The Battle of Neville’s Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy loss by an English army of approximately 6,000–7,000 men led by Ralph Neville. The ensuing battle ended with the rout of the Scots, the capture of their king and the death or capture of most of their leadership. The eventual ransoming of the Scottish King resulted in a truce that brought peace to the border for forty years.
About Battle of Neville’s Cross in brief
The Battle of Neville’s Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy loss by an English army of approximately 6,000–7,000 men led by Ralph Neville, Lord Neville. The battle was the result of the invasion of France by England during the Hundred Years’ War. King Philip VI of France called on the Scots to fulfil their obligation under the terms of the Auld Alliance and invade England. David II obliged, and after ravaging much of northern England was taken by surprise by the English defenders. The ensuing battle ended with the rout of the Scots, the capture of their king and the death or capture of most of their leadership. Strategically, this freed significant English resources for the war against France, and the English border counties were able to guard against the remaining Scottish threat from their own resources. The eventual ransoming of the Scottish King resulted in a truce that brought peace to the border for forty years. The Battle was named after an Anglo-Saxon stone cross that stood on the hill where the Scots made their stand. After the victory, Neville paid to have a new cross erected to commemorate the day. In January 1343 the French and English had entered into the Truce of Malestroit, which included Scotland. In defiance of the truce, hostilities continued on all fronts, although mostly at a lower level; King David III of Scotland led a six-day raid into northern England in October 1345.
Edward III of England planned an invasion of northern France in 1346 and King PhilipVI of France sent an appeal to David II to open a northern front. By 1346 England had been embroiled in the Second war of Scottish independence since 1332 and the Hundred years’ War with France since 1337. It was described by both Scottish and English chroniclers of the time, and by modern historians, as the strongest and best equipped Scottish expedition for many years. Many had modern weapons and armour supplied by France. The border fort of Liddell Peel was stormed and captured after a siege of three days and the garrison massacred. The Scottish army moved east, ravaging the countryside. They arrived outside Durham on 16 October and camped at Beaure Priory, where the monks offered the Scots £1,000 in protection to be paid on 18 October. Once the Scots invaded England, not a large army, Lord Zouches, the Warden of the Archbishop of York, who was not a Scotsman, told parliament the Scots were saying openly that they will break the truce as soon as they march into England. The invasion had not been expected by the Chancellor of England two years earlier; the Chancellor had told parliament that the Scots had not invaded England for some time. By the time the invasion took place, the English had mobilised at Richmond in Yorkshire under the supervision of William de la la laure, the Lord Warden of York.
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