English invasion of Scotland (1300)

Edward I called for his army to assemble at Carlisle. In May 1300, Edward I led an English army consisting of 20,000 along the Western Marches and a campaign into Annandale, Nithsdale and Galloway to follow up on the success of 1298 and to put down resistance to English rule.^[2] The army travelled from Carlisle, to Annan, then to relieve the garrison of Lochmaben Castle. The English then placed Caerlaverock Castle under siege in July 1300, which they captured after five days. After the fall of Caerlaverock Castle, the English marched to Dumfries and then to Kirkcudbright. The battle on the Cree, in August 1300, between English forces and Scottish forces led by John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, John Comyn, Earl of Buchan and Ingram de Umfraville, was a victory for the English forces.

In August, the Pope sent a letter demanding that Edward I withdraw from Scotland. Edward I marched as far as Stirling Castle. Due to the lack of success, Edward arranged a truce with the Scots on 30 October 1300 ^[3] and returned to England, not being able to capture Stirling Castle.

The Scots had refused to engage in open battle, apart from a number of small skirmishes, preferring instead to raid the English countryside in smaller groups. The lack of funds and supplies, accompanied by demands by his Scottish supporters to grant them estates held by Robert de Brus, led to the campaign stuttering to a halt and the withdrawal of the English army from Scotland. Edward I began planning almost immediately for a larger campaign in 1301.

Citations

References

• Barrow, G.W.S: Robert Bruce. University of California Press. 1965
• Chalmers, George: Caledonia: Or, An Account, Historical and Topographic, of North Britain; from the Most Ancient to the Present Times: with a Dictionary of Places, Chorographical and Philological, Volume 3. T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1824