Battlefields

Battle of Carham

The Battle of Carham is believed to have taken place in 1018. It was fought between the army of the Earl of Northumbria and the combined armies of the Kings of Scotland and Strathclyde on the south bank of the River Tweed at, or near to, what today is the hamlet of Carham. In the battle the Northumbrians, who were fewer in number, were defeated.

Although the Battle of Carham was small compared with military confrontations in later centuries, it had an important outcome that has endured for 1,000 years. Until the battle, the Kingdom of Northumbria extended as far north as the Firth of Forth. But as a result of the battle, the River Tweed became the northern border of the Kingdom, and it largely remains the border between Northumberland and Scotland.

  • There is, however, a small piece of Scotland, known as the Baa’ Green or Ba’ Green, south of the river.
Re-enactment of the Battle of Carham by Northumbrian Vikings, Carham parish, Northumberland

The Battle of Carham was re-enacted in 2018 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the confrontation

If you are visiting the hamlet of Carham, the decommissioned red phone box opposite the church gates is now a visitor centre, with information panels and an audio description about the battle.

For more information about the Battle of Carham, visit the Carham 1018 Society website.

Battle of Flodden

The Battle of Flodden (1513) was the culmination of a military campaign led against the English Crown by James IV of Scotland at the behest of the French King, Louis XII. The battle itself was fought between the Scottish King’s army and the army of the English Crown, led by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. In the battle, an estimated 12,000 men died. The vast majority were Scottish, among them James IV.

The Flodden battlefield is in what, today, is the adjoining parish of Branxton, but the Scottish campaign, in which James IV took the castles of Wark, Norham, Etal and Ford, extended across a wide area, as did troop and artillery movements in the lead-up to the Battle of Flodden, and in its aftermath.

The decommissioned phone box in the village of Branxton holds information about the battle.

For more information about the Battle of Flodden, visit the Flodden 1513 Ecomuseum website.