A small English border victory over Scottish raiders that delayed Henry IV's response to the Welsh rebellion and foreshadowed the larger Battle of Humbleton Hill later that year.
Key Facts
- Date of battle
- 22 June 1402
- English force size
- 200 soldiers
- Scottish force size
- 400 soldiers
- English commander
- George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March
- Notable Scottish killed
- Sir Patrick Hepburn younger of Hailes
- Notable Scottish captured
- Sir John Haliburton, Sir John Cockburn, others
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In 1402, Scottish nobles launched a coordinated invasion of northern England. Around 12,000 Scottish troops crossed into Cumberland and looted areas near Carlisle, while a separate raiding party returned from pillaging Northumberland through Berwickshire.
On 22 June 1402 at Nisbet, Berwickshire, George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March, led approximately 200 English soldiers—largely from the Berwick-upon-Tweed garrison—against 400 Scottish raiders returning from Northumberland, defeating them and capturing several prominent Scottish nobles.
Henry IV, learning of the skirmish on 30 June while at Harborough, postponed suppression of the Welsh rebellion to prepare for a major Scottish invasion. Later that autumn, a large Scottish army under Archibald Douglas ravaged northern England before being decisively defeated at the Battle of Humbleton Hill.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of March.
Side B
1 belligerent