THE BATTLE

After the defeats at Berwick, Dunbar and Falkirk, the Scots split up and went home to recover from their wounds and attend to their family duties, no doubt bewailing the callous murder of the 10,000 innocent civilian bystanders inhabiting Berwick, and the treachery of the Scots nobility at Falkirk. Wallace gave up his Guardianship and the usual infighting allowed the English to strengthen their grip especially at the strongholds of strategically placed castles. Edward, relatively politely named Longshanks, had another nickname from his own people “The Hammer of The Scots” after the outrageous bloodletting at Berwick and elsewhere.

The Scots and continental population was replaced by English to defend the border crossing and in an attempt to stop Scotland's domination of trading across the North Sea. Berwick is still English. Exactly where the Scots leaders went to has been lost, but it is thought that Wallace was around Paisley (perhaps at the family seat at Elderslie ), Comyn near Glasgow and others nearer (to Roslin) Somerfield at Carnwath, Fraser at Mediate (near Peebles), the Knights of St John (Hospitallers) at Torphichen, and Knights Templar at Balantrodoch ( now known as Temple). They came together at Biggar to await news of the English route via east or west. Wallace declined overall command perhaps due to his previous defeats and Sir Symon Fraser and John Comyn the Red took charge. Abernethy and his “monks” fed the men and used his local knowledge to guide them through the dark winter night, probably using the line of the old Roman Road, to Roslin. About six to eight thousand Scots had come to Biggar not knowing which of the routes available the English would take so it had been a reasonable choice of rendezvous.

On approaching Roslin without encountering any opposition, the English split up into three divisions each of 10,000 men and settled down for the night knowing the Scots were at Biggar. They were well surprised when the Scots appeared early

In the morning while Segrave and his mighty army still slept. Seagrave himself was badly injured and his son and brother captured in their camp beds and many prisoners taken. They had only just been disarmed when another 10,000 English appeared and the Scots were forced to remove the danger of such a huge of number of prisoners at their rear, by killing them. This could in no way be compared to the murder of 10,000 people a few years earlier in Berwick, being an urgent military need.

The Scots attacked the next 10,000 and won again, capturing RALPH DE MANTON, the Cofferer, or paymaster general, and a huge amount of booty. The great difference in warfare nowadays must be appreciated. No button pushing, or trigger pulling, but man agin man, fighting to the death, then immediately having to continue to fight the next man. No fancy Spanish blade pointing and parrying. The heavy weight of the broadsword, or even more of the claymore, would not be easily avoided. The Lochaber Axe, or whatever local variation was possible, ripped open the underside of horses leaving soldiers slipping and sliding through the gore of blood and guts. Of men and horses. They were tired , very tired , after riding or marching all night, from Biggar via Carlops , fighting and winning despite facing much greater numbers and better equipment and then finding that second group of English and having to dispose of prisoners before succeeding again, only to be confronted by a third division of 10,000. Some must have been demoralised, others exhausted, or both. Until that is, the intervention of PRIOR ABERNETHY.

Under his instruction a number of monks ran up to the top of Carnethy Hill in The Pentlands some three miles distant (and 500 feet higher) where they managed to give the impression that reinforcements were on their way to repel the invaders, thereby boosting the Scots and frightening the English. The name Carnethy is of course a modern corruption of Abernethy.

The third division of English, under Sir Richard Neville, fared no better. They made their way from Dalhousie Castle and up to Roslin via Polton (near Lasswade)

Where they saw the Scots on their knees, and thought, with good reason that this would be an easy fight. They took up positions confronting the Scots, lined up in battle order, prepared their massive horses, mounted the heavily armoured Knights, and positioned the archers and men at arms. Then they saw the movements on Carnethy hill, and on the other tops of the Pentland Hills, which seemed to be large numbers of Scots troops arriving from the north and west. Suddenly the Scots charged and before the English cavalry could get up any speed the final phase of the days battle was joined. Being hard pressed the English shuffled backwards, just a bit, enough to straighten out the line, or to give more space to those that demanded it. To the rear however, was the River Esk, and a drop of up to 30 feet. Those at the rear tumbled over, drowned in the river or were crushed as the weight of others landed on them, or simply had their ability to move in self defence restricted - fatally! On the opposite side of the River Esk is a cave which was supposed to have been used by Wallace at some stage before, after or even during the battle to contemplate the situation and tactical requirements. How many Wallace caves are there in Scotland?

The tactics used at Roslin were very similar to those used later at Bannockburn when the English were made to take up positions where their heavy cavalry could not operate freely, and their (Welsh) archers were too closely confined to operate without spoiling their aim or shooting their own soldiers. The steep slopes of the Bannock Burn claimed many of the invaders lives as had the slopes of the Esk. Only 10 per cent of the invaders returned home from Roslin being those that were worth a ransom! They apparently did not talk much of the defeat, or the methods used in bringing it about .

The present day area around the town of Roslin bears many names relating to the battle :- SHINBANE FIELD, being the biggest of the human beings bones, the shinbone lasted longest in the natural graves of mud and glaur. So many have been ploughed up through the years to give the name to the field!; KILBURNwhose glen was not as well drained as it is nowadays, but visitors still need wellies or boots! When people said that the burns ran red for days after the (or any ) battle, it wasn't just because that so many died there, but because it took so long to die, to slowly bleed to death of untreated injuries, abandoned as enemies, or friends that could not be medically helped, leaking their precious life blood into the ground and water. MOUNTMARLE where one monk known as Marle was instructed to get up on a horse and ride off to pass on orders. STINKING RIG, HEWAN BOG and THE STANKS rather horribly refer to the smell of bodies rotting where they were cut down. There was no St Andrews Ambulance in those days. No trained and experienced first aiders or medics patching up injuries and sending the wounded back to nearby “MASH” type units. If a man was wounded and unable to immediately run off, he was as good as dead. Untreated minor injuries meant you could no longer defend yourself. Then count yourself lucky if the locals finished you off quickly to facilitate robbing your body. Or just bleed to death. SLOWLY.