The English King who used a Scottish castle as a temporary garrison
In short: In 1296, Edward I, known as 'the Hammer of the Scots,' marched through Moray to assert his dominance. While his legacy is defined by the theft of the Stone of Scone, his presence in the region left behind a trail of occupied castles and a landscape of shifting loyalties.
During the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the area around modern-day Lossiemouth became a strategic theater for the wars between the English crown and Scottish resistance. Edward I, the English monarch, visited the region during two significant sojourns. In late July 1296, he stayed in Elgin for four days, a period during which he famously removed the Stone of Scone from Scone Palace to be placed in Westminster Abbey. He returned to the area in September 1303, staying in Elgin for two days before camping at Kinloss Abbey from 13 September to 4 October.
The English military presence was not merely ceremonial; it involved the occupation of vital fortifications. At the time of Edward II's reign, English garrisons maintained control over several key strongholds, including the castles at Kinneddar, Elgin, and Duffus. This occupation provided a foothold for English power in the north, but it also set the stage for a violent Scottish resurgence.
The tide turned in 1308 when Robert the Bruce exploited the distractions of King Edward II in England and France. Leading an army supported by David de Moravia, the Bishop of Moray, Bruce launched a campaign of targeted destruction against English-held positions. He burned the castles of Inverness and Nairn before successfully seizing and burning Kinneddar castle. His pressure on the region was so intense that he also attacked Elgin castle, though he was repulsed twice before finally securing the site. This period of conflict fundamentally reshaped the political landscape of the Moray coast.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Lossiemouth
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