Battle of Stirling Bridge
Background
In 1296, John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, defeated John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, at the Battle of Dunbar, which in turn caused King John Balliol of Scotland to surrender to Edward I of England. De Warenne stayed in Scotland to oversee control of Scotland on Edward's behalf.
Scottish forces under William Wallace and William Douglas had successfully retaken Scone in June of 1297. Wallace was gaining momentum.
By late summer, Andrew de Moray initiated a revolt in northern Scotland, taking control of Aberdeen, Banff, Elgin, Inverness, and Urquhart. In early September, Wallace joined Andrew de Moray near Dundee, before their combined forces marched on to Stirling.
The English were also organizing, as John de Warenne had joined Hugh de Cressingham, and both had arrived at Stirling by September 9th. By then, Wallace and Moray were already in Stirling and occupied Abbey Craig, overlooking Stirling.
De Warenne was concerned about the size of the Scottish forces and the narrow wooden bridge that spanned the River Forth near the castle that separated the armies, so he delayed crossing the river for several days to allow time to negotiate with the Scots and search for other ways over the river.
On September 11th, he sent James Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, and two friars to negotiate with Wallace and Moray. William Wallace responded with "We are not here to make peace but to do battle to defend ourselves and liberate our kingdom. Let them come on and we shall prove this to their very beards.”
The Battle of Stirling Bridge was about to begin.
Battle
The Scots were camped on Abbey Craig, which overlooked the flat ground north of the River Forth. They occupied the high ground but were outnumbered by the English.
The English forces were camped on the south side of the River Forth. Their army consisted of English, Welsh, and Scottish knights, archers, and foot soldiers.
Sir Richard Lundie, a Scottish knight who joined the English, offered to outflank the Scots by taking a force of knights over a ford in the river two miles upstream, where sixty knights on horseback could cross at the same time. But Hugh de Cressingham convinced de Warenne that a direct attack over the wooden bridge before them was the better move. With that, de Warenne gave the order to the English to begin crossing the bridge and form on the north side. The bridge was a safer crossing, but it was only wide enough for two knights abreast to cross.
The Scots did nothing as the English knights and infantry, led by Hugh de Cressingham, began to cross the bridge and reform their lines. Then Sir Marmaduke Thweng, 1st Baron Thweng, and Sir Richard Waldegrave slowly began to cross the bridge with their troops.
Wallace and Moray waited until as many of the English as they thought they could overcome crossed the bridge and then ordered their counterattack. The Scottish spearmen charged down from Abbey Craig and fended off a charge by the English cavalry and then attacked the infantry. This turmoil created a chokepoint in front of Stirling Bridge, preventing the main army of the English from crossing. Cut off in a bend of the river, the English had nowhere to retreat to, and most were killed by the Scots. Hugh de Cressingham was unhorsed and cut down. Those who could escape did so by swimming across the River Forth, including around 300 Welshmen. Marmaduke managed to fight his way back across the bridge with some of his men.
John de Warenne was still on the south side of the river with a contingent of archers and the bulk of his army in a strong position. Still, he lost his confidence, so instead of reinforcing the line, he ordered the bridge to be destroyed and retreated towards Berwick, leaving a garrison at Stirling Castle. James Stewart, who earlier tried to negotiate peace with Wallace on behalf of the English army, now turned sides and pursued de Warenne, managing to disrupt the English supply train.
Aftermath
John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, left Sir Marmaduke Thweng and William FitzWarin to control Stirling Castle for the English. An English chronicler estimated the English losses in battle as 100 mounted knights, including Hugh de Cressingham, and 5,000 infantrymen. Scottish casualties were not recorded, other than Andrew de Moray, who was mortally wounded and died by early November.
It is told in Scottish legend that the Scots took Hugh de Cressingham's body and flayed it, and William Wallace had a broad strip of Cressingham's skin "taken from head to heel, to make therewith a baldrick for his sword."
William Wallace was knighted and appointed Guardian of Scotland and commander of its army. The Scots would raid northern England as far south as Durham.
But King Edward I was already planning another invasion of Scotland, which would culminate at the Battle of Falkirk.
The Battle of Stirling Bridge and William Wallace are commemorated today by the National Wallace Monument, which stands on Abbey Craig overlooking the battlefield and in sight of Stirling Castle.
