Action at Earnside

The Action at Earnside was a skirmish which took place in the Wars of Scottish Independence in September 1304. Not much is known about it, but it is significant as the last action known to be fought by William Wallace.^[1]

Even its location is uncertain. Contemporary records describe it as taking place at "Yrenside". This is usually interpreted to mean "Earnside", i.e. somewhere on the banks of the River Earn. However it has been suggested that it should be interpreted as "Ironside", which could possibly mean Ironside Hill in the Sidlaw Hills.

There is mention in English records of compensation being paid for horses lost in a flight from William Wallace at "Yrenside".^[2] There is also mention of the Constable of Dundee pursuing Wallace.^[3]

To complicate matters further, there is a plaque at a site called "Black Earnside" near Newburgh in Fife which claims that Wallace defeated the Earl of Pembroke here on 12 June 1298. ^[4] However it is not clear that this has any basis in contemporary records, and this raises some problems, among them that Wallace was at the Battle of Falkirk the following month, and the Earldom of Pembroke was vacant at that time.

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