"Yesterday our men, 60 hackbutters, 20 pikes and 20 ryepars, went out to cut green corn for their horses", a sortie during the Siege of Haddington July 1548

Last month my friend Tom visited for our second wargame of the year. Tom was keen to try a game involving the Tudors and I was keen to get my 1540s collection on the table so we decided to play a scenario set during the Anglo-Scots wars of the 1540s, the so called "Rough Wooing". The clash we chose was a skirmish that took place during the Siege of Haddington. For more information about the military activity around Haddington in the late 1540s I would highly recommend this Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYmQ2MVTChI.

"Yesterday our men, 60 hackbutters, 20 pikes and 20 ryepars, went out to cut green corn for their horses", a sortie during the Siege of Haddington July 1548

Following the English victory at Pinkie Cleugh in September 1547, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of England, attempted to subdue the lowland Scots through a series of garrisons. Edward VI, the English king, was only nine years old, hence his uncle Protector Somerset's role in ruling on his behalf. It was hoped that through this "Rough Wooing" the infant Mary Queen of Scots would be married to the young Edward VI as had been agreed four years previously through the Treaty of Greenwich on 1 July 1543. The Scots Parliament had soon revoked the treaty leading Henry VIII to launch a series of punitive raids into Scotland (see https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2023/04/sack-leith-and-burn-and-subvert-it-and.html and https://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2025/09/with-sharp-pens-and-red-ink-ancrum-moor.html). Although Protector Somerset, then holding the title of Earl of Hertford, had taken part in these previous campaigns he understood that simply raiding and burning England's northern neighbour would have little effect and that to really achieve some kind of union between the two kingdoms a military occupation would be required.

Somerset's plan had the opposite effect. June 1548 saw a 10,000 to 12,000 strong French army land in Leith to aid the beleaguered Scottish Regent James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, whilst in August 1548 Mary travelled to France, betrothed to the young French Dauphin, Francis, as part of the Treaty of Haddington. The fact that the treaty was made in the siege lines of Haddington is significant, Haddington being one of the most important English garrisons of the war. The idea had been to establish a fortress close to Edinburgh, which lay only eighteen miles away, from which the English could apply pressure on the Scots government.

Haddington in 1548 was a small town on the River Tyne and was not fortified. When the English began to fortify it in the spring of 1548 they were conscious that it may soon be besieged and so decided on an earthwork fortification. The French soldier Jean de Beaugué, who served in the French army sent to aid the Scots described the fortifications of Haddington in his "L'Histoire de la Guerre d'Ecosse". Translated from the French he said

"The fortress of Haddington is quadrangular: Tis situated in the midst of a low plain, and is commanded by no neighbouring mountain or rising ground: Tis environed with a large and flat-bottomed ditch, a strong curtain of turf, a spacious rampart and good and safe breast-works: Four strong bastions are conveniently placed at the four corners of the wall, and are in lieu of so many platforms, designed to keep the weak places from being discovered. Behind these, namely toward the most champion country, they had raised several works of earth by way of platforms, and ravelins, where they planted a great many guns of a middle size, to annoy us, as we sat down before the place. Above these fortifications, they had reared up a curtain with fascines, on which their arquebusiers stood secure. Behind, and over against the rampart of the first wall, there is a deep faussebraye bordered with a strong curtain, and four turrets, which fence and enclose the donjeon; and betwixt the edge of the faussebraye, and the curtain of the donjeon, there are many casemates close to, and level with the first rampart, in which arquebusiers may be placed for guarding the second faussebraye; so that suppose the turrets, which fence the wall of the donjeon, should be ruined by the cannon of the besiegers, yet the casemates, with the help of such faussebrayes as are intermixed with them, would supply their loss. The donjeon it self cannot be battered but by one side, and that is guarded by the river Tyn: besides, they had raised a cavalier on the most exposed place of its rampart, and by this means had sheltered both the house and the soldiers. Inside the fort is so very convenient and spacious, that the garrison (in case of necessity) may retreat into it, draw up in order of Battle; nay, and raise new fortifications for further defence."

De Beaugué continues to suggest why the English may have chose Haddington for this earthen fort:

"The English had built it in the manner I have described, probably because Haddington is situated in a fruitful and pleasant country, nigh the capital city, not very remote from the centre of Scotland, and for these reasons fit to insult over, and annoy the whole Kingdom."

The fortress of Haddington was clearly built in the most up to date "trace italienne" style. If, like myself, you find De Beaugué's description hard to visualize, Gervase Phillips provides an easier to follow description in his excellent "The Anglo-Scots Wars":

"A central toll house...was modified to form a central dongeon, filled with earth and raised to provide a high gun platform. Casements were built between the dongeon wall and its protective ditch. These provided positions for arquebusiers should the outer defences be breached and shielded storehouses and lodgings. Around this inner fort was the main fortification. The English threw up an earth curtain wall, thick enough to absorb shot and defended at each corner by mutually supporting bastions. Each bastion had its complement of artillery and gunners and was named after its captain, Bowes, Wyndham, Taylor and the Italian Tiberio... The curtain wall was protected by a fausse bray and topped by fascines, providing cover for smaller artillery pieces and arquebusiers. To the south-east of the main fort was the lightly fortified base court, a walled enclosure which protected troops posted to guard the bridge over the River Tyne and provided a safe area to graze the garrison's live stock."

Phillips explains that the fort could hold a garrison of 2,500 men and during the fort's period of service it would see 4,539 men serve within its earthen walls. The artillery provided for the fort was not lacking with Phillips explaining:

"Haddington fairly bristled with artillery: one demi-cannon, two iron and three brass culverins, one iron and four brass demi-culverins, three iron and two brass sakers, six brass falcons, three double bases and fifteen single bases."

The French army, with its Scots allies, began to besiege Haddington on 1 July 1548. By the 13 July there had been much skirmishing with the garrison already suffering from a lack of victuals. The French attempted to use the local Church, St Mary's as a gun battery, the English not having had the time to incorporate it into their own defences or destroy it. Sir Thomas Palmer, the military engineer and soldier entrusted to bring supplies to the garrison of Haddington, and fellow soldier Sir Thomas Holcroft wrote to Somerset to explain how they had heard of preparations for a French assault but that the Scots would not support this and that the fortifications remained strong with the French position in the church having been battered by the English guns.

"We hear this morning by sondre wayes that the French will assault Haddington tomorrow morning at 8, and have placed their ordnance, ladders and fagots for the ditches. The Scots will not promise to assault. There is no breach, nor flank taken away. Their platform in the church is useless, the town has so beaten the stones about their years. Two pieces on the mount dismounted, their mine countermined, and a great mount raised that masters their bulwark, as they outside may see."

Palmer and Holcroft continued to explain how on 12 July 1548 sixty arquebusiers, twenty pikemen and twenty sword and buckler men, "ryepars", had made a foray out of the gates to bring back fodder for the garrison's horses. The foraging party had been attacked by "Jayme Dogg", a notorious Scots captain who would be involved in heavy fighting around Dundee, with one hundred Scots horse and some infantry along with landsknecht from the French army. The landsknecht serving the French were under the command of Philip Francis, Count of Salm, known as the Rhinegrave.  In the ensuing skirmish, supported by the garrison's heavy guns, the garrison got the upper hand killing one of the Rhinegrave's captains and bringing the fodder back to the garrison:

 "Yesterday our men, 60 hackbutters, 20 pikes and 20 ryepars, went out to cut green corn for their horses, on the north side. Jayme Dogg with 100 horse, some foot and Almaynes (landsknecht), attacked them, but with help of the great ordnance, they killed 2 in the field, one being Captain Mare Lieutenant or chief officer under the Rhinegrave, hurting above 60, most to the death, and brought in their burdens of green corn in despite of him."

 The French would not assault Haddington that July but it was the scene of lots more action during the war, including a failed camisado on the night of October 1548 in which three to five hundred French troops were killed. The increasingly bedraggled and miserable garrison would hold Haddington until September 1549 when it was abandoned and the fortifications raised to the ground.

"The fortress of Haddington is quadrangular: Tis situated in the midst of a low plain, and is commanded by no neighbouring mountain or rising ground: Tis environed with a large and flat-bottomed ditch, a strong curtain of turf, a spacious rampart and good and safe breast-works"

Some of the English guns inside the fortifications of Haddington.

"Yesterday our men, 60 hackbutters, 20 pikes and 20 ryepars, went out to cut green corn for their horses, on the north side", The foraging party is out cutting "green corn".

Scenario

The table was set to show the outer ditch and earthwork fortifications of Haddington at one end and the area the "green corn" was being cut from at the other. The English foraging party were placed under Captain Taylor with Captain Wyndham leading the supporting force that would sally from the fort.
As always the game was played using our modified Lion Rampant rules.

Deployment

At the start of the game only the foraging party was placed on the table, 12" from the table end, see the photo below. Each unit was assumed to be carrying the already cut "green corn" which it was taking back to Haddington. The foraging party would take the first turn.

In the same turn the landsknecht retinue could begin to enter the table via move activations. The landsknecht and Scots player had to decide which side of the table the landsknecht would enter from and all landsknecht units would then enter from that side. The landsknecht could enter from the ditch of Haddington up to within 24" of the table end where the foraging party were entering from, see the photo below. On their first move activation when arriving the landsknecht units could not end the turn closer than 24" from the table edge where the foraging party were deployed.

As soon as the first melee or shooting took place the following turn the sallying troops from Haddington could exit the main gate and begin to arrive via move activations. Their turn would be after that of the foraging party. One infantry unit a turn could also exit via the sally port which meant they could move immediately from the ditch opposite the sally port. The cavalry units in the sallying force could only arrive via the gate.

As soon as the first melee or shooting took place the following turn the Scots could arrive via move activations. Their turn would be after the landsknecht. The Scots would arrive from behind the foraging party via move activations, see the photo below.

"but with help of the great ordnance"

At the start of every turn the English garrison of Haddington could fire a culverin shot from anywhere along the defensive earthworks with the maximum range being the table halfway line. Every turn this shot would activate on a 7+. The guns could not misfire.

Victory 

Victory in the game was based on victory points which were awarded as follows.

The Haddington Garrison

1 Point for every unit from the foraging party that returned to Haddington

2 Points if Captain Mare was killed or routed

2 Points if Jayme Dogg was killed or routed

The Scots and landsknecht 

1 Point for every unit from the Foraging Party that was destroyed or routed before it could reach the safety of Haddington

2 Points if Captain Taylor was killed or routed

2 Points if Captain Wyndham was killed or routed

A view of the table with the foraging party under Captain Taylor at the bottom of the photo and the earthen walls and gateway of the fortress of Haddington at the top. The foraging party must attempt to reach the safety of the walls of Haddington but Captain Mare and his landsknecht in French pay will be attacking from one side of the table whilst Jayme Dogg and a force of Scots will be giving chase, arriving behind the foraging party. Captain Wyndham will be able to sally out of Haddington to support the returning foraging party whilst the guns of Haddington will also be able to fire upon any Scots or Germans who venture too close to the ramparts.

The opposing forces

For this game Tom chose to take command of the garrison of Haddington so I took command of the Scots and German landsknecht.

The Garrison of Haddington

The Foraging Party

1 Unit of Foot Knights (Unit includes Captain Taylor, retinue leader)

1 Unit of  English Pike

5 Units of Arquebusiers

1 Unit of Sword and Bucklermen, the "20 ryepars"

The sally from Haddington

2 Units of English Bill (One unit includes Captain Wyndham, retinue leader)

3 Units of  English Archers

2 Units of Border Horse

The attacking Scots and Landsknecht

The Landsknecht under Captain Mare

1 Unit of Foot Knights (Unit includes Captain Mare, retinue leader)

4 Units of Landsknecht Pike 

2 Units of Landsknecht Arquebusiers

1 Unit of Landsknecht Halberdiers

The Scots under Jayme Dogg

1 Unit of Demilancers (Unit includes Jayme Dogg, retinue leader)

4 Units of Border Horse

1 Unit of Scots Pike

1 Unit of Scots Arquebusiers

1 Unit of Border Foot

This was a great race for the walls style game, which was pretty fast paced as we both had very clear objectives. A brief write up follows but the captions under the photos are a good way to follow the action.

As the foraging party returns to Haddington a force of landsknecht from the French army appears on their left...

...as the landsknecht advance the foragers race back towards the earthen walls of Haddington.

The pikemen in the foraging party are fired upon by some of the landsknecht arquebusiers.

As the English try to return to the safety of Haddington's earthworks border horse led by the redoubtable Jayme Dogg arrive on the field.

Jayme Dogg's Scots give chase to the foraging party.

The arquebusiers from Haddington's garrison fire on the advancing landsknecht.

Reinforcements have arrived for the foragers in the form of a unit of English border horse that was out scouting for the garrison and has been alerted to the fight by the volleys of arquebus shot.

It was a warm July afternoon as the foraging party of around one hundred men under Captain Taylor began to return to the garrison having cut plenty of fodder for the garrison's horses. The force was a mix of English and mercenary Italian soldiers and as they began to make their way back to the earthen walls of Haddington the men heard shouts and drums as banners appeared to their left. A force of the Rhinegrave's landsknecht, German mercenaries from the besieging French army, were attempting to cut off their retreat.

Captain Taylor ordered the foragers to make haste for the gates but the landsknecht were quickly closing on them. As the landsknecht arquebusiers opened fire some of the pikemen in the foraging party were killed and many of the "60 hackbutters" from Taylor's force returned fire in turn killing some of the landsknecht. To make matters worse a trumpet sounded and a force of Scots also began to approach the retreating foragers. Many of the Scots were hardy border horsemen, and the English and Italians would be hard pushed to get back to the walls before the horsemen caught up with them.

Seeing a fight develop around the foraging party the gates of Haddington swing open and reinforcements advance across the bridge over the dry ditch.

Captain Mare's landsknecht advance on the foragers but are threatened on their left flank by the sally from the garrison.

The arquebusiers in the foraging party continue to fire at their attackers.

The first hand to hand fighting takes place as the "20 ryepars", English troops armed with swords and targets, fight a bloody melee with the landsknecht halberdiers and two handed swordsmen, the doppelsöldners. The English troops get the better of the landsknecht killing many of them.

More fighting takes place as the English border horse who had been out on patrol are caught off guard by a unit of Scots pike and quickly killed.

The doppelsöldner's have been killed and there has already been ill discipline in the landsknecht ranks with one unit of pike refusing to engage in any fighting. This does not stop Captain Mare from leading a full assault with his remaining troops. 

More forces were now joining the fight alerted by the gunfire. A small group of English border horse who had been out on patrol when the attack began rode over to the scene of the fighting only to be caught off guard by a unit of Scots pike who seemed to charge them from out of nowhere. The horsemen who weren't killed rode off in flight. The rest of the garrison of Haddington had also been alerted by the fighting. The gates of the fortress opened and the defenders sallied out in an effort to support their comrades.

The foraging party itself continued to exchange fire with the landsknecht arquebusiers. Their had been ill discipline within the German ranks with one unit of landsknecht pike refusing to even join the attack but under the command of Captain Mare the rest of the landsknecht force advanced on the foragers. The doppelsöldners in the landsknecht ranks charged the sword and target armed English troops in the foraging party and were defeated in a fierce melee.

As border horsemen from within the walls of Haddington ride to their aid the arquebusiers and swordsmen from the foraging party attempt to rush back to the fortress.

With the enemy closing in some of the Italian mercenaries in the garrison's foraging party prepare to fire.

Archers from the garrison have sallied out. They shoot at the landsknecht in an attempt to drive them back.

Jayme Dogg and his men are closing in.

English archers rush across the bridge over the dry ditch...

...whilst English billmen have emerged from the hidden sally port to defend the foraging party as it tries to reach safety.

The pike from the foraging party are unable to reach the walls and are shot down at close range by the landsknecht arquebusiers.

A view of the table from behind the earthworks of Haddington. The foraging party are attempting to reach safety whilst a large force under Captain Wyndham has emerged from the fort to help drive off the Scots and landsknecht.

A view from the other end of the field showing the Scots under Jayme Dogg in pursuit. The landsknecht are in the centre of the field fighting the English force that has sallied out from the walls.

Many of the arquebusiers from the foraging party are slain as the Scots border horse catch up with them...

...whilst Jayme Dogg and his armoured retainers ride down some of the mercenary Italian arquebusiers from the foraging party.

As more of Haddington's garrison poured from the earthworks the fighting outside the walls was fierce. The garrison's archers sent a hail of arrows into the landsknecht. The landsknecht continued to advance, first defeating the English pikemen, who were shot a close range by the German arquebusiers, and then defeating some of the foraging party's arquebusiers in a melee. Their was even a brief hand to hand clash between the archers and the German mercenaries in which the archers managed to hold their own.  In the end the rain of arrows and the supporting shot from Haddington's heavy guns proved too much and the landsknecht fell back. 

As the garrison was driving back Captain Mare's landsknecht Jamye Dogg's cavalry caught up with many of the retreating English and Italian arquebusiers and rode them down. Captain Taylor and some of the foraging party were within a stone's throw of the walls but out of his initial one hundred or so men many had been killed.

Melees break out as the landsknecht pike attack some of the arquebusiers as they try to reach the walls.

"but with help of the great ordnance, they killed 2 in the field". The English guns open fire from the walls of Haddington and kill some of the landsknecht.

Captain Taylor and his men attempt to escape...

...and are supported by archers and billmen from the garrison who attack the landsknecht.

The first troops from the foraging party rush over the bridge and back to Haddington.

It looks a though Captain Taylor has made it back but...

...just feet from the bridge his men come under a skirmishing attack from some of Jayme Dogg's border horse. A lucky shot from a pistol kills Captain Taylor who falls at the edge of the ditch!

A unit of the foraging party's arquebusiers reached the gates of the fortress, closely followed by what remained of the "20 ryepars" but a cruel blow then fell on the English force. Most of the Scots and landsknecht had been driven back by the guns and arrows of the garrison but one unit of Scots border horse had not given up the chase. Captain Taylor had reached the ditch and was running along it to the bridge with his standard bearer when the pursuing borderers charged forward to make a hit and run attack on them. A lucky shot from one of the borderer's pistols caught Captain Taylor in the neck killing him instantly!

Some of the foraging party had made it back to Haddington with the fodder for the horses but many had been slain. Worst of all one of the garrison's captains had fallen. Whilst the Scots and landsknecht had also taken casualties they had definitely had the better of the clash.

As the swordsmen from the foraging party reach the gates the Scots and Germans withdraw. A few of the foragers have made it back within the walls with the "green corn" for the horses but many have been slain, including Captain Taylor. The skirmish has been won by the redoubtable Scot Jayme Dogg and the German Captain Mare.

This was an exciting and fast paced game with loads of action taking place all over the table at the same time. For a most of the game it was unclear who would win as the foraging party raced back towards Haddington, doing a good job of evading the advancing landsknecht. It was very bad luck for Captain Taylor to suffer a "lucky blow" hit, rolling a double ones on two dice when his unit took casualties, and being killed just moments from reaching safety!

We both really enjoyed this Anglo-Scots clash, especially as it was a skirmish which we could refight at a one to one scale, in fact there were probably far more figures in our version of the skirmish than there were men in the historical clash on 12 July 1548. We have something completely different planned for our next scenario but we will certainly be returning the "Rough Wooing" and the 1540s for games in the future.