Foreword: Before we start, let me briefly explain the title of this post. The sources differ in their dating of the battle in question, with Scottish chroniclers reporting it taking place on 5^th August 1388, while the English thought it happened two weeks later, on 19^th. However, the general historical consensus, including at the battlefield site itself which we visited in 2023, seems to favour the earlier date of 5^th. So for the purposes of this post, I will use this date as the anniversary of what was an interesting and unusual event that etched it’s historical and cultural mark on the northern borderlands forever. Either way, I hope you enjoy the story…

On this day, 5^th August in 1388, a nighttime battle took place between Scottish and English forces in Otterburn, Northumberland. It was just one of a series of conflicts and border disputes that plagued the region for centuries, but the events were immortalised not just in contemporary historical records, but also in popular ballads.

The Percy Cross, the monument commemorating the Battle of Otterburn, marks the battlefield site. It can be found 1km west of Otterburn in a wooded copse, just off the north side of the A696. Erected in 1777, the monument incorporates a 14th century cross base.

Ever since Scots secured their victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 they had been gradually eating away at territories on the Anglo-Scottish border whilst King Edwards II and III were looking the other way, distracted by domestic troubles and continental interests. But by the 1380’s, with a young King Richard II on the throne, the English had turned their military focus north once again, and they didn’t like what they saw. The latest in a line of fragile truces between the two nations was about to expire, and border raids were on the rise.

In 1385, the eighteen-year-old King Richard II, under the wing of his formidable uncle, John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster and his huge army, marched to Edinburgh to put the Scots firmly back in their place. At that time, the Scots were buoyed by the recent arrival of some long-awaited French support, courtesy of the Auld Alliance struck between Scotland and France in 1295. Lasting nearly three centuries, this theoretical bond between two of England’s greatest enemies ultimately promised far more than it delivered for the Scots, and in the end, this was to be the only occasion that a substantial French force actually set foot on Scottish soil.

King Richard II was only eighteen years old when he marched to Edinburgh with his uncle John.

The French arrival in 1385 brought extra men and money for the cause, but added little to the conflict. Expecting to get stuck into a fight against Richard II and to be treated as the superior militia, they instead stood back, unimpressed by the Scots’ avoidance of pitched battle in favour of scorched earth tactics against the English. Nevertheless, the ruthless burning of crops had the desired effect, and despite inflicting considerable damage on Scottish abbeys and the city of Edinburgh, the forces of Richard and John of Gaunt were driven back across the border just two weeks into their attack. But the great continental alliance took a hit as well. As French disdain for their Scottish hosts increased, acrimony boiled up between the soldiers and fights broke out until the French left for home, leaving a parting curse on the Scots.

John of Gaunt, Richard’s uncle, was one of the wealthiest and most influential nobles in the land.

The failings of the Auld Alliance dented Scottish confidence, so things went quiet for a couple of years. However, in 1388, as the last of the truces with England was nearing its end, Richard was again distracted by threats at home and from the continent. The Scots decided to have another pop at the English, mounting a major three-pronged attack, with one assault in Ireland, and two audacious strikes across the border in the West and East March. The plan was to send the main force, led by the Earl of Fife, down through the English West March while James, earl of Douglas launched a decoy attack in the East March. Douglas and his 6,000 men burned and raided their way as far as Durham, and when news of the invasion reached the earl of Northumberland, he tasked his son, Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy with intercepting the Scots on their way home.

The Arms of Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy.

In the resulting confrontation at Newcastle, Douglas captured Hotspur’s silk pennon (the personal heraldic, fork-tailed flag that flew from a knight’s lance), an insulting act seen as a shameful slur on Hotspur’s chivalric pride. According to legend, Percy vowed to get it back, and Douglas, supposedly in true chivalric form, offered to give him the chance. So Hotspur set out after the retreating Scots, accompanied by some 8,000 men, ferociously pursuing them north-west across the county. It’s not clear whether Douglas actually knew that Percy was following him or not, but if he did, his offer of a fair chase may even have been a lure. Douglas was, in fact, riding west to meet with the Scottish army who, having made an unsuccessful attempt to take Otterburn Castle, had set up camp a mile or so to the west. After a council of war, Douglas decided, against the wishes of many of his men, to stay put at Otterburn and wait for Hotspur. He didn’t have to wait long.

Otterburn is a beautiful and peaceful (now!) place to walk.

Otterburn’s modern military use. Covering nearly a quarter of the Northumberland National Park, the Otterburn Ranges are today used as a military training ground, and the area is accessible to the public outside firing times. The remote, wild landscape is a haven for wildlife and offers stunning, uninterrupted views as far as they eye can see.

Henry Percy wasn’t called ‘Hotspur’ for nothing. His swashbuckling nickname was born from his fiery character, his speed and his reckless courage in battle. He had torn across the landscape in pursuit of Douglas, arriving much sooner than the Scots had expected in the early evening of 5^th August. Raring to go into battle and unwilling to wait until morning, Hotspur launched his attack on the Scots there and then, as the sun was setting. Many of the unsuspecting Scots had shed their armour and slipped into something more comfortable for the evening, so they were in no condition to fight. Nevertheless, with the help of urgently supplied reinforcements from a higher Scottish camp, and probably the quickest costume change in history, the Scots rallied to meet the challenge.

The view across the battlefield from the site of the Percy Cross. Ironically, we were there just as dusk was creeping in!

Darkness fell quickly, and the battle continued into the night under a moonlit Northumbrian sky. The lack of light made archery almost impossible, so fierce hand to hand combat ensued. Meanwhile, Douglas led a clever attack from ‘dead ground’ concealed by woodland, approaching unseen through a shallow gorge, and falling upon Hotspur’s exposed flank. The tactic proved a great success and victory went to the Scots, but it came at a heavy cost. Douglas himself was killed in the fighting, a severe blow to the victors who found his lifeless body the next morning.

Hotspur and his brother Ralph were captured and taken across the border as the Scots marched home. But despite being taken and held by the enemy, Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy’s enduring reputation as a valiant knight and heroic leader was secured. Clearly highly valued by king and country, his substantial ransom was paid from public funds, with Richard II and parliament chipping in to ensure his safe return to England.

A wooded path leads to the Percy Cross, with the battlefield behind. This is believed to be the the second memorial, as the first, erected in the 14th century, consisted of a battle stone placed in the spot where the most fierce fighting had taken place. The present monument was placed around 150m from its predecessor so it could be seen from the newly constructed Turnpike road to Scotland.

Estimates put the battle’s casualties at around 500 on each side, although the English losses were probably much higher. Numerous hostages were taken by both the English and Scots, and it’s believed that some of the dead were laid to rest in St Cuthbert’s Church in the nearby village of Elsdon. The Battle of Otterburn didn’t put end to the border wars, and it had wider ramifications for the Scottish and English political landscapes, and the relationship between the two nations. But although it wasn’t the biggest or best-known conflict of the border wars, over time its popularised story became woven into the culture of the Marches. Two late medieval ballads were composed based on the events, called The Battle of Otterburn, and The Battle of Chevy Chase. As well as serving as a creative record of the conflict, they celebrated the Scots’ victory and lauded the chivalric virtues attributed to both sides.

Popular both north and south of the border, the rousing ballads preserved the memory in the minds of the people, and created a legend to be handed down through the generations. In The Battle of Otterburn, it’s the reputations of the two leading protagonists, Douglas and Hotspur and their followers that emerge triumphant. Presented as two prominent border families at odds on a more personal level, they are hailed as fine examples of chivalrous valour.

The Battle of Otterburn, depicted in Froissart’s Chronicles, a leading contemporary source for the conflict.

Even beyond the romanticised ballads, the honourable conduct of both sides seem to have been a notable feature in the contemporary historical record. Perhaps we’ll leave the last word to the French chronicler, Jean Froissart (1377-c.1410), who introduces his description of the Battle of Otterburn in terms of the commendable bravery shown on both sides:

“Of all the battles and encounterings that I have made mention … in this history, great or small, this battle that I treat of now was of the sorest and best foughten without cowardice or faint hearts.”

As the legend grew, embedding itself in the psyche of the border societies through historical retelling and popular culture, the Battle of Otterburn, fought on this day in 1388, could almost be defined more by valour than by victory.