Edinburgh ride re-enacts Flodden Field return

THE 500th anniversary of the Scottish defeat at the battle of Flodden was marked yesterday in the annual Edinburgh Riding of the Marches.

Edinburgh Captain Stewart Nicoll and Edinburgh Lass Karrie McGill lead the March. Picture: Toby Williams

Edinburgh Captain Stuart Nicoll and Edinburgh Lass Karrie McGill led 250 horses from the city outskirts to the Royal Mile, with Mr Nicoll carrying the “Blue Blanket” banner at the head of the cavalcade, re-enacting the
return of Captain Randolph Murray to Edinburgh after the disastrous battle of Flodden in 1513, which ended with the death of King James IV.

The Riding of the Marches dates from 1579, when able-­bodied men rode the town boundaries on horseback, delivering the news to the city that the marches were clear. The ride concluded at the Mercat Cross in the Royal Mile.

In 2009, the tradition of
riding the marches was reintroduced as part of the Home­coming Scotland celebrations and has continued each year since then.