The Battle of Byland
Harry Pearson
Our next talk is The Battle of Byland, by Harry Pearson on 16th February at the North Yorkshire Moors Park Authority offices (Committee Room) at 7.30 pm
All Welcome
At first light on the morning of October 14th in the Year of Our Lord 1322, the armies of two kings confronted each other at Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire. The soldiers of King Edward II of England looked down from the heights at a strong force led by King Robert I ‘the Bruce’ of Scotland as they deployed in the area around Gormire Lake, with thousands more approaching from the direction of Northallerton to the north-west. Soon they would join battle in a confrontation as dramatic as the landscape it was fought in.
Harry Pearson tells the story of the ensuing Battle of Byland, and as well as describing the events of the battle itself, his talk will address the wider historical context, the campaign leading up to the battle, and the immediate aftermath and longer-term consequences.
The battle was a significant encounter in the Scottish War of Independence, and unusual in that it was fought so deep into English territory. Another interesting feature being that it is one of only two occasions in the history of Anglo-Scottish warfare when the kings of both nations were present in the field.
This talk casts light on a fascinating but little-known and neglected episode of our island history, and reveals a conflict largely shaped by the dramatic landscape it took place in. The outcome of the battle illustrates the almost-total hegemony King Robert was able to establish over large parts of the North of England in the early 14th century, but also Edward II’s stubbornness and refusal to recognise the inevitable – an intransigence that would contribute to his ultimate downfall.