Battle of Boroughmuir The Battle of Boroughmuir was fought on 30 July 1335 between Guy , Count of Namur , a cousin of Queen Philippa of England , and John Randolph , 3rd Earl of Moray and Guardian of Scotland . Namur was on his way to join Edward III on his invasion of Scotland , when he was intercepted on the common grazing ground to the south of Edinburgh - the Borough Muir . The fighting continued into the city itself , and concluded in a desperate struggle in the ruins of the old castle . Randolph was victorious in a fight which forms a small part of the second War of Scottish Independence . The Great Invasion . Ever since 1332 a part of Anglo - Scots nobles , known collectively as the ' disinherited ' , had been trying to establish Edward Balliol , son and heir of John Balliol , on the throne of Scotland in place of David II . These men , who had fought against Robert Bruce during the First war of Independence , were given the active support of the English . Yet despite two remarkable victories at the Battle of Dupplin Moor and the Battle of Halidon Hill , which came close to exterminating the governing class of Scotland , the Balliol party was not strong - or popular - enough to establish itself by its own means . Twice Edward Balliol had been seated on the Scottish throne , and twice had he been toppled off . In 1335 King Edward decided to make one great effort on behalf of his hapless and unlucky protégé , coming to Scotland himself at the head of an army , the largest to enter the country since his father came to Edinburgh in 1322 . By the second week of July the king had over 13000 men in arms at Newcastle . He was joined there by Edward Balliol , coming from Carlisle . A council of war was held and it was decided that Scotland would be enveloped in a vast pincer movement by land and sea . The army was divided in two : Edward was to command the invasion of Scotland from Carlisle , while Balliol moved northwards from Berwick . His progress would be supported by a strong naval force moving up the east coast towards the Firth of Tay , while Edward would have similar support from a force sailing from Ireland into the Firth of Clyde . The purpose of the invasion was to find and destroy the Scottish army in the field , rather than take castles . Edward marched through Nithsdale , bypassing Loch Doon castle , still held for King David , and overran Carrick , Cunnigham and Kyle . In the meantime , Balliol moved quickly up the east coast into Lothian . Like a plague of biblical locusts his army consumed everything in its path . Letters of protection issued by Edward himself did nothing to protect Newbattle Abbey or Manuel Nunnery from destruction . In the Firth of Forth the abbey on the island of Inchcolm was destroyed by the English navy , which then proceeded north into the Tay , landing at Dundee , setting the town and its Franciscan friary alight . The looting and destruction of the friary caused the English author of the " Lanercost Chronicle " to drop his usual patriotic cloak and express his disapproval in a brief flourish of Christian solidarity . Towards the end of July the land arms of the pincer joined at Glasgow , having caught nothing of substance in their embrace and from there marched on to Perth . The driving force behind the Scottish resistance was the Earl of Moray . Not strong enough to face the enemy in direct attack ; he limited his actions to small - scale operations in the rear of the main English army , attacking supply columns and the like . The opportunity for more decisive action came about the time Edward and Balliol were meeting up at Glasgow . Will You Go to Boroughmuir ? Guy of Namur had arrived with his retinue at Berwick , too late to join the king in his invasion . Namur ' s motives were firmly in the tradition of chivalry ; to take part in a military adventure and to thereby enhance the chivalric reputation of himself and of the company of 100 or so men - at - arms who accompanied him . He was a Fleming , and beyond his kinship to Queen Philippa , should have had little interest in Edward ' s Scottish war . It is reasonably safe to assume that he was simply looking for adventure ; for his desire for action led him to take a step that more prudent council should have advised against . With a small force of some 300 knights , men - at - arms and archers he entered Scotland , hoping to meet up with the king in the centre of the country . His movements are likely to have been observed virtually from the outset ; for he was ambushed as he approached Edinburgh by the earl of Moray . Namur managed to fight his way through to the Borough Muir , where on 30 July he found himself in the midst of a full scale battle . His men gave a good account of themselves ; but when Sir William Douglas arrived from the nearby Pentland Hills to reinforce Moray , they were in immediate danger of being overwhelmed . A Wall of Horse Flesh . With no other option Namur and his men made for Edinburgh , a little to the north of their present position . Closely pursued by the enemy they entered the city by way of the Friars ' Wynd , and the fighting continued through the St . Mary Wynd all the way up to the castle , which had lain in ruins since 1314 . The gaps in the defenses were filled in the only way possible ; the horses were killed to provide a barricade of flesh . Moray and his men were held for the time being , but the position was hopeless . Walter Bower , the chronicler , describes their predicament and the outcome ; " The men of Namur therefore , as they fled and fought bravely , kept together until they climbed the lamentable hill where there used to be the Maidens ' castle of Edinburgh , which had been demolished earlier for fear of the English . These rocks they defended courageously , and killing their exhausted and injured horses besides , they made a defensive wall with their bodies . And thus , surrounded and besieged by the Scots throughout the whole of that night , they passed it continuously without sleep , hungry , cold , thirsty and weary . Tired out and distressed in this way , and with no hope of any help , they in the morning of the next day surrendered themselves to the Scots in capitulation , after an agreement had been reached about the ransom to be paid , provided that they could depart to their home country . " Defeat in Victory . Moray behaved with generosity , allowing them to depart on swearing never again to take arms against the supporters of King David . There was , besides any chivalric considerations , a political dimension to his actions . Namur was the subject of Philip VI , king of France , and the Guardian had no wish to upset Scotland ' s most vital ally . He even decided to escort Namur in person back towards the border . It cost him dearly . On his way back he was ambushed by an English force from Jedburgh under William Pressen . Sir William Douglas managed to escape , but his brother , James , was killed . Moray himself was taken prisoner , destined to spend the next five years in English jails . Namur returned to Berwick and sailed with Queen Philippa to join Edward at Perth . He was well received by the king , although his recent discomfiture must have been the occasion for some political embarrassment . Because of his pact with Moray the count was of no military value to Edward , and he soon left Scotland , never to return . With his reputation compromised the unfortunate Namur was severely censured by the English chroniclers for daring to enter enemy territory with so modest a following . References . Sources . PRIMARY SECONDARY .