William Prendergast (died 1333) facts for kids

Sir William Prendergast (died 19 July 1333) was a brave knight who lived a long time ago. He fought during the Wars of Scottish Independence, which were battles between Scotland and England. Interestingly, he fought for both sides at different times! Sir William was killed while fighting for Scotland during the important Battle of Halidon Hill.

Early Life and Service

Sir William Prendergast owned land in both England, near Cornhill-on-Tweed, and in Scotland, in Stirlingshire. He started his military career serving England. In 1311, he was part of the English soldiers protecting Berwick Castle.

Later, in 1315, he was praised for his excellent service at Jedburgh Castle, another English stronghold. However, he was later accused of letting the Scots take over Jedburgh Castle.

Changing Sides

After England lost the Battle of Bannockburn to King Robert I of Scotland, Sir William decided to join the Scottish side. Because of this, his lands in England were taken away by the English king.

The Siege of Berwick

In 1333, the important town of Berwick was under attack by a large English army led by King Edward III of England. Sir William Prendergast joined a group of Scottish knights, including Sir William Keith and Alexander Gray. They led about 200 Scottish horsemen.

Their mission was to help the people inside Berwick. They managed to cross a damaged bridge and get into the town. The defenders of Berwick believed that this group of horsemen meant the town had been "relieved," or saved, according to a truce they had. This meant they thought they didn't have to give up the town.

A Difficult Truce

King Edward III disagreed. He said the relief force had to come directly from Scotland, but Sir William's group had come from the direction of England. The Scottish leader, Archibald Douglas, thought Berwick was safe and told Edward III to leave. He even threatened to attack England if Edward didn't go.

Edward III saw this as breaking their agreement. To put pressure on the town, he threatened to harm hostages. One hostage, Thomas Seton, who was the son of Berwick's governor, Alexander Seton, was harmed. Edward III warned that more hostages would be harmed each day the town refused to surrender.

The Final Battle

Because of this pressure, Sir William Keith, who was now in charge of Berwick, made a new agreement. He promised to surrender the town if it wasn't truly relieved by Tuesday, July 20th. Keith, Gray, and Prendergast were allowed to leave Berwick safely to tell Douglas about the new situation.

They found Douglas and the Scottish army near Bamburgh. The Scottish army then moved towards Duns. The next day, the Scottish army approached Halidon Hill, ready to fight the English. During this fierce battle, Sir William Prendergast was killed.

After the battle, Sir William's son, also named William, was able to get back the family lands at Cornhill-on-Tweed.