Battle of Piperdean

Battle of Piperdean
Part of the Anglo-Scottish Border Wars
Site of the Battle of Piperdean, Old Cambus, from Piperdean Bridge
Date 10 September 1436 Location Near Cockburnspath, Berwickshire, Scotland Result Decisive Scottish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland	Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus	Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
Strength
1,500-4,000	4,000
Casualties and losses
very few	Killed unknown 1,500 captured

The Battle of Piperdean (1436) was an engagement in the Scottish Borders, fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England.

An English force led by George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of March and Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland attempted to take the forfeited Dunbar's Castle of Dunbar, back from William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus who as Warden of the Scottish Marches had invested the castle the previous summer. Percy and Dunbar came north with some 4000 men.

Angus did not want to undergo a siege, and decided to pre-empt the English by attacking them en route. An army of roughly he same force surprised the English, under Angus, Adam Hepburn of Hailes, Alexander Elphinstone of that ilk and Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie.

Although an overwhelming Scots victory, here is some confusion as to casualties and prisoners taken. Ridpath states that the Scots lost 200 men including Elphinstone, with Brenan concurring about this 'trifling' amount, whilst stating that the English fatalities were to the tune of 1500 men, including 40 knights.. Balfour Paul disagrees citing Walter Bower's Scotichronicon, stating that the slain on the field of both sides amounted to only forty, but with 1500 taken prisoner.

Northumberland retreated to Alnwick Castle, but it was not long before he returned to Scotland to successfully relieve Roxburgh Castle, under besiegement by King James.

Sources

• Brenan, Gerald-A History of the House of Percy-Freemantle, London 1902
• Maxwell, Sir Herbert-A History of the House of Douglas-Freemantle, London 1902
• Ridpath, George-The Border History of England and Scotland-Edinburgh, London, Berwick 1776