventory does not carry any new statutory restrictions, it is a material consideration in the planning process. The definitions of the battlefield area and the reasons for their inclusion in the Inventory are explained in the Inventory itself, as well as in Historic Environment Scotland’s The Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland: An Introductory Guide, and Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Historic Battlefields. These documents also expand upon the merits and value of battlefields to wider society. It is important to stress that the focus of Historic Environment Scotland’s guidance is to assist with the sympathetic management of change within the battlefield rather than automatic preservation in situ in perpetuity. 1.2 Each Inventory report reflects the best interpretation of the extent of battlefield, based on informed opinion; and identifies key characteristics, important features and archaeological potential of the battlefield landscape. This information, together with the managing Change Guidance note is intended to support the management of the battlefield in the planning context in such a manner as to conserve and enhance the essential characteristics of the battlefield. 1.3 The key components of battlefields can include a wide variety of material, including natural landscape features such as hills, gorges and water courses, views, upstanding structures such as barriers and buildings, buried features such as graves and pits and objects associated with the battle surviving in the topsoil such as weapons and horse gear. 2 Supplementary Guidance Battlefields 1.4 Historic Environment Scotland’s guidance (Section 3) states that ‘Changes to battlefields should seek to protect, conserve and, where appropriate, enhance historic battlefields. If a battlefield is to accommodate modern development, its key landscape characteristics and special qualities should be retained’. 1.5 The sympathetic management of the battlefields in the Stirling Council area therefore needs to take into account overall landscape char acteristics, key specific features and archaeological potential. This is considered below for Stirling Bridge, Bannockburn, Sauchieburn and Sheriffmuir and has been prepared in support of Primary Policy 7: Historic Environment and Policy 7.8 of the Stirling Local Development Plan. 1.6 It is important to stress that a Battlefield can contain both Scheduled Monuments and Listed Buildings and that inclusion in a designated battlefield does not alter their status 1.7 There is an obligation under the Town and Country (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2008 to consult Historic Environment Scotland on proposed developments on Inventory Battlefields. This will exclude existing buildings and householder developments 3 4 2. Battle of Stirling Bridge (11th September 1297) 2.1 The battle took place on one day (11th September 1297) between the Scots led by William Wallace and Andrew Moray and the English led by John de Warenne and Hugh de Cressingham on behalf of King Edward I. Stirling Bridge marks the high tide mark in Scottish resistance to Edward I, following his defeat of the Scottish army at Dunbar in 1st March 1296. Andrew Moray was killed at Stirling Bridge and Wallace was defeated at Falkirk in July 1298 and subsequently captured and executed in 1305. 2.2 While Stirling Bridge represented a significant defeat for the English, it was not a decisive blow. However, it demonstrated that an English army could be beaten by the Scots and laid the foundations for King Robert I’s eventual success at Bannockburn in 1314. At an international level, Stirling Bridge was the defeat of professional cavalry by an infantry army of peasant-amateurs, in a way that anticipated the much better known Battle of Courtai in 1302. In addition, it represents the first time during a period of centuries, that a purely national army had opposed and defeated a powerful feudal array in defence of national integrity 2.3 Wallace’s achievements are of course commemorated by the magnificent Wallace Monument on Abbey Craig, located within an earlier hillfort, originally thought to be Wallace’s base, but now confirmed by archaeological excavation to date to the 7th-8th Centuries AD. 5 2.4 The English army which comprised c 13,400 troops, assembled on the south of the River Forth between Raploch and Riverside, while the Scottish army (c 6580) was positioned at Abbey Craig from Causewayhead to Craigmill. The only bridge across Forth, a narrow wooden structure was located immediately upstream of the current 15th century stone bridge. The bridge was located at the open end of a huge horseshoe meander of the Forth, which stretches from Bridgehaugh to the rugby club. Across the open end of the meander ran a causeway that led from the bridge to the Abbey Craig. The bulk of this causeway is followed by the modern Causewayhead Road. 2.5 The English army began to move across the bridge and to muster on its eastern side. When sufficient numbers of the English army had crossed the bridge, the Scots advanced along the causeway and blocked the bridge to prevent both English reinforcements and retreat. The English army was therefore trapped in the meander and panic ensued. The bulk of the army probably remained west of the Forth both at the Raploch/Riverside Camp and Stirling Castle and watched their comrade’s defeat. 2.6 At this point in the battle The Steward of Scotland and the Earl of Lennox who had been attempting to negotiate with the English at their camp on the Raploch side of the Forth led their troops against the English and captured their baggage train. At the conclusion of the battle some 5400 English troops fell during the battle and one of the English commanders, Cressingham had his skin divided into small parts as an insult. No figures are given for Scottish losses, although of course Andrew Moray died. 6 2.7 While no artefacts have been recovered from the battle, the location of the original Stirling Bridge has been recorded and the broad character of the battlefield is identifiable, and in particular the meander remains substantially undeveloped. This means that there are sufficient open areas and interconnecting views to allow the overall pattern of the battle to be understood and followed on the ground and the integrity of the battlefield to be preserved and enhanced. 2.8 In addition, any undeveloped areas of the battlefield have the potential to contain either features or artefacts associated with the battle. The key known features and components of the battlefield were identified above in the sequence they were impacted upon by the battle and are identified again below in their own right in relation to other surviving aspects. Comments are also made on those portions of the battlefield that are already built up. In addition, it is clear that there are portions of the area defined by the battlefield inventory that are either peripheral to key events or are less sensitive to change given modern development in their vicinity. 2.9 Finally it is anticipated that those features considered to be key components to the understanding of the battlefield should be excluded from development on archaeological grounds. Those areas that have already built upon or are considered either peripheral to key components, or less sensitive to change, a development proposal should take the battlefield into account in a positive way, including demonstrating how it will conserve or enhance the resource 7 2.10 The two key views of the battlefield: that from Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument are not in fact part of the designated area, although it is likely that Wallace, Moray or an element of their command observed troop movements from Abbey Craig and English troops observed the battle from Stirling Castle. The maintenance of open views of the core of the battlefield to and from these two locations is essential to the public’s understanding and engagement with the battlefield. 2.11 The meander of the Forth at Bridgehaugh is the core of the battlefield and its single most important element. The bulk of the meander remains undeveloped, although the majority of it is separated from the original Stirling Bridge by the railway embankment. This area has considerable potential to contain artefacts associated with the battle. It may even contain the graves battlefield dead. Limited archaeological evaluation of the area around Bridgehaugh appears to suggest that there are no alluvial deposits at this location and thus limited potential for the burial of archaeological features and objects under deep deposits. 2.12 With regard to views, both the area to the east and west of the railway embankment has views to the Castle and to Abbey Craig and these are essential to the understanding of the battlefield and its integrity. To the west of the railway, the current stone bridge blocks the views to the location of the original Stirling Bridge, however, the open views to and from either side of the Forth at this point are very evocative and aid the comprehension and integrity of the battlefield. 8 2.13 At present there are two open areas to the North and South of Laurencecroft Road, the area to the south has been landscaped while the area to the north is wasteground. In the recent past both of these areas have been developed. This area covers the English Camp, the South-West side of the original Stirling Bridge and the scene of the attack of the English by the Earl of Lennox 2.14 It is not clear what if anything survives of the battle or the indeed the original bridge (in the northern area) in these locations.