The Battle of Flodden, fought on 9 September 1513 near Branxton, Northumberland, remains one of the bloodiest clashes in Anglo-Scottish history. King James IV of Scotland’s ill-fated invasion of England ended in catastrophe: the king slain, 10,000 Scots dead, and a nation left reeling. This article delves into the weaponry, tactical blunders, and clan dynamics that shaped the battle, alongside first-hand accounts that immortalised its sorrow.
Key Figures and Forces
Scottish Commanders & Clans
Role/Contribution
King James IV
Led the vanguard; killed in the final melee.
Lord Home (Clan Home)
Commanded the left wing with Borderers and Highlanders; retreated early, criticised for abandoning the king.
Earl of Huntly (Clan Gordon)
Fought in the left wing; his Gordon retainers suffered heavy losses.
Earl of Argyll (Clan Campbell)
Led the right wing with Highland and Island troops; died alongside 500 Campbells.
Both branches of Clan Kerr, the Kerrs of Ferniehirst and Kerrs of Cessford, fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at Flodden. Sir Andrew Kerr of Ferniehirst, a formidable leader known for his left-handed swordsmanship, commanded a contingent of “Men of Jedhart” (Jedburgh) during the conflict. The Kerrs were among the key Border clans who rallied to defend Scotland’s honour under the Auld Alliance with France
Crushed by English billhooks, a weapon they underestimated.
English Advantages
Weapon/Tactic
Details
Impact
Billhook
8ft polearm with axe blade and hook; could dismount riders, slash pikes.
Outmanoeuvred pikes; butchered trapped Scots (see The Trewe Encounter chronicle).
Longbows
Fired 12 arrows/minute; range 200–300 yards.
Disrupted Scottish advances; “arrows fell like hail” (English ballad).
Light Artillery
Falconets and serpentines; faster reload than Scottish guns.
Targeted Scottish leadership; demoralised ranks.
Watch Battle of Flodden documentary:
Clan Involvement: Voices from the Field
Though clan records are sparse, fragments survive in poetry and chronicles:
Clan Campbell (Argyll):“The Earl of Argyll and his Gaels fell as the heather falls before fire.” , Scottish lament, 16th century.
Clan Gordon (Huntly): The Ballad of Flodden recounts:“Gordon’s men, in armour bright, / Stood firm, but fell ere night.”
Clan Home: Accused of deserting James IV, as noted in the English chronicle Trewe Encounter:“The Lord Home’s division fled, leaving their king to the bills and arrows.”
First-Hand Accounts: Grief and Glory
Poetry and Song
“The Flowers of the Forest” (Scottish lament):“We’ll hae nae mair lilting, at the yowe-milking, / The flowers of the forest are a’ wede away.” Commemorates the annihilation of a generation.
English Ballad:“Full many a Scot there slain did lie, / Beneath the billman’s stroke.”
Chronicles
Pedro de Ayala (Spanish ambassador):“The Scots fought like lions, but the King’s body was found pierced with arrows and gashed by bills.”
Thomas Howard’s Report to Henry VIII:“Their long spears availed them not; our bills did hew them down like hazel wood.”
Outcome and Legacy
Aspect
Scotland
England
Casualties
~10,000 dead, including 12 earls, 14 lords, and James IV.
~1,500 dead; decisive victory.
Political Impact
James V’s infancy triggered regency chaos; clans weakened by lost leaders.
Surrey regained Dukedom of Norfolk; bolstered Tudor military prestige.
Cultural Memory
“Flodden Wall” built in Edinburgh to repel English raids; annual memorials.
Celebrated in Tudor propaganda as divine favour.
Why Flodden Matters
Flodden was a calamity born of ambition and miscalculation. The Scots’ rigid pike formations and misplaced artillery proved fatal against England’s adaptable billhooks and archers. For clans like the Campbells and Gordons, losses were generational. Yet, the battle endures in ballads and laments, a testament to how history is forged not just by steel, but by sorrow.
