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BANNOCKBURN

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 355 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BANNOCKBURN , a See also:

town of See also:Stirlingshire, See also:Scotland. Pop. (1901) 2444. It is situated on the " See also:burn " from which its name is derived, the See also:Bannock (Gaelic, See also:ban oc, "See also:white, shining stream"), a right-See also:hand affluent of the Forth, which was once a considerable See also:river. The town lies 21 in. S.S.E. of See also:Stirling by the Caledonian railway, and now has thriving manufactures of woollens (chieflytweeds, carpets and tartans) and See also:leather, though at the beginning of the 19th See also:century it was only a See also:village. The See also:Bore See also:Stone, in which See also:Bruce planted his See also:standard before the See also:battle in which he defeated See also:Edward II. in 1314 (see below), is preserved by an See also:iron grating. A mile to the See also:west is the See also:Gillies' See also:Hill, now finely wooded, over which the Scots' See also:camp - followers appeared to See also:complete the discomfiture of the See also:English, to which event it owes its name. Bannockburn See also:House was See also:Prince See also:Charles Edward's headquarters in See also:January 1946 before the fight at See also:Falkirk. The famous battle of Bannockburn (24th See also:June 1314) was fought for the See also:relief of Stirling See also:Castle, which was besieged by the Scottish forces under See also:Robert Bruce. The English See also:governor of Stirling had promised that, if he were not relieved by that date, he would surrender the castle, and Edward II. hastily collected an See also:army in the See also:northern and midland counties of See also:England. Bruce made no See also:attempt to defend the border, and selected his defensive position on the Bannock Burn, 4- m.

S. of Stirling. His front was covered by the marshy See also:

bed of the stream, his See also:left flank by its northerly See also:bend towards the Forth, his right by a See also:group of See also:woods, behind which, until the English army appeared, the Scots concealed themselves. Two See also:corps were left in the open in observation, one at St See also:Ninian's to See also:watch the See also:lower course of the burn, one to guard the point at which the Falkirk-Stirling road crosses the burn. On the 23rd the See also:van of the army of Edward, which numbered about 6o,000 against the 40,000 of the Scots, appeared to the See also:south of the burn and at once despatched two bodies of men towards Stirling, the first by the See also:direct road, the other over the lower Bannock Burn near its junction with the Forth. The former was met by the Scottish outpost on the road, and here occurred the famous single combat in which Robert Bruce, though not fully armed for battle, killed See also:Sir See also:Henry See also:Bohun. The English corps which took the other route was met and after a severe struggle defeated by the second Scottish outpost near St Ninian's. The English army assembled for battle on the following See also:day. See also:Early on St See also:John's day the Scottish army took up its assigned positions. Three corps of pikemen in solid masses formed the first See also:line, which was kept out of sight behind the See also:crest until the enemy advanced in See also:earnest. A line of " pottes" (military pits) had been previously dug to give additional See also:protection to the front, which extended for about one mile from wing to wing. The reserve under Bruce consisted of a corps of pikemen and a See also:squadron of 500 chosen men-at-arms under Sir Robert See also:Keith, the marischal of Scotland. The line of the defenders was unusually dense; Edward, in forming up on an equal front with greatly See also:superior See also:numbers, found his army almost hopelessly cramped.

The attacking army was formed in an unwieldy See also:

mass of ten " battles," each consisting of See also:horse and See also:foot, and the whole formed in three lines each of three " battles," with the tenth " battle " as a reserve in See also:rear. In this See also:order the English moved down into the valley for a direct attack, the See also:cavalry of each " battle " in first line, the foot in second. Ignoring the See also:lesson of Falkirk (q.v.), the mounted men rode through the morass and up the slope, which was now crowned by the three See also:great masses of the Scottish pikemen. The attack of the English failed to make any See also:gap in the line of See also:defence, many knights and men-at-arms were injured by falling into the pits, and the battle became a melee, the Scots, with better See also:fortune than at Falkirk and See also:Flodden, presenting always an impenetrable hedge of spears, the English, too stubborn to draw off, constantly trying in vain to break it down. So great was the See also:press that the " battles " of the second line which followed the first were unable to reach the front and stood on the slope, powerless to take See also:part in the battle on the crest. The advance of the third English line only made matters worse, and the See also:sole attempt to deploy the archers was crushed with great slaughter by the See also:charge of Keith's mounted men. Bruce threw his See also:infantry reserve into the battle, the arrows of the English archers wounded the men-at-arms of their own See also:side, and the remnants of the leading line were tired and disheartened when the final impetus to their rout was given by the historic charge of the " Billies," some thousands of Scottish camp-followers who suddenly emerged from the woods, blowing horns, waving such weapons as they possessed, and holding aloft improvised See also:banners. Their cries of "slay, slay!" seemed to the wearied English to betoken the advance of a great reserve, and in a few minutes the whole English army See also:broke and fled in disorder down the slope. Many perished in the burn, and the demoralized fugitives were hunted by the peasantry until they re-crossed the English border. One See also:earl, See also:forty-two barons and bannerets, two See also:hundred knights, seven hundred esquires and probably 1o,000 foot were killed in the battle and the pursuit. One earl, twenty-two barons and bannerets and sixty-eight knights See also:fell into the hands of the victors, whose See also:total loss of 4000 men included, it is said, only two knights. See J.

E.

End of Article: BANNOCKBURN

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