Battle of Myton 1319

Details

BATTLE OF MYTON
1319

In 1318, during the Scottish Wars of Independence, Berwick-on-Tweed fell to the Scots. The following year, King Edward II laid siege to the town in an effort to recapture it. To create a diversion the Scots sent a force of some 15,000 men to ravage Yorkshire. Their depredations were such that the Archbishop of York, William de Melton, led a scratch force of about 15,000 clerics and townsfolk out of York to Myton, hoping to surprise the Scots.

The inexperienced English army was no match for the Scots. They crossed the small bridge and advanced in disorder, whereupon the Scots encircled and routed them. Many of the English were drowned in the Swale, although the Archbishop escaped.

The concern of the northern English nobility for their unprotected lands was such that King Edward II had to raise the siege of Berwick in order to pursue the Scots. Nevertheless, he failed to intercept them, and there followed a two-year truce in the Anglo-Scottish wars. The documentation of the battle sheds rare light on the military tactics of the period.

The battlefield is today much the same as in 1319, with hay pasture dominant but medieval ploughlands evident in the form of ridge and furrow. Two more recent tree belts separate the bridgehead from the Scots' position.

AMENITY FEATURES
A public right of way gives access to the heart of the battlefield between Myton Bridge and Clot House Farm. Subtle undulations indicate former ridge and furrow ploughlands and earlier courses of the River Swale. Myton itself is a village with visible medieval features. A Countryside Commission Open Access Area currently allows the circular trail route to be followed.

OTHER DESIGNATIONS
Myton is a remote area under the Rivers Ure and Ouse Recreation subject plan and is subject to open countryside policies in the emerging Harrogate District Local Plan. It is a Special Landscape Area under the Hambleton plan (L9).

KEY SOURCES
Brie, F W D (ed.), 1906, The Brut or the Chronicles of England
Denholm-Young, N (trans.), 1957, The Life of Edward the Second by the so-called Monk of Malmesbury

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment to the Selected Sources on 10/04/2019

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

22

Legacy System:

Battlefields

Sources

Websites
English Heritage Battlefield Report: Battle of Myton 1319 (Published 1995), accessed 10th April 2019 from https://historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/listing/battlefields/myton/

End of official list entry

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