The Flowers of the Forest

On the ninth of September of 1513, was the day when the protestant, so called, reformation won Scotland. The event did not happen in Scotland, neither lollardy or Luther were involved; it was the Battle of Flodden Field, near Branxton, England. It was a critical moment, that, changed the future, in ways that one could not see at the time.

The King of the Scots, James IV Stewart, invaded Northumberland, England, while, the future heresiarch, Henry VIII was at war, against France, on the continent. The english were led by Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey. It was the largest confrontation between the two nations. It was a wet and windy day, that had men battle in mud, so muddy, that many men unshod themselves, so as to have some control of mobility. The scot army was reduced by desertions, but still greater. Scot heavy cannon and pike, were outdone by the english light cannon, bill and longbowmen and better command.

Jamie had position, Jamie had numbers, Jamie had bravery. Jamie had two hours. The engagement began at 4 in the afternoon, it stopped with the fall of darkness. It was not seen until day broke, the extent of the english victory.

Jamie was dead, his son Alexander, the Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Lord Chancellor was dead, many men of high social rank were dead, ten thousand scots were dead; seven times greater than the english dead. The scots remembered the event with the song and tune, The Flowers of the Forest.*

I’ve heard the lilting, at the yowe-milking,
Lassies a-lilting before dawn o’ day;
But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning;
“The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede† away”.

Dool and wae for the order sent oor lads tae the Border!
The English for ance, by guile wan the day,
The Flooers o’ the Forest, that fought aye the foremost,
The pride o’ oor land lie cauld in the clay.

I’ve heard the lilting, at the yowe-milking,
Lassies a-lilting before dawn o’ day;
But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning;
“The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away”.

So many scots were dead, that the nation could not hold against the Tudors and heresy, when they challenged during the next generation. English gold bought the Douglas family and other nobles. The next Jamie was king at 17 months, and a prisoner, as a child, to his Douglas stepfather. Henry invaded and Solway Moss was another scottish defeat, James V Stewart died soon after that battle in 1542. His daughter, Mary Stuart, was Queen of Scots at six days of age. Edinburgh was burned in1544. John Knox was supported by the english. Cardinal Beaton was murdered in 1546. The english, had at this point, made Scotland a protestant client state.

“It came wi’ a lass, it’ll gang wi’ a lass.” — James V

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*Jean Elliot’s mid-eighteenth century version. The tune is a mediæval pentatonic modal tune.
†withered