Raid of the Redeswire

Raid of the Redeswire
Part of Anglo-Scottish Wars
Date 7 July 1575 Location Carter Bar, by the Cheviot Hills, near Redesdale Result Scottish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland	Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
Sir John Carmichael	Sir John Forster (POW)
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown, but comparatively light	Unknown, but comparatively high

The Raid of the Redeswire was a border skirmish between England and Scotland on July 7, 1575 which took place at Carter Bar, the Cheviot pass which enters Redesdale. The skirmish was between (on the English side) the English Warden of the Middle Marches, Sir John Forster, with Sir George Heron, Keeper of Redesdale, Keeper of Liddesdale and Scottish Warden and (on the Scottish side) Sir John Carmichael, the Lord Warden of the Marches, with George Douglas of Bonjedworth. It was the last major battle between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland.

Opposing Forces

After the Scottish defeat at Pinkie in 1547, no Anglo-Scottish battle had occurred until this. Sir John Carmichael assembled a small band of pikemen and gunmen in Liddesdale. He was preparing to meet Sir John Forster at Carter Bar for a truce. Sir John Forster also gathered an army. Forster was known for double-dealing, and Carmichael knew it could turn into a battle.

The battle

The Scots met with the English under Forster, and insults flew from both sides. The truce was not going well and in time it turned into a battle, starting with cannon and bow shots from the English. The English were getting the better of the infantry match. But the timely arrival of Scottish reinforcements from Jedburgh gave the Scots an advantage. They began to break the English lines and in time, the English were routed: the Scots proved victorious, and drove the English off. Forster was captured, and George Heron, along with his brother John Heron and many other notable English nobles were killed. English prisoners, however, were treated humanely and then released.

Legacy

The story of the skirmish was turned into a Border ballad. Also, on the Cheviot Hills, near the place where the battle was fought a monument was built in commemoration of the battle. It read, "On this ridge, June 7th, 1575 was fought one of the last border raids, known as The Raid of the Redeswire". This is a misnomer, as it wasn't really a raid and did not take place in the Redeswire.

References

• Ridpath, G. The border-history of England and Scotland : deduced from the earliest times to the union of the two crowns (1776) pp 650-652
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). "^{article name needed}". The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne. 

External links

• http://www.oldandsold.com/articles32n/northumbria-25.shtml

Coordinates: 55°21′14″N 2°28′41″W / 55.354°N 2.478°W / 55.354; -2.478