Battle of Solway Moss

Battle between James V and Henry VIII

Jul 3, 2008

In the marshy borderlands between Scotland and England, the Battle of Solway Moss was fought, with James V's Scottish lords being soundly beaten by Henry VIII's army.

The term “battle” hardly describes what happened at Solway Moss in the autumn of 1542. A more appropriate term may be the “Skirmish at Solway Moss,” since the Scottish army put a weak effort at best, to defeat their long time enemy, the English.

James V & His Uncle Henry VIII

James V was scheduled to meet with his Uncle, Henry VIII at York in while the English king was on his summer progress in 1541. Henry, who rarely ventured to the northern realm of his kingdom, traveled to York specifically to meet his nephew. James V wanted very much to travel south to England and meet his uncle, but at the last minute the Scottish parliament forbid the king to go. They were afraid James might be kidnapped and held hostage in England. Henry VIII, always overly sensitive, took the snub as personal and vowed vengeance.

In August of 1542, the Scottish won a victory over the English at Haddon Rig. The victory would be short lived.

The Battle of Solway Moss

James V wanted to continue the winning streak by invading England. His nobles, however, did not agree with their king. After calling them a bunch of them all “faint hearted” James left Edinburgh on November 21, 1542 for the border with Cardinal Beaton and his last noble minion, Oliver Sinclair. Sinclair took charge of the 14,000-20,000 men, leading them from Langholm toward the River Esk. The English forces, led by Sir Thomas Wharton, quickly routed the Scots back, to Solway Moss, a swampy plain. A handful of Scots were killed, but for the most part the Scots help up their swords and gave themselves up. Approximately 1200 Scots were captured for ransom. The Scottish nobles that did accompany the mission opted for being taken hostage rather than death, because they had left so little faith left in James V.

The Death of James V

James V was already ill at Falkland Palace, when news was brought of the English victory over the Scottish army. Matters did not improve for the Scottish king when his queen, Marie de Guise, gave birth to a baby girl on December 9, 1542. James V died on December 14, 1542. Romantic legend purports that his last words were “It came wie a lass and will pass wie a lass.” Referring to the Scottish throne coming to the Stewart family through the daughter of Walter Stewart and leaving via James’ own daughter, Mary. Most likely these words were added by later historians for dramatic effect.

The Battle of Solway Moss marked the beginning of the Rough Wooing of Mary, Queen of Scots by the English. Tensions would continue until Mary’s grandson, James VI (James I of England) became the king of both countries.

Sources:

Maclean, Fitzroy. Scotland: A Concise History. Thames & Hudson. London, 2002.

Oram, Richard. Kings & Queens of Scotland. Tempus Publishing. Gloucestershire, 2006.

The copyright of the article Battle of Solway Moss in Scottish History is owned by Lorri Mealey. Permission to republish Battle of Solway Moss in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.