Action at Lanark 1297
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1297 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Scotland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | First War of Scottish Independence | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 55.6749, -3.7770 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The action at Lanark was an attack at Lanark, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence in May 1297. The Scotsman William Wallace led an uprising against the English and killed the Sheriff of Lanark, William Heselrig. The attack was not an isolated incident, but rather saw Wallace joining in with uprisings taking place across Scotland.
Not much is definitely known about this incident. The best account comes from the Scalacronica by Thomas Grey, whose father, also called Thomas Grey, was present. A fracas broke out at a court being held by Heselrig, but Wallace was able to escape with help from an individual named Innes who may have been his wife. He then came back with some supporters and attacked Heselrig and his men, killed Heselrig, nearly killed Thomas Grey, Sr. and set fire to some houses. Wallace then continued with his rebellion, which culminated in his victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge four months later.
It is unclear what Wallace was doing at Heselrig's court, and whether this was a spontaneous incident or if it was co-ordinated with other uprisings in Scotland.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Action at Lanark (revision 1370425749), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Hieton 1650 · 20 km
- Battle of Bothwell Bridge 1679 · 22 km
- Battle of Drumclog 1679 · 26 km
- Battle of Loudoun Hill 1307 · 28 km
- Battle of Happrew 1304 · 30 km
- Battle of Linlithgow Bridge 1526 · 34 km
Other battles of the First War of Scottish Independence
- Battle of Dunbar (1296) 1296
- Sack of Berwick (1296) 1296
- Sieges of Stirling Castle 1304
- Battle of Glen Trool 1307
- Battle of Loch Ryan 1307
- Battle of Loudoun Hill 1307
- Battle of Turnberry 1307
- Battle of the River Dee 1308
- Siege of Carlisle (1315) 1315
- Battle of Skaithmuir 1316
All 15 battles of the First War of Scottish Independence →
Browse more: battles in Scotland · Europe · Medieval battles