Introduction
This evening, my theme is the Battle of Stirling Bridge which took place on September 11th 1297.
Stirling is about forty miles N.W. of Edinburgh.
Information on the battle
The original bridge was wooden and located about 300 feet upstream of the existing stone built medieval bridge (above). The current spans the River Forth and is situated on the plain between Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument.
This battle arose as a function of the aggressive and predatory attitude of the English King Edward I. Edward’s strategy was to bring Scotland under his (English) rule.
River Forth at Stirling.
The Scots were led by William Wallace (aka ‘Braveheart’) and Andrew Murray. John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey commanded the English forces. The River Forth separated the two forces with Scots to the north and English to the south.
Below is landscape view of Stirling, including battle site, with castle in top right.
On the morning of the battle, de Warenne overslept . By the time he awoke his forces had already commenced crossing the small wooden bridge which was narrow and permitted only two soldiers/cavalry abreast at a time.de Warenne recalled the troops and then issued fresh orders to cross. This allowed the Scots to control events in that as soon as a manageable number of soldiers had crossed they swooped down and destroyed them, thereby cutting the English army in two. A route of the English ensued and to compound matters the bridge collapsed. The English lost about 10 pct of their army in the defeat which resulted in a restoration of Scottish pride and Wallace being entrusted with Guardianship of the realm.
Latest interpretation of the battle
It is now believed that the tidal range of the River Forth was up to about six feet higher seven hundred years ago. The water may have risen about twelve feet behind the English army as they slowly mustered on the north bank . They were thus entrapped between the Scots in front and the rising water behind. Result was the English broke ranks with loss of about 5000 men. Clearly, the English were ignorant of local conditions.This deficit gave the advantage to Wallace and the Scots notwithstanding the superior size of the English force.
Below is view of Abbey Craig and Wallace Monument in intermediate distance. This is where Wallace’s forces were positioned.
More information
The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland contains sections on selected battle sites plus a wide range of information for the tourist. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.