On this day 1313: Black Douglas dresses his soldiers as cows and launches raid on castle held by English

He disguised his men as cows with the 'beasts' successfully launching a raid on a key Borders stronghold under the control of the English.

James Douglas, or the Black Douglas, a loyal ally of Robert the Bruce, took Roxburgh Castle (pictured here in watercolour) from the English in 1313. Bruce's sister had been captured and held in a cage here for four years. PIC: Creative Commons.

On February 19, 1313, Sir James Douglas, or The Black Douglas, the right hand man of Robert the Bruce, pulled off the audacious attack at Roxburgh Castle in the dead of night.

According to The History of the Black Douglas, the 1313 attack was planned to coincide with the night of Shrovetide, a Roman Catholic holiday “that was solemnized with much gaiety and feasting”.

He dressed 60 men in black cloaks and placed them around the castle on their hands and feet to make them look like cattle in the fields.

The latest battle device of the day was then deployed - rope ladders which hooked onto the end of extra-long spears.

With the ladders fixed to the battlements, a member of the garrison emerged to see what was happening only to find chief Douglas’ ally, Sim of Leadhouse, at the top of the ladder.

Quickly, the English soldier was dealt with by dirk and his body pulled over the castle wall.

The castle was soon overrun but the governor managed to lock himself away in the main Donjeon tower. However, he was badly injured by an arrow and agreed to surrender if he and his men could return to England.

With the English removed, Robert the Bruce then ordered the demolition of the fortifications, as he had with most castles, to prevent further occupation.

Today, the castle still stands a ruin on the banks of the River Tweed.

The castle first appears on record in 1125, and from its earliest days it was an important centre of power at regional and national level and was often involved in key events in Scotland’s history.

In the Wars of Independence, the castle changed hands more than once.

Following the capture in 1313, the castle and town of Roxburgh later fell back to the English.

According to Historic Environment Scotland, it was under English control until 1460 when James II laid siege to the fortress with an impressive army drawn from across Scotland.

The Scots, fearful that English forces might occupy it, finally destroyed the fortress in the sixteenth century. In the 1550s, English forces briefly re-occupied the site with the intention of rebuilding a fortress there.

-Some accounts have put the Black Douglas attack of Roxburgh Castle to 1314. Historic Environment Scotland puts it to 1313.