Scottish Castles Association

Preserving the Past for the Future

Yester Castle and Trial by Combat

The War of the Rough Wooing 1543-1551

The War of the Rough Wooing was an eight year conflict to force the Scots into agreeing to a marriage between their infant Queen Mary and Prince Edward, the six year old son of Henry VIII.

Under the Treaty of Greenwich in 1543, the Scots had agreed to the match but the Scottish parliament refused to ratify the decision.

Incandescent with rage, Henry declared himself King of Scotland and despatched an army to force acceptance of the union – the Scots looked to France for help.

In spite of military success, Henry was no nearer his goal when he died and Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, was appointed Regent. Somerset’s approach was to control Scotland by garrisons.

The strategic value of Yester Castle

Somerset would have liked to have garrisoned Dunbar Castle, but it was too strong to take, so he settled on Haddington, 12 miles from the sea.

It was a bad move as its long supply lines would be open to attack, so any strong point that could interrupt its provision had to be taken – Yester (Goblin Ha’), three miles from Haddington, was an obvious candidate.

Enter Lord Grey

Lord William Grey of Wilton, was entrusted with the task.

The coat of arms of Sir William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton*

Grey was a brave and competent commander. In 1547 he had fought at the Battle of Pinkie, where he had been badly wounded:

He received a great wound in the mouth with a pike, such as clove one of his teeth, struck him through the tongue and three fingers deep into the roof of his mouth; yet notwithstanding he pursued the chase pouring blood until pulled from his horse by the Duke of Northumberland

Lord Grey arrives at Yester

In 1548 Lord Grey left Berwick for Haddington, which he began to fortify utilising soldiers and labourers. Not all of the military were happy doing manual labour, especially the Spanish who said that they were 'men of war and not artificers’. To avoid trouble, Grey withdrew a force to

... a castell that was three myles from the towne, named Ester Castell

What Grey found was an old castle with obsolete defences but strong due to its position – a triangular promontory bounded by ravines through which flowed the Hopes Water.

A sketch representing Yester Castle, 1685, based upon a painting

The only access was from the south and this was cut off by a ditch. All that can be made out today are the remains of a 15th century tower house, but the rest of the site was protected by seven foot thick walls.

Grey placed his cannon and prepared to attack.

The Assault

The forte of Ester was furnished with Scottes and Spanyards (mercenaries), who stood at their defence, refusing to submit themselves, until the lord Graye had with the grate cannons made a breach, and was ready to enter the saide castell, then they yielded and desired pardon for their lives only; which the lorde Gray granted unto them all excepting one, who during the siege had revyled the King (Edward VI) in wordes and abused his grace’s name with most opprobrious terms.

Then they all are forth of the castell in their shurts only submitting themselves to the mercy of the lorde Gray. And upon strayt examination who should be the rayler that was excepted out of this pardon was knone to be one Newton, a Scott’ bout he, to save himself, put it to one Hamilton. Thus these two gentlemen accused one the other.

Trial by Combat

To settle the dispute Lord Grey arranged a Trial by Combat in the market place of Haddington, each to be armed with sword, buckler and dagger. He then sat down to watch.

At first Hamilton was in the ascendancy and forced Newton to the edge of the lists (if pushed over he would have been hung) only to be brought down by a blow to his leg whereupon...

Newton fell on him him, and slewe him with his dagger.

The English were unhappy as they had believed Hamilton was the innocent party, but by the Laws of Arms Newton was freed after ‘Lord Grey gave him his own gown from his back’.

Thus was he well rewarded that better deserved to have been hanged. But he escaped no so; for afterwards, as he was riding between the borders of England and Scotland, he was slain and cut in pieces.

Postscript

The war was to last a further three years but with the arrival of a French force of 10,000 men, the English were always on the back foot and by the marriage of Mary to the Dauphin, the war had lost its purpose. Peace was signed in 1551 – later that same year Somerset was beheaded.

Article by Scottish Castles Association member Brian McGarrigle. *Coat of Arms image courtesy of Rs-nourse, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons