Siege of Berwick (1318) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Capture of Berwick
Part of the First War of Scottish Independence
An 1873 drawing of the siege
Date April 1318 Location Berwick-Upon-Tweed 55°46′16″N 2°00′25″W / 55.771°N 2.007°W / 55.771; -2.007 Result Scottish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England	Kingdom of Scotland
Commanders and leaders
Maurice de Berkeley	Sir James Douglas Sir Walter Stewart
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Capture of Berwick was an important event during the First War of Scottish Independence. In April 1318, Scottish forces led by Sir James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, took control of the town and castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The English had held Berwick since 1296. This victory was a big step for Scotland in regaining its independence.

How Berwick Was Captured

After the Scots won the major Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, they slowly took back most of their strongholds. However, Berwick remained under English control. In September 1317, King Robert Bruce tried to capture Berwick, but he had to give up after two months.

The next year, in April 1318, a man named Peter Spalding helped the Scots. Peter was English and a leader in Berwick. But he was married to a cousin of Sir Robert Keith, a high-ranking Scottish official. Peter helped followers of Robert the Bruce sneak into the town.

Sir James Douglas led this surprise attack. They managed to get into the town after a fight. However, the Scottish soldiers started to plunder (steal things) from the townspeople. This noise and chaos warned the English soldiers in the castle. Because of this, the Scots could not capture the castle right away.

Soon after, King Robert Bruce arrived with his main army. They began a long siege of the castle. After eleven weeks, the English soldiers inside the castle ran out of supplies. They had no choice but to give up.

King Robert then sent the English leaders and merchants (called burgesses) out of Berwick. He made Berwick a Scottish trading port again. He put his son-in-law, Walter Stewart, in charge of the town.

What Happened Next

Taking back Berwick was a huge win for the Scots. A historian named Michael Brown said that capturing the town and castle "marked the completion of King Robert's realm and kingship." This meant it felt like Scotland was truly free again under King Robert.

However, Berwick was a very important town because of its location. It would be captured by different sides several more times in the future. It finally became a permanent part of England when it was captured in 1482.