POLITICAL HISTORY 



period was one of steady progress owing to the immunity from Scottish 

 invasions. Towards the end of 1346 King David of Scotland, urged by his 

 ally the Icing of France, invaded England. Advancing through Cumberland 

 at the beginning of October, and marching by Hexham, he crossed the 

 Derwent at Ebchester and travelled down the valley of the Browney to 

 Bearpark, a place some three miles west of Durham, where the prior had a 

 summer residence. David had hoped to find the country denuded of troops 

 owing to the invasion of France by Edward IIL"' In this he was mistaken, 

 for William de la Zouch, who with Ralph Neville and Henry Percy had been 

 in the previous August appointed to the command of the country north of 

 the Trent, concentrating his forces at Richmond on 14 October, marched 

 that day to Barnard Castle, where he was joined by Lord Percy and Sir Thomas 

 Rokeby the sheriff of Yorkshire. On 16 October the force marched to 

 Bishop Auckland and encamped in the park there. On this day the first 

 collision took place between the opposing forces ; Sir William Douglas, with 

 some cavalry, while making a raid to the south, was surprised near Ferryhill 

 by some English. Douglas beat a rapid retreat, but being overtaken near 

 Croxdale his force was very roughly handled and suffered severe loss, Douglas 

 with difficulty escaping to bear the tidings to his king. David immediately 

 concentrated his army, which had been permitted to raid the neighbouring 

 country and levy a poll-tax from such of the wretched inhabitants as had 

 not fled south. Early on the morning of 17 October the English marched 

 from Bishop Auckland, past the right flank of the Scotch force, and took up 

 a position on the high ridge which lies just to the west of Durham and 

 separates the valley of the Wear from that of the Browney. On the English 

 right were the Northumbrians under Henry Percy; the centre, under the 

 archbishop of York and Ralph Neville, who was in supreme command, was 

 composed of the bishopric troops ; whilst the left, which was the largest 

 division of the three, consisted of levies from the south of the Tees, under 

 Sir Thomas Rokeby sheriff of Yorkshire, and Lord Mowbray. There was 

 in addition a reserve division under Lord William de Roos. The Scottish 

 force was also divided into three divisions. David commanded the centre, 

 Sir William Douglas and the earl of Moray the right, and the High Steward 

 of Scotland and the earl of March the left, which, as in the case of the 

 English force, was the largest of the three divisions. The battle began at 

 nine, and by mid-day all was over. The Scotch right, advancing over difficult 

 ground, were thrown into confusion by the arrows of the English archers. 

 Attacked then by Rokeby's division, they were unable to withstand the charge, 

 and, broken and disordered, were driven back on the centre, Moray being 

 killed and Douglas taken prisoner. The English left, however, which was 

 opposed to the High Steward, whose division was the largest of the Scotch 

 force, did not fare so well, being sorely pressed until relieved by the arrival 

 of Roos's reserve division. Thus reinforced the English right pressed the 

 Scotch left with such success that the High Steward determined to retire 

 and leave the centre and ^he shattered remnants of the Scots' right wing to 

 their fate. Meanwhile a desperate struggle was taking place in the centre 

 between the men of the bishopric and the Scotch king ; but Neville, first 

 reinforced by Rokeby's victorious left and then by the troops which had 



'" Hatfield was absent with King Edward III in France ; Diet. Nat. Biog. sub nom. ' Hatfield.' 



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