Liber Pluscardensis is in Late Medieval Books.
But on the 2d of April the king of England settled down to the siege of the said town of Berwick with a very large force of men-at-arms, and besieged that town of Berwick from the beginning of April until the 14th of August; and on Saint Mary Magdalen's Day1 fought the woful battle of Halidon Hill, where a very great part of the nobles of Scotland were almost swept away, especially of those who sided with King David. For, when the king of England had laid the siege both by land and by sea, and the Scotsmen had manfuUy defended themselves inside, setting fire to great part of his fleet and sinking it, the noble William Seton being drowned with the buming ships before the eyes of his father who was on the wall of the town, at length, fearing the king's malice, the Scots inside oifered to make terms on the understanding that, if no reinforcements came to them from Scotland by a time limited, they should surrender the aforesaid town to him the king of England; and Thomas Seton, son of the captain of the said town, was given by his father as security for this. Meanwhile, however, Archibald Douglas, called the Tineman, had been made guardian of Scotland immediately after the capture of sir Andrew Murray on Boxburgh bridge; and, being very warlike and high-spirited, he straightway assembled the whole force of the men-at-arms of Scotland who sided with King David, to the number of sixty thousand, with whom he purposed invading England, according to the decision of the council, and laying it waste and consuming with fire and sword everything he could see, that thereby they might force the king to raise the siege in order to®! give them battle. So, when they came in sight of the said town, they showed themselves and their banners and standards to their countrymen on the walls of the said town; and then, turning aside without sending messengers to the besieged governors of the said town to unfold their purpose, they were minded to enter England. The besieged, however, being in doubt, secretly sent messengers to them from Berwick and urged them to fight with the English force, deeming them to be the stronger force. So, yielding to their advice, they unfortunately altered their mind and halted that night in a certain park of Donamis. But the king of England, hearing of this, came up to the gates before the day appointed in the said agreement for the town to be given up and surrendered, and demanded that the aforesaid town should be given up to him; and, because‘this was refused him, he straightway set up a gallows before the gates of the town and hanged the aforesaid Thomas Seton before the eyes of his father and mother and of all the others who were in the town. Next morning, which was the Day of the blessed virgin Margaret, they marched towards the town with great display, in order of battle, and recklessly, stupidly and unadvisedly chose a battle-ground at Halidon Hill, where there was à marshy hollow between the two armies, and where a great downward slope, with some precipices, and then again a rise lay in front of the Scots before they could reach the field where the English were posted, with their troops skilfully and prudently distributed and the vantage-ground well studied beforehand; forin that place one champion was enough to overcome three. So, though they labour in vain, yet they attacked manfully and slew many on either side. At length the Scots, out of breath with climbing the above-mentioned hill, were forced to give way aud scattered in flight, cut down and pitifully massacred, killed and taken prisoners and led off to the army of the king of England. Next morning the king of England ordered themto kill all the prisoners; and this was accordingly done, save only with such as were kept in concealment. Now the names of the chief nobles who were slain on the side of David Bruce were these: James, John and Alan Stewart, sons of the noble Walter Stewart and brothers of Robert, afterwards king after: David; Archibald Douglas, the aforesaid guardian of Scotland; Hugh earl of Ross; Kenneth earl of Sutherland; Alexander Bruce earl of Carrick; Andrew, Simon and James. Fresale, brothers; and countless other nobles, whom it would be tedious to enumerate, and more pitiful than useful. The number of the slain in this battle was, by the estimate of heralds worthy of belief, over ten thousand men. Immediately after the battle was fought, as aforesaid, the lord earl of the Marches and the lord Seton, being without hope of rescue, surrendered to the said king the aforesaid town of Berwick, together with the castle, the inhabitants being saved harmless in life, limb and property; and they tendered the oath of allegiance to him as their lord paramount. That earl was compelled by the said king of England to rebuild at his own expense the castle of Dunbar, which had been previously battered to pieces. But within a few days afterwards Edward Balliol overran the whole kingdom with the forces of the king of England, subduing it and unsettling it and distributing offices and keeping in the hands of the English and of the Scots who embraced his cause all the castles and strongholds but four, namely Dumbarton Castle, the warden whereof was sir Malcolm Fleming; Lochleven, the warden whereof was Alan de Vypont; Kildrummie, the wardenship whereof remained in the hands of Christina Bruce; and Urquhart Castle, of which Thomas Lauder, who was called the Good, had the wardenship; and there was also the stronghold of Lochdoun, the warden whereof was the venerable John Thomson.
Note 1. This is incorrect. Saint Mary Magdalen's Day is 22nd July. The battle was fought on 19th July 1333.
In these days John of the Isles kept up friendly relations with the English party, and John [aged 29] earl of Murray, who was at Tarbert Castle, used to haye many discussions and disputes with him. When, however, the count of Guelderland [aged 23] arriyed in the south of Scotland with a strong army to help the king of England, the aforesaid earl quitted the north and moved thence and marched southwaids; and, being joined by the earl of the marches, William Douglas [aged 35], Alexander Bamsay and many other nobles of the kingdom, he fought an engagement [on 30th July 1335] with the said count of Guelderland at Boroughmuir near Edinbuigh. Here many were slain on either side, and a certain warrior maiden of Guelderland, arrayed in knightly aimour, had a bout with a noble Scot of the name of Richard Schaw. On being killed by this Richard Schaw, she was found to be a woman, to the great astonishment of all. But, just as they of Guelderland were getting the upper hand, William Douglas and some nobles from Pentland came up and put them to flight as far as the town of Edinburgh and into the street which is called Mair Winde (Saint Mary's Wynd); and they fled as fer as the hill of the Castle of Maidens (Edinburgh Castle), which was then in ruins, and established and fortified themselves on the said hill as best they could, making themselves, as some assert, an outer rampart out of the carcasses of the horses killed. Being, however, overwhelmed with hunger, cold and faintness, they surrendered to the said warden, their lives and property being spared; and, after paying a reasonable ransom, they shortly went home again. But, out of regard for the king of France, their ransom and spoils were returned to them by the said guardian, and they departed free to their own countiy; and moreover, their ships having been sent away, he in person with some of his nobles escorted the said count of Guelderland by land as far as within the borders of the English marches. Here, on his way beck, he suddenly came upon one Peter Pewsy (William de Pressen), who with a strong army had been pillaging and was carrying off some booty from Scottish tenitory, and fought with him; but, as they were unarmed the said guardian was taken piisoner by the English plunderers who were anned, and was brought to the king in England. The brother of William Douglas, James by name, was killed at that place. Thereupon, when the earl of Athol heard of the capture of the said guardian Murray, he exulted with very great joy; for he hated him, as also sir William Douglas.
The Liber Pluscardensis aka Chronicle of Scotland to 1436, in twelve books, transcribed in 1489 (fol. 120v) from a lost original, which was probably compiled in 1461 at the Cistercian priory of Pluscarden, a cell of Dunfermline, for Richard Bothwell, abbot of Dunfermline, by Maurice Buchanan.
Sequitur de bello de Vernueil, cum incidenciis,
As the season progressed and winter approached, the Dauphin of France, aware of the Scots' good fortune and relying on their support, after mature deliberation, sent the Earl of Buchan, Constable of France, to Scotland to bring back a larger Scottish army. This Earl Archibald Douglas, the second of this name, returned with ten thousand armed men, along with many other nobles, knights, barons, and distinguished leaders; some of whom landed in Brittany and others in La Rochelle, at the Feast of Shrove Tuesday, in the year of Our Lord 1423. The King of France had died, and his son Charles, the Dauphin, was not yet crowned, hindered by various cities between him and the site of his coronation, namely the city of Reims. Although he was king, he was not crowned. He had few supporters in the kingdom, due to the division between him and the Duke of Burgundy, which was caused by the killing of the Duke of Orléans; because of this, he was in great financial distress. The king indeed bestowed the Duchy of Touraine on the said Earl of Douglas; and gratified other lords according to their status, so that they were content, whether by gifts or promises, to live and die for the king against the English in his cause.
Delphinus vero Franciæ, videns præt[er]ire sestatem et yemem appropinquantem, attendens eciam fortunam bonam Scotorum et confisus in subsidio eorum, ex matura deliberacione preehabita misit in Scociam prædictum comitem Buchanise, constabilarium Franciæ, ad majorem Scotorum exercitum reducendum. Qui comitem Archibaldum de Douglas, secundum hujus nominis, cum x millibus armatorum secum reduxit, cum multis aliis nobilibus, militibus, baronibus, proceribus et aliis, egregie ordinatis: quorum quidam in Britania, alii in Rupella applicuerunt, ad festum Carnis Brevii, anno Domini M°cccc°xxiii. Rex Franciæ defunctus est, et filius suus Karolus Delphinus non dum ad huc coronatus erat, obstantibus sibi diversis civitatibus inter eum et locum suse coronacionis, viz. civitatem Remensem Rex vero erat, licet non coronatus. Qui paucos habuit in regno faventes, propter divisionem inter eum et ducem Burgundiæ, causa occisionis ducis Aurilianensis: propter quod magnam habuit pecuniæ penuriam. Qui[n]ymmo rex contulit dicto comiti de Douglas ducatum Turonensem; ac alios dominos secundum eorum statum gratificavit, taliter quod contenti erant, quid per dona quid per promissa, pro rege contra Anglicos vivere et mori in sua querela.
Ultimately, the Duke of Bedford, the deceased King of England's brother, then ruling in France, along with the Earl of Salisbury and the Duke of Gloucester, sent a large family of soldiers to lay siege at the castle of Evry in Perche; negotiations were held that within forty days, in the absence of relief, the said castle would be surrendered to them. The Scottish princes, seeing this, prepared themselves with all eagerness and speed for the encounter. And so it happened: the Earl of Douglas and the Duke of Touraine, having become the general lieutenant of the King of France, was crowned as the duke in Bourges in Berry with great solemnity, but later, after leaving guards in their camps and their towns, he prepared himself for the appointed day; with him, the said Earl of Buchan, Constable of France, and the son-in-law of the said lord duke; also all the Scottish nobility then present; and also from France, the Earls of Harcourt, Amale, Tonnere, and Narbonne, with many of the French nobility, all of whom fell in battle, so that almost no nobleman, neither of Scotland nor France, escaped from that battle, each either captured or killed. And there died, near a field near the village of Vernueil, between the said castle of Evry and the aforementioned village, the said Duke of Touraine, with the Constable of France, his son-in-law, and James of Douglas, his second son, a most valiant knight, and grandson of the King of Scotland, with other barons and knights up to the number of fifty notable lords; and of others a great multitude, both nobles and archers, of whom no certain number can be ascertained: but an estimated seven thousand Scots and five thousand French. The mode and cause of the destruction of the war were as follows: The army of France did not yet come timely to the appointed day of battle for the recovery of the castle of Evry, but in the castle; and so, the castle having been returned to the English, the French army at Vernueil in Parche, held on behalf of the King of England, prepared themselves, gave assault, and took the village; and around it they placed their camps, thinking that the English army would return to Normandy. At last, the scouts of the Gauls came with great haste, saying that the entire military force of the English divided into three battle lines was intending to attack with speed. Hearing this, the leaders of the Scots, who were divided among themselves as to which of them seemed greater, conceived great envy; and thus unjoined, divided, not well united in heart, they entered the battlefield. The French, however, among themselves united, formed another line. The Lombards and Germans indeed prepared a third line.
Tandem dux Bedfordise, frater regis Anglise defuncti, tunc regens in Francis, cum eo comes de Salisbery et dux Glocestrise, cum multa armatorum familia apud castellum de Evry in Perchia obsidionem miserunt: cum quibus tractatum fuit quod infra xl dies, in defectu succursus, prsedictum castrum eis redderent. Principes vero Scotorum, hsec videntes, omni alacritate et festinancia prseparaverunt se ad incongressum [cum] eis habendum. Quod ita factum est: Ut ipse comes de Douglas et Turonice dux locum tenens generalis regis Francise effectus est et dux coronellatns apud Burges in Bery cum maxima solemnitate, postea vero dimissis custodibus in castris et in villis suis, ad diem prsefixum se prseparavit; cum eo dictus comes de Buchania, constabilarius Francise, et gener dicti domini ducis; eciam tota nobilitas Scocise ibidem [pro tunc] existens; ac eciam de Francia comites de Hairtour, de Amale, de Tun[n]aare, de Nerbon, cum multa nobilitate Gallicana: qui omnes in bello ceciderunt, ita quod nullus quasi nobilis nec Scocise nec Franciae [a] preedicto bello evasit, quin aut captivus aut occisus erat. Ibidemque obiit, apud locum prope villam de Vernueil campestrem, inter dictum castrum de Evry et villam supradictam, dictus dux Turonise, cum constabilario Franciæ, generi suo, ac Jacobo de Douglas, secundo filio suo, validissimo milite, et nepos regis Scocise, cum aliis baronibus et militibus usque ad numerum quinquaginta notabilium dominorum: ac de aliis multitudo magna, tam nobilium quam architenencium, quorum nullum certum numerum habere comprobatur: ad sestimacionem vero septem millium Scotorum et quinque Gallicorum. Modus vero et causa perdicionis belli talis erat: Exercitus vero Franciae non dum tempestive venit ad diem statutum belli pro recuperacione castri de Evry, sed in castro; et sic, castro Anglis reddlto, exercitus Franciae apud Vernueil en Parche, ex parte regis Angliae tentum, se praeparaverunt, insultum dederunt, et villam ceperunt; et in circuitu exercitum eorum locantes castrametati sunt, putantes Anglorum exercitum in Normanniam redditurum. Tandem exploratores Gallorum venerunt cum magna festinacione, dicentes quod tota milicia Anglorum in tribus aciebus bellicis divise in eo irruere intendentes cum celeritate appropinquaverunt. Quod audientes Scotorum principes, qui inter eos ut quis eorum major videretur divisi erant, magnam invidiam conceperunt; et sic inconjuncti, divisi, in corde non bene uniti, campum bellicum intraverunt. Gallici vero, inter eos uniti, aliam aciem fecerunt. Longobardi vero et Almani terciam aciem paraverunt.
It follows on the manner of proceeding in war, with incidents.
17th August 1424. With the French war thus arranged, the English also organized themselves into three similar battle lines: in the first was the Earl of Salisbury, in the second Duke John of Bedford [aged 35], and in the third were the French, Burgundians, and foreigners. The Scots first attacked the vanguard of the English, where the Earl of Salisbury was, inflicted great slaughter on them, and astonishingly repelled them by capturing some, killing others, and dispersing others, forcing them to flee up to the second line or battle formation. Seeing this, the Lombards, Alemanni, and Gascons, who were armed both on horseback and in body, all being cavalrymen and unwilling to dismount, thinking that the victory was leaning towards the French, began to charge over the baggage behind the rearguard; because they were arranged like a flying wing, to come to the aid of others in times of need. And indeed, in the first assault, they charged the English archers and breaking their formation, with others coming upon them, made a way to enter; and proceeding to plunder afterwards, because of their fear, others turned to flight and regrouped at the battle of Duke Bedford. Thus, the English lords, reinvigorated by their arrival, calling for a new battle, gathered together into one mass and charged into the battle lines of the French and Scots, returning to those among them, as has been said before, who were wickedly divided and in their battle exposed.
Gallicorum bello sic ordinato, Anglici in tribus similiter aciebus bellicis se ordinaverunt: in quarum prima erat comes de Salisbery, in secunda dux Johannes Bedfordise, in tercia Gallici, Burgundienses et extranei. Scoti autem primo in wangardiam Anglorum, ubi erat comes de Salisbery, irruerunt, maximam stragem in eos fecerunt, ac de eisdem quosdam prsecip[it]ando, quosdam occidendo, quosdam fugando, mirabiliter repulserunt, et ad fugam compulserunt usque ad secundum bellum sive aciem belli. Quod videntes Longobardi et Allemanii et Gasconici, qui erant armati tam in equis quam in corporibus, qui omnes equestres erant, nolentes in pedibus discendere, putantes victoriam Gallicis cedere, super baggacium cœperunt infundere post reregardiam; quia ipsi tanquam ala volans, ad succurrendum in tempore necessitatis aliis, ordinati erant. Et de facto in primo impetu super Anglorum architenentes irruerunt, et eorum ordinem dirumpentes, aliis supervenientibus, locum intrandi fecerunt; et ad spolia postea procedentes, ob eorem timorem alii in fugam conversi ad bellum ducis Bedfordise se recolligentes ju[n]xerunt. Et sic domini Anglorum eorum adventu reanimati, ad novum bellum proclamantes, in unam massam congregati sunt, et in aciem belli Francorum et Scotorum irruerunt, revertentes qui inter eos, ut præmissum est, nequiter divisi erant et in eorum bellum fenestrati.
Because of this, the English, pressured between the wars of the Lombards and the French, such that they had to either defend themselves or die in battle, exerted force, and thus entering between their wars, they achieved final victory, and cruelly killed all the lords and nobles without mercy. The Lombards, after capturing the spoils, along with their followers, seeing the victory in battle, the cruel slaughter and the flight of the French, without retreating, gathered into one mass, and did not pull back until they reached the river Laar; and there they divided the spoils. And thus their plundering was the cause of the destruction in battle. Consequently, after the victory, with the field plundered, the heralds requested the bodies of the lords, namely the Duke of Touraine, the Earl of Buchan, who was also the constable, and James of Douglas, son of the said duke: whose bodies were drawn in a single carriage to Tours, and in the cathedral of the said city, in the middle of the choir, were buried in one and the same grave. The Duke of Bedford, after achieving victory, returning in his pomp and vain glory to Rothomago, was struck by a severe leprosy and expired; leaving the Earl of Salisbury in charge: who began to exercise the office of regent not without great arrogance.
Propter quod Anglici, inter bella Longobardorum et Francorum angustiati, sic quod eos oportebat vel defendere vel mori in bello, vim facientes, et sic inter bella eorum intrantes, finalem victoriam adepti sunt, et omnes dominos et nobiles sine misericordia crudeliter occiderunt. Longobardi vero, post prsedam captam, cum eorum sequacibus, visa belli victoria, ceede crudeli et Francorum fuga, sine redditu in unam massam recesserunt, et usque ad ripariam de Laar frenum non retraxerunt; et ibidem spolia diviserunt. Et sic eorum spoliacio perdicionis belli fuit occasio. Et consequenter post victoriam, campo spoliato, harraldi corpora dominorum pecierunt, viz. ducis Turonensis, comitis Buchaniae, qui et constabilarius fuit, ac Jacobi de Douglas, filii dicti ducis: quorum corpora in una quadriga ducta Turonis, in ecclesia cathedrali dictee civitatis, in medio chori, in una et in eadem fossa inhumata fuerant. Dux vero Pedfordiae, post victoriam adeptam in sua pompa et vana gloria Eothummago rediens, percussus lepra pessima expiravit; comite de Salisbery ad regimen relicto: qui non sine summa arrogancia officium regentis exercere incepit.
For the purpose of gaining control over the Duchy of Orléans, who was still held captive in England after the battle of Agincourt, [the leader] was so eagerly longing that he prepared himself with all his might for the siege of the aforementioned city of Orléans. This was done in the year of Our Lord 1427, bringing with him lords such as the Earl of Suffolk, Lord Lancelot de Lesly, Lord de Calebot, Lord de Scalis, Lord de Willemby, with many others, numbering thirty thousand armed men, with their chariots and horsemen, and formidable war machines, cannons, and other necessities required for the siege; and in the year of Our Lord 1428 he affirmed the siege: initially capturing the fortresses and surrounding villages and fortifications, such as the villages of Baugy, Melun Surlair, Yenwille en Beausse, Laferte Ymbaud, Laferte Newart, Laferte Galis, Saint Memmyn, Saint Benoit, and Gearguaw; also capturing the monastic churches in the suburbs of the city; and from these altered and transformed, fortified bastilles were made on all sides of the city, both on the islands of the river Laar both below and above the said city, and even in the monastic churches in the suburbs, as previously mentioned, surrounded, up to the number of seven very strongly fortified bastilles.
Nam ad conquirendum dominium ducis Aurilianensis, qui captivus ad huc post bellum de Agentcourt in Anglia rellctus remansit, tam ardenter anelabat, quod ad obsidium civitatis supradictse Aurilianensis omnibus viribus se prseparabat. Anno Domini M° cccc° xxvii hoc factum est, adductis secum dominis comite de Suthfok, domino Lanceloto de Lesly, domino de Calebot, domino de Scalis, domino de Willemby, cum multis aliis, numero xxx millia armatorum, cum curribus et equitibus suis, ac machinamentis eoram bellicis formidalibus et cannalibus, et aliis necessariis ad obsidionem requisitis; et anno Domini M° cccc° xxviii obsidionem affirmavit: captis primitus fortaliciis et villiculis circumsitis ac municionibus, veluti villas de Baugy, de Melun Surlair, de Yenwille en Beausse, de Lafert[e] Ymbaud, Laferte Newart, Laferte Galis, Saint Memmyn, Saint Benait et de Gearguaw; captis eciam ecclesiis monasterialibus in suburbanis civitatis; et ex hiis alteratis et transmutatis fortalicia bastilliata facta sunt ex omni parte civitatis, tam in insulis riparii de Laar tam subtus quam supra dictam civitatem, ac eciam in ecclesiis monasterialibus in suburbanis, ut praemittitur, circumsitis, usque ad numeram vii bastilliaram fortissime munitaram.