The
historical sources agree that Queen Margaret was allowed to raise troops in
Scotland in 1460/1. These troops marched south with her and fought in the
Battle of St Albans in February 1461. It is possible, even probable, that they
marched north with her after this battle. But the vast majority of the material I have
read on Towton makes no mention of Scottish troops at Towton.
Haigh, in From Wakefiled to Towton, (p 55) talks
of “Scottish/Northern mercenaries” who after St Albans turn northward to York
(p 57) but he does suggest latter that many of the Lancastrian forces that
mustered over the winter of 1460-1 may have possibly dispersed by the Spring (p
66). Any Scottish mercenaries, if they were such, would seem an obvious
contenders for this.
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| Bannockburn - c1440 Scotichronicon |
Anyone know any
good primary source evidence,
either way?
If they were at Towton, there are
some follow up questions – who was commanding them, what was their force
composition and dress and equipment?
Command? One secondary source claims that George Douglas, Earl of Angus,
the Warden of the Border, led the Scottish forces south in early 1461. (Lewis The Wars of the
Roses in 100 Facts). However all other references I can
find make no mention of Angus actually taking part in any campaign beyond the
border regions, partly as part of the periodic English-Scottish raiding.
In terms of what these troops looked like and how they were armed, I’m
on even thinner ground. I remember Arlequin’s excellent old blog discussing regional variations of dress
and weapons in C15th Britain. Sadly, his that site is now defunct. If I
remember correctly, he talked about a prevalence of spear over bill, in Wales
and Scotland. Similarly, Scottish forces were renowned for the spear/pike based
schillion.
I’ve struggled to find many
contemporary native images of Scottish forces. The Scotichronicon, does contain
some useful images. One of Bannockburn (above)
suggests slightly more dated armour, for the time of publication, than English
forces but another depicting Scota and Goidel Glas' voyage shows armour of a more
contemporary and continental European style
 |
| Scota and Goidel Glas -Sctichronicon mid C15th |
Along with non-native sources these suggest little significant
differences between lowland Scottish and English or French forces, bar longer spears and more basic equipment. In addition,
some research I did when I was an undergraduate, showed the relative
socio-economic differences between the border gentry and their
peers south of the Humber. Looking at wills they had less disposable income and
less chattels. Scots troops' armour and arms may have reflected this too. They may have
worn woollen bonnets, possibly blue, as by the late 15th Century,
the blue bonnet was being produced, initially in imitation of more expensive felt
and fur hats.
The Scottish border region was also know for its
archers, much sought after as mercenaries in French armies of the fifteenth
century, who become a major element of the French royal guards as the Garde Ecossaise.
Given Angus’ holdings on the borders, they and spear-based forces may be the most obvious forces for
Margaret.
If they were
highland gallowglasses, then the attire and equipment is less of a mystery and
far more distinct.
Any thoughts
on what a late C15th lowland Scottish force, south of the border would have
looked like and how it was equipped would be welcome.
