Penrith & Eden in the Anglo-Scottish Wars

by Joseph Jackson

The construction of Brougham Castle started around 1217 to guard the crossing into Westmorland as the Scots had occupied Cumberland and Westmorland in 1216 to 1217. Cumbria was not a stranger to Scottish raids, but the beginning of the 13th century would see a great escalation in the conflict which would last for nearly 200 years.

The Scottish kings had for centuries made claim to the lands of Cumberland and Northumberland and while their claim to Northumberland carried little weight in law, their claim at the time to Cumberland was factual as it was indeed ruled by them until it was finally taken from them in 1091 by William II.

In 1237 an arrangement drawn up in York by the Papal Legate gave the manors of Penrith, Sowerby, Langwathby, Salkeld, Carlatton and Scotby to the Scottish King as long as he paid homage each year to King Henry III of England. However, the short peace was brought to an end with the death of both King Alexander III and the Maid of Norway (his only grandchild) in 1286.

In 1297 after his great victory at Stirling Bridge, William Wallace led a large raid on Cumberland and Westmorland. It was said that their progress could be marked by the smoke from the burning villages in the landscape. They unleashed every horror on the people of the two counties. Penrith and many villages were burned to the ground and many hundreds of people were killed.

The atrocities committed by the army of King Edward l and his unlawful occupation of Scotland raised fury in Wallace and the Scots. This fury was consequently unleased towards the people of Cumberland.

The wealthy merchants who lived on the west side of the river Eden in Appleby fled to the castle and watched as the poorer people living in Bongate were massacred and the town utterly destroyed.

After the English disaster at Bannockburn in 1314 the north was left almost totally defenceless and at the mercy of the Scots. In fact it is worth noting that outside the main cities and towns, the Crown never really regained full control of the north of England until 1746. The Scottish army under Bruce and his right-hand man, “Black Douglas’, raided the north with impunity. Penrith and Eden were attacked in 1314, 1315, and then again, and most destructive raid in 1322. Prior to this, Penrith had become the main market town in Cumberland as it was set further away from the border than Carlisle. However, this only served to make it a prime target for the Scots. It is recorded that during the raid of 1322 the town of Penrith burned to the ground and many of the inhabitants were carried away by the Scots, never to be seen again.

The Scots returned to Penrith in 1345 and the town was again attacked and smoke rose from all the villages in the area. In 1348 Penrith was holding its annual fair when a force of 3000 Scots attacked. However, this time it was not just plunder they carried away with them as they were unaware a plague was also present in the town and the Scots subsequently carried that back with them into Scotland.

Penrith Castle at this time provided little shelter for the towns people as it consisted of no more than a tower. The castle was enlarged in 1399 to provide shelter for the towns people, making it one of the last stone castles to be built in England.

The evidence of Penrith’s violent past at the hand of the Scots can still be seen if you know where to look. After 1345 the town was designed for defence against attack. Passage ways called ‘yards’, which can still be seen in the town centre, were designed for people to retreat into and the entrance would be closed with a strong reinforced oak door. The passages to the yards were low and designed for only one person at a time to pass through so even if the raiders did break down the door, only one raider at a time could fit in the passage, giving the defenders inside an advantage over them.

The town also had an earthen rampart with timber walls surrounding it. This was used to deter the Scots from further attacks. Sadly, this has long since vanished under the expanding town. The last remaining trace of it used to be visible at Thaka, otherwise known as Thakhay Gate.

Another section of the town’s defences can be seen at Kemplay Bank. As one travels up or down Kemplay, you may notice the field banks to each side. Unfortunately, very recently, the western bank has since been destroyed. The banks were originally engineered to have steep sloping sides and a flattened surface at the top. They would have been lined with a low timber wall to allow archers to cover the river crossing at Eamont Bridge and guard the southern approach to Penrith. Today the Scots visiting the town are much more welcome.