Battle of Neville's Cross

Battle of Neville's Cross
Part of the Hundred Years' War and the Second War of Scottish Independence
A colourful image of late-medieval knights fighting outside a walled town
Battle of Neville's Cross from a 15th-century manuscript
Date17 October 1346
Location
Neville's Cross, west of Durham, England
54°46′21″N 01°35′36″W / 54.77250°N 1.59333°W / 54.77250; -1.59333
Result

English victory

  • Capture of the Scottish King
Belligerents
Scotland England
Commanders and leaders
King David II (POW)
John Randolph, Earl of Moray 
William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale (POW)
Lord Ralph Neville
Lord Henry Percy
William Zouche
Strength
12,000 6,000–7,000
Casualties and losses
1,000–3,000 killed
Many captured including King David II
Few
Battle of Neville's Cross is located in England
Battle of Neville's Cross
Location of the battle within England

The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy loss by an English army of approximately 6,000–7,000 men led by Ralph Neville, Lord Neville. The battle was named after an Anglo-Saxon stone cross that stood on the hill where the Scots made their stand. After the victory, Neville paid to have a new cross erected to commemorate the day.

The battle was the result of the invasion of France by England during the Hundred Years' War. King Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) called on the Scots to fulfil their obligation under the terms of the Auld Alliance and invade England. David II obliged, and after ravaging much of northern England was taken by surprise by the English defenders. The ensuing battle ended with the rout of the Scots, the capture of their king and the death or capture of most of their leadership. Strategically, this freed significant English resources for the war against France, and the English border counties were able to guard against the remaining Scottish threat from their own resources. The eventual ransoming of the Scottish King resulted in a truce that brought peace to the border for forty years.