0:00:06 > 0:00:09700 years ago, in June, 1314,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13two armies clashed here, just to the south of Stirling.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15It's the site of Scotland's
0:00:15 > 0:00:18most famous, and iconic, battle against the English...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Bannockburn.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Just down there is a statue of the man who led the Scots
0:00:22 > 0:00:25to victory. Against all the odds,
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Robert the Bruce fought off the English in an epic two-day battle.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37It was an almighty clash.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Bruce's spearmen, fighting for independence,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43up against the mighty army of Edward II,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47intent on suppressing, once and for all, the unruly northern neighbour.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52No-one has ever managed to precisely locate the battlefield
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and that's the quest that we've set ourselves.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Together with a team of the country's
0:00:58 > 0:01:00most experienced archaeologists,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04we're going to search for evidence of this elusive battle.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06We'll call on the help of the British Army,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10and the local people of Bannockburn, to help track down the site.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And we also want to find out just how Robert the Bruce was able
0:01:15 > 0:01:18to secure a victory over one of the most effective fighting forces
0:01:18 > 0:01:21in the whole of the medieval world.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24An army of experienced combat fighters,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27combined with a visual effects team, will help us
0:01:27 > 0:01:31understand how Robert the Bruce's army crushed the English.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- Look, there's the Bannockburn coming in.- Right.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38That's where 8,000 Scots and twice as many English
0:01:38 > 0:01:41fought to the death. Hard to imagine today.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Dawn on Midsummer's Day.
0:02:11 > 0:02:17Back in 1314, the English army, led by Edward II, had spent
0:02:17 > 0:02:20a restless night on the plain near Stirling Castle...
0:02:21 > 0:02:26..in anticipation of the next day's battle with the Scots army.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I've had nowhere near enough sleep, Neil.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32When you're getting up at dawn, it's hardly worth going to bed.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34No, I just feel rough.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39I wonder how much sleep was actually had on the night in question.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Not much, if you're in your armour, I guess.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44It must have been uncomfy.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51It's funny to think about thousands of men,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53and some women, all sleeping rough out here.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56If you looked out across this landscape,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59it would all have been little smudgy fires, wouldn't it?
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Little beacons of hope.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Good, right. Battlefield won't find itself now, will it?
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Nobody finds what we don't find, Neil.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11No, not the way we don't find it.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32The Battle of Bannockburn was fought over two days.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35On day one, the English army, led by Edward II,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39arrived on June 23, 1314.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Their goal was to relieve Stirling Castle,
0:03:45 > 0:03:51which was the only major Scottish stronghold left in English hands.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But at stake that day was more than just a castle.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56It was a battle to determine Scotland's status
0:03:56 > 0:04:01as an independent kingdom and Robert the Bruce's right to rule it.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04MEN SHOUTING
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Standing in the way of Edward's army was the much smaller Scottish force.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14But Robert the Bruce had prepared well. Positioned beside pits lined
0:04:14 > 0:04:18with sharp wooden stakes, Bruce had trained his men to form schiltrons.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24These medieval hedgehogs were large formations
0:04:24 > 0:04:27of tightly-packed men armed with spears.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Impenetrable by cavalry,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Bruce's schiltrons held firm against the first English cavalry charge.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39With the road to Stirling Castle blocked,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Edward's commanders were forced to find somewhere to camp that night.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48The Battle of Bannockburn was one of the most important
0:04:48 > 0:04:51battles fought on Scottish soil.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55To understand how Bruce managed to crush Edward's superior forces
0:04:55 > 0:04:59on day two, we need to find out where the two armies clashed.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04But the exact location of the battle has never been found.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07To help us track down the location,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10we've come to the Bannockburn Visitors' Centre.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Oh, look at that! - It's amazing, isn't it?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Here, the National Trust for Scotland have turned back
0:05:19 > 0:05:22the clock and created a historically-accurate map
0:05:22 > 0:05:26of Stirling's landscape at the time of the battle.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28So, we're now back in 1314.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34So, by the end of the first day, what is the situation?
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Well, the English have come up from the south, along the Roman Road,
0:05:37 > 0:05:42heading toward the castle, which they are trying to relieve the siege of.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45The English have failed to break through along the road.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50With the direct route to Stirling Castle blocked,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Edward's army was forced to turn east
0:05:53 > 0:05:56towards a big, flat plain, called The Carse.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Here, he decided to camp for the night
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and prepared for battle the next day.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09So, the sun rises on the second day and that's the battle -
0:06:09 > 0:06:11the full-scale clash.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The question is, where did that battle take place?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16What do the chronicles offer,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20in terms of clues about the location of the big battle?
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Well, we've got four of the accounts. Barbour's The Bruce which is
0:06:24 > 0:06:28the epic poem about the life of Robert Bruce, a Scottish source.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30We've got the Scalacronica,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33the eyewitness account of an English knight captured by the Scots,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36but written from the Scottish perspective, really.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38We have the Chronicle of Lanercost,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41from the Abbey in the north of England, So, an English account.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And then we've got the biography of Edward II,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46so again, obviously, English.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And is there, as it were, common ground in the four chronicles
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- saying where the fighting took place?- Good question.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57The Scalacronica, for instance, describes that flat plain as a deep,
0:06:57 > 0:07:02wet, marsh, which would suggest rather unpleasant, altogether.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Whereas, the other accounts are perhaps a little kinder to it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11They describe it as a broad field and a dry field.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Now, the interesting thing is, if we are describing dry ground,
0:07:16 > 0:07:22even today, this area of upland is traditionally known as the dry field.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25So, unfortunately for us, the possibility that
0:07:25 > 0:07:28brings about is that we've got two possible locations for the battle.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Either on the low ground or on the high ground.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35It's really quite important, I think, that we settle the argument,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37as to which one of those two it is.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42From the air,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46the two main contenders for the battlefield are clear to see.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Look at that landscape. You can see the real difference in the terrain.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51You've got the higher ground,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55the place they call the dry field, rising up there
0:07:55 > 0:07:59and then the very low, flat ground of The Carse,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01with the rivers running their way through it.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05On the high ground is the dry field,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07now the site of Bannockburn High School.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Down the wooded slope, east of the school's playing fields,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20is The Carse - a huge open expanse of ground.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25You've got Bruce on the high ground. He's definitely got
0:08:25 > 0:08:28the guerrilla advantage up there, but if Edward brings his army
0:08:28 > 0:08:32down here and backs off, he's got plenty of room for manoeuvre and he
0:08:32 > 0:08:35can see what's happening. He can see if the Scots start to approach him.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Together, the high ground and The Carse
0:08:41 > 0:08:43represent a huge area to search.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Archaeologists from the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology
0:08:49 > 0:08:50at Glasgow University
0:08:50 > 0:08:53will work alongside a team from the National Trust for Scotland
0:08:53 > 0:08:57and metal-detecting groups from all over the country.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The search for Bannockburn will be meticulously carried out.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03Because up until now,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06no confirmed evidence of the battle has ever been found.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10I don't see any spelling mistakes,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and we've got The Chuckle Brothers down at the bottom,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- OK, well, let's print it. Yep, great.- OK.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20But to cover the area thoroughly, we're going to need an army
0:09:20 > 0:09:22of volunteers, to augment the professionals.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24That's it. Lovely.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28- OK, thanks a lot, Brian.- Brilliant. OK, thanks now. Cheers.- Bye-bye.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36It's the morning of the big day,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and over 100 local recruits have arrived.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Our army of volunteers will investigate both the main candidates
0:09:43 > 0:09:45for the location of the battle.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Today, we've set ourselves quite a stiff challenge.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59We've got to be realistic. What we expect to find is not a great deal.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01You won't find any of these.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03No, unfortunately not.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06What we're going to be looking for are, literally, bits and pieces,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09of weaponry that may have been smashed in the battle,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12fallen to the ground and not been picked up afterwards.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I hope you all have a good time and thank you very much for coming.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17And, hopefully, you'll still have smiles on your faces
0:10:17 > 0:10:20at five o'clock this evening. OK, thanks a lot.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Now, this is what you call a big dig.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'Some of our teams are digging up Braehead,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32'the low-lying area on the edge of The Carse.'
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Even as a Stirling local, that view of the castle from here
0:10:38 > 0:10:41surprises me. I'm amazed by how close we are to the building.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It is dramatic, isn't it?
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Check it out, Neil. Obviously in the right place.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Excellent stuff.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52'Some Braehead residents have opened up their gardens to dig for clues.'
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Now, that is the most full tray we've had so far.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56You've got tonnes of stuff.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Hands up if you know when the battle was?
0:10:59 > 0:11:0120,000 years ago.
0:11:01 > 0:11:0420,000 years ago.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05It sometimes feels like that.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Some promising objects ARE starting to emerge, though.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It looks early, doesn't it? It sure as heck ain't plant pot.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16The thinner stuff is earlier than the thicker stuff.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21That's thin, so that could quite easily be 14th-15th century.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- So, again, that could be of our period.- Fantastic.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Well, that's the best and biggest so far, isn't it?
0:11:26 > 0:11:28I've never seen so much of this stuff in the same place.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32We've actually got, what you might call, quite a lot of this now.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- Yeah, there is a lot coming up.- Thin, green glazed pottery of the period.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Our second search area, is half a mile away, up on the high ground,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45near Bannockburn High School, which is known locally as the dry field.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52On day one, Bruce had successfully defended his position
0:11:52 > 0:11:54up here on the high ground, overlooking The Carse.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00If the two armies met here on day two, Edward would have had to
0:12:00 > 0:12:03march his whole army up the slope to engage the Scots.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09But so far, there haven't been any significant finds here on
0:12:09 > 0:12:14the high ground and, looking around, you can perhaps understand why.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19There is a rather obvious natural barrier - Balquhidderock Wood.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Is there any way of knowing how much of a wood
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- was here in the 14th century? - There seems to be a feeling it was.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31And that's the debate, isn't it? Though we can't see it from here,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33that's a slope running down to The Carse.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37And does the Scottish army move downhill onto The Carse, to meet
0:12:37 > 0:12:41the English there, or do they let the English come up here?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And to my mind, that scenario just doesn't make sense.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Why would you let that happen?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48You're not going to allow that, are you?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Well, you're going to lose the element of being the force taking
0:12:50 > 0:12:54positive action, rather than just waiting on it to come to you.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Looking at the wood today, climbing this slope
0:12:57 > 0:12:59with a full army looks impossible.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03But were there trees on this spot 700 years ago?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07While the digging continues, Tony is going to try and find out
0:13:07 > 0:13:11if there are any references in the archives to Balquhidderock Wood.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17John Harrison is a historian who's made a study of the local landscape.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21This document is a title deed dated 1471, which describes
0:13:21 > 0:13:25the countryside around Bannockburn at the time.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29It's referring to land which lights up, "nemora de Balquhidderock" -
0:13:29 > 0:13:32that is "under the wood, of Balquhidderock".
0:13:32 > 0:13:35So, this is after the battle, and I think it's fairly clear
0:13:35 > 0:13:38that much the same would have applied at the time of the battle.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39So, the wood was there
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and it would have been fairly difficult to move through?
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Oh, for an army, completely impossible.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48And, certainly, the Scots would have done all in their power
0:13:48 > 0:13:50to make sure that they didn't.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The advantage of controlling the height would be tremendous.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00And Robert the Bruce had to exploit every advantage
0:14:00 > 0:14:03he could, as his army was seriously outnumbered.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07The Scots footmen numbered 7,000,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10while the English fielded at least 14,000 infantry and archers.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14And the 500 Scottish light cavalry
0:14:14 > 0:14:19faced 2,000 English knights on their much heavier warhorses.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29It looks impenetrable, but could it have been done?
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Let's find out if Edward's famous fully-laden cavalry
0:14:33 > 0:14:35could ride up the hill to confront the Scots.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Kirsty McWilliam's horse stunt team is experienced at riding
0:14:40 > 0:14:41in tricky terrain.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45This is the hill that Edward would have had to climb
0:14:45 > 0:14:47with all his horsemen in all their armour, if they were going
0:14:47 > 0:14:50to fight the Battle of Bannockburn up on high ground at the top, there.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54There would have been trees at the time. Probably not as many as this,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56but what I'd like to see is how
0:14:56 > 0:15:00you and Seamus manage getting up that slope.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- OK, yeah, we'll give it a go. - Great.- No problem.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04So I'll leave you to pick your own way through
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and stand out of the way.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19At first, Kirsty's warhorse storms up the hill.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25But when they reach the top part of the hill, they are forced to
0:15:25 > 0:15:29slow down and pick their way through the branches and boggy ground.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34Welcome to the high ground, Kirsty.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36How was it?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Well, it was a little bit of a challenge, but...
0:15:38 > 0:15:40And you're not even in armour.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42No, I'm not in armour and I wouldn't want to be.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And the thing is, that if Edward was going to fight up here,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50he'd have to come up from The Carse, up that slope, through the trees,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54and he'd have to do it, not with one horse, but with about 2,000.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Yeah, it would be very difficult to keep any kind of formation
0:15:57 > 0:16:01coming through there. You would have to pick your way through there.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Yeah, it seems so unlikely that Bruce and the Scottish army would just
0:16:04 > 0:16:05sit back and let them do that.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07And even if you led the horse up on foot,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10you'd still be in armour and you've still got 2,000 horses.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13And you'd be quite defenceless, if you were to become attacked.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Well done. Right, he looks as though he needs a run.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- I think he would.- Well earned. OK.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29So, if the English cavalry couldn't make it on to the high ground,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Bruce's foot soldiers must have descended through
0:16:33 > 0:16:38Balquhidderock Wood and engaged the English somewhere on The Carse.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41So, the testimony of the pottery,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44although it doesn't necessarily place the battle there,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48it would certainly suggest that it was a settled, habitable area.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Exactly, what those pottery finds from our big dig on The Carse
0:16:51 > 0:16:56indicate, is that our dry, broad field might be The Carse
0:16:56 > 0:16:58and not the high ground.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00We've actually found nothing up there.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05And so it would make sense that the place where the English force
0:17:05 > 0:17:07is likely to have camped,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10is also the place where the battle would have taken place.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12It's very much looking like it.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14For a start, why would they camp in a bog?
0:17:14 > 0:17:18So, it looks very much as though that is our battlefield.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22'To prove our theory, though, we will need to find more
0:17:22 > 0:17:26'archaeological evidence from this part of The Carse.'
0:17:30 > 0:17:34On the eve of the battle, the mood in the English camp was low.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Edward and his men had assumed they would be dining in Stirling Castle,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42rather than sleeping rough on a midge-infested moor.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46The men were exhausted and hungry.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48According to the historical accounts,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52rows soon broke out between the king and some of his commanders.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55He ignored their pleas to let the men rest.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01But Edward had a long history of not taking counsel from his nobles.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05In fact, he'd rarely listened to them, since he was crowned.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I've crossed the border, to Cumberland, to find out
0:18:13 > 0:18:17what had caused this rift between the nobles and the King of England.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Edward II has largely been written off by historians.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29He's been described as one of the most unsuccessful kings
0:18:29 > 0:18:31ever to rule England.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Whether he was, or whether he wasn't, needn't concern us.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37What is important is that, in the years leading up to Bannockburn,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Robert the Bruce was able to exploit the civil war
0:18:40 > 0:18:43that Edward was obliged to wage against his nobles.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Civil wars during the Middle Ages were two-a-penny,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52but what made this one infamous was its cause...
0:18:55 > 0:18:58..the controversial relationship between Edward II
0:18:58 > 0:19:00and a minor noble, Piers Gaveston.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Piers Gaveston was exiled from the realm
0:19:08 > 0:19:11because, as the Lanercost Chronicle records,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15"of the improper familiarity which my Lord Edward the younger
0:19:15 > 0:19:19"entertained with him, speaking of him openly as his brother."
0:19:22 > 0:19:26This remarkable story is told in the Chronicle of Lanercost,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30written here at the Lanercost Priory, south of Carlisle.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34The chronicle tells how, after his father, Edward I, died,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Edward II recalled his friend from exile
0:19:37 > 0:19:41and lavished many gifts of money, gold, titles and land on Gaveston.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59Edward was a man born in the wrong time and he went too far.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02He broke the codes of a society that might have tolerated his love
0:20:02 > 0:20:06for a man, but that detested the man with whom he fell in love.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10His relationship with Piers Gaveston infuriated the barons
0:20:10 > 0:20:12and almost tore the kingdom apart.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28The barons became so preoccupied with this upstart from France,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31that 12 leading nobles got together
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and drew up a long list of grievances against Edward.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Gosh, they do go on a bit, don't they?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Called The Ordinances.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The really important clause is this one about Piers de Gaveston.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46What does it say about him?
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It says that he is dreadful.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53What were the ordainers particularly exercised about?
0:20:53 > 0:20:58I think they were exercised above all by Piers Gaveston
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and the problem that he presented
0:21:00 > 0:21:02and the threat that he presented to royal patronage.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07He was getting a lot of royal lands, he was sending treasure abroad to
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Gascoigne. In general terms, he was effectively disinheriting the realm.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16How did the saga of The Ordinances affect preparations for Scotland?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Bruce would have been well aware of this,
0:21:18 > 0:21:23would have realised that Edward was in a difficult and weak position.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And that would have boosted, certainly, his morale.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28He would have felt quite confident, I think.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Edward II grudgingly agreed to the main demand of the ordainers
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and banished Gaveston from his kingdom.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42But his absence proved too much for Edward to bear.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Three months later, Gaveston sneaked back in to England.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52A fairly unusual way to enter a castle, is it not?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Extremely, yeah.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Edward put as much distance as he could
0:21:57 > 0:21:59between the ordainers and his friend.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05They came here, to Knaresborough Castle,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07which Edward had given to Piers as a gift.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12But, ironically, the only place Edward thought
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Gaveston would be truly safe, was Scotland.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18So, he tried to make a deal with Robert the Bruce.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22How much do we know about Edward's attempts to gain
0:22:22 > 0:22:26from Robert the Bruce promises relating to Gaveston's safety?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28So, according to a contemporary chronicle,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32called Vita Edwardi Secundi, which means The Life Of Edward II.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Edward made this quite incredible promise,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38that he would recognise Robert Bruce as King of Scots
0:22:38 > 0:22:41if Bruce would give Piers Gaveston refuge in Scotland.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43This is absolutely amazing.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48That means that his concern for his friend, was more important
0:22:48 > 0:22:52to him, really, than the political situation regarding his kingdom?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Absolutely. This is a sign that Edward
0:22:54 > 0:22:57was willing to do anything at all to protect Piers Gaveston.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05In April 1312, the ordainers decided on military action. They formed
0:23:05 > 0:23:08an alliance and headed north, to prevent Gaveston
0:23:08 > 0:23:09escaping to Scotland.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12But Robert the Bruce said no.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Two weeks, later Gaveston was captured and imprisoned.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Edward tried to broker his friend's release, but the ordainers
0:23:32 > 0:23:36were determined the pair should never set eyes on each other again.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Gaveston was taken to Warwick Castle, where he was tried
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and declared an enemy of the king and his people.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51He was taken to a hill nearby and executed.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01To mark the site of the execution, a monument was built.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03What a strange, forgotten little place.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Yes, this is Gaveston's Cross.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09What an atmospheric place, huh?
0:24:09 > 0:24:13- Oh, my, it just gets more and more peculiar.- Indeed, yeah.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Look at that. "In the hollow of this rock,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18"was beheaded Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22"the minion of a hateful King in life and death,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24"a memorable instance of misrule."
0:24:24 > 0:24:26That is a very strange memorial.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32There's a story about a long delay between his death
0:24:32 > 0:24:33and eventual burial.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Yes, three years afterwards, one year after Bannockburn, essentially.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- So, that's quite a long time, isn't it?- Three years.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43So that would have been a continuing sore for Edward,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46the fact that this person that he loved was above ground.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Exactly, imagine the emotional turmoil of waiting
0:24:48 > 0:24:51all of that time to make sure that your friend
0:24:51 > 0:24:53was buried in the correct and proper way.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58As Gaveston's corpse lay festering,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02it became a symbol of division between Edward and his nobles.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Two years later, Edward was given the chance.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Bannockburn.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Edward marched north intent on relieving Stirling Castle.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Defeating Robert the Bruce would re-establish his authority.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36So, in a sense, Bannockburn was as much of an opportunity
0:25:36 > 0:25:39for Edward as it was for the Bruce.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44It was an opportunity to avenge Gaveston's murder, his execution.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47A glorious victory would give Edward back the upper hand.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50It would restore his prestige and his status.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Perhaps, more than anything else, it would curb the ambitions
0:25:54 > 0:25:58of the ordainers, force them to submit to the King's will.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02But Edward's belief his opponents would unite behind the campaign
0:26:02 > 0:26:06against Scotland was soon dashed. A handful of the ordainers,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09some of England's most powerful nobles,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11adamantly refused to join the king.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16If they had joined with Edward on that day,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19then the story of Bannockburn might have been quite different.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Edward's come north with an English army, led by his nobles.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33But some of those guys are missing, aren't they?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36There's bad blood between some of the nobles and the king
0:26:36 > 0:26:40because of the relationship between Gaveston and Edward.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41And so, Lancaster, Arundel,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Surrey and Warwick are conspicuous by their absence.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48While they send representation, the men themselves who should
0:26:48 > 0:26:50have been at Edward's side are not there.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53So, we could say that Edward's not playing with his A Team.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Definitely not. There's gaps in the offensive and defensive.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01But in the end, it wasn't a lack of men or nobles that led
0:27:01 > 0:27:05to Edward's downfall. His nemesis was the Bannockburn
0:27:05 > 0:27:08by which he camped and which gave its name to the battle.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12The place where Edward had decided to camp was, at first glance,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14strategically sound.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18There was water for the horses,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and the Bannockburn and another stream, the Pelstream,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23surrounded him, giving him protection
0:27:23 > 0:27:26from surprise attacks from behind.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29But on the day of the battle, the Bannockburn gave anything but that
0:27:29 > 0:27:32as the English forces retreated from the Scots advance.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39One chronicle describes it as "the watery grave for the English army".
0:27:58 > 0:28:01The Bannockburn twists and turns for many miles.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The contemporary accounts all agree that, somewhere along it,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06the battle was fought.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10If we can find archaeological evidence, we will be able
0:28:10 > 0:28:15to pinpoint where the two armies clashed on day two of the battle.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Well, this is interesting. I've never seen Stirling from the river.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20'We are heading to where the Bannockburn
0:28:20 > 0:28:22'flows in to the River Forth.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:26And it's when you enter the mouth of the Bannockburn that you get
0:28:26 > 0:28:30a very clear idea of how much of an obstacle the river would
0:28:30 > 0:28:33have been to a medieval army.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36In all the years of talking about Bannockburn, I've never been on it.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39It's more somewhere you talk about than somewhere you visit.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40It's about 50-feet wide here.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44I wonder how far we could get up it before we get grounded.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47I know, but it really, it feels like a river here, not a burn.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50You wouldn't call this a burn, would you? Well, I wouldn't.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53No, it's an amazing different perspective.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54The drowned man's perspective.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57And you go in... I mean,, when you go in, presumably when you go
0:28:57 > 0:29:01into that water, underfoot, it's not firm footing, it's just thick slime?
0:29:01 > 0:29:03It's just slime, it's just gel.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Yeah, you sink, you sink through it.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Well, there are accounts of many of them drowning in the river
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and, presumably, in the lower reaches, here.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14Some people say more drowned than were killed by the Scots.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25From the air, it's not only the size of the Bannockburn
0:29:25 > 0:29:29that's very clear. Its dramatic twists and turns would have been
0:29:29 > 0:29:33a nightmare for the fleeing English army to cross.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35That mud is as treacherous as the water.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Yeah, and you can see, this side of it, you can
0:29:38 > 0:29:40see all this marshland, as well.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41So, it's not just the burn itself,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44it's the ground next to it that's a treacherous place.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48So, if the English army got itself with no option but to try and get
0:29:48 > 0:29:52its way back across that water, it's got no chance of doing it.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Not heavily armed men and all that equipment.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56And in a panic. No way.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- Especially as it breaks up - men in all directions.- Yeah.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Further upstream, the Bannockburn remains a formidable barrier.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Everywhere you look at the Bannockburn,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23it's a considerable obstacle to men and animals, isn't it?
0:30:23 > 0:30:26If this bears any resemblance to what it looked like
0:30:26 > 0:30:28in the medieval period, it's a death trap. Look at it.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Look how deep it's cut.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33If you're looking for that great ditch that everybody
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- goes on about, Every ten feet, it's a great ditch.- Yeah.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42- Dressed in armour, panicked. - Yeah, impossible.- It's hellish.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56It seems likely that here, on the flat Carse,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59bounded by the Bannockburn on the south and east
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and the Pelstream to the north, is the site of the battle.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07It's time to dig for archaeological evidence.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21Welcome to the last Bannockburn 700 project and the biggest yet.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22We're covering 30 hectares here
0:31:22 > 0:31:23and if you can stick your hand up
0:31:23 > 0:31:27if you've got anything interesting. Even if you're not sure, just stick
0:31:27 > 0:31:29your hand up and Neil or Tony will come along and just, and give you...
0:31:29 > 0:31:32- And we won't know what it is either. - LAUGHTER
0:31:33 > 0:31:37'For the final push, we've called upon the services of local
0:31:37 > 0:31:42'metal detectors, volunteers and a British Army archaeological unit,
0:31:42 > 0:31:43'Operation Nightingale.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48'Staffed by soldiers injured in the conflicts in Afghanistan
0:31:48 > 0:31:52'and Iraq, it serves as a form of occupational therapy.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57'And for us archaeologists, they give a valuable soldier's perspective.'
0:31:58 > 0:32:02They can bring a unique insight in to a battlefield.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05What is it like to be there when you're under threat,
0:32:05 > 0:32:06when your life is in danger?
0:32:06 > 0:32:09If something goes wrong, where are your extraction routes?
0:32:09 > 0:32:12The most difficult thing to do in any battle
0:32:12 > 0:32:14is the extraction away from the enemy.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17And, of course, that was one of the key elements of Bannockburn.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20How did the English army extract and what happened?
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Does it strike you as ironic that you've moved
0:32:23 > 0:32:26from modern battlefields to a very, very old battlefield, in one jump.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Yes, it is quite surreal.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31You just look around and you think,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34you know, what was going on here, 700 years ago?
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Just absolutely ridiculous
0:32:36 > 0:32:38the amount of people that must have died.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41- I imagine digging trenches isn't new to you, then?- Ha!
0:32:41 > 0:32:44No, but the difference is I'm enjoying it now and I've not
0:32:44 > 0:32:45got somebody shouting at me.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48That's good, we won't be doing that, anyway, mate. Carry on.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Anything worth...? Ooh!
0:32:54 > 0:32:57I was about to say anything worth reporting? Good grief.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05Oh, you dancer. You know what that is?
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- I think, possibly, a pendant? - Exactly. A horse pendant.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'As with all the objects we unearth,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14'they'll need forensic examination after the dig.'
0:33:14 > 0:33:16That could be one of our bits of horse furniture.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19It's one of the best things I've ever seen you find.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21It is, it is. I must agree with you there.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- I must agree with you there. - Stick with it.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Archaeology is fun, Doctor P.
0:33:27 > 0:33:28Lee, how are you?
0:33:28 > 0:33:32'And there's one find that shows particular promise.'
0:33:32 > 0:33:33What have we here? Oh.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36What on earth? Has this just come up?
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Yeah, definitely. Just here.
0:33:39 > 0:33:40What?!
0:33:42 > 0:33:44Good grief.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48That's what it's all about, isn't it, really? Good Lord.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50You do, from the medieval period,
0:33:50 > 0:33:56get crosses hanging from horse harnesses.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59And it does look as though you've got the very tip
0:33:59 > 0:34:00of a hanger, there.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04I would guess that this is, again, another part of horse furniture,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06probably from one of the English horses.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10These crosses are definitely a feature of medieval horse harness.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13And as these guys are fleeing back across the burn,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15there's no doubt that this stuff's going to be falling off.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17It's going to be absolute panic.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19And I think we're getting a picture of that now.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22That's superb.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24I think we've got a snapshot of the later stages
0:34:24 > 0:34:27of the Battle of Bannockburn here. I think it's stunning.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- Well done, Lee. - Thank you very much, Tony.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34What's beginning to emerge,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38is possible evidence of the last moments of the battle,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42when the English army fled from the field, towards the Bannockburn.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Could you imagine, you might have 7,000 people trying to get out here.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- It's not going to be pretty, is it? - It's a race for survival.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54People at the start will probably have a better chance of survival
0:34:54 > 0:34:55than people at the end.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57'To Sergeant Diarmaid Walshe,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01'the archaeological finds fit the picture of an army on the run.'
0:35:01 > 0:35:04So, your lightly-armoured troops, maybe your archers, skirmishers,
0:35:04 > 0:35:06have a better chance of survival.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Your heavy-armour troops would have struggled there.
0:35:09 > 0:35:10They might have fallen.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Once they go down, it's very difficult to get back up.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15And, also, of course, as you can see now, it's getting very wet.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18You're now starting to get out. If you're at the start,
0:35:18 > 0:35:19there's still grass, to get a grip.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22If you've had a couple of thousand people come through this,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24this would turn into a mud bath.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28You'd be slipping, you'd be sliding, you'd be trying to gain purchase.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30You would get rid of your kit.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- Anything that's loose would be falling off.- Stunning.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37For the first time ever, I'm able to talk to somebody
0:35:37 > 0:35:41about this being a real scenario and not hypothetical.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43And that, for me, is a stunning breakthrough.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45'After the initial excitement of the dig...'
0:35:45 > 0:35:47What we got in here?
0:35:47 > 0:35:50'..it's time to take a proper look at the finds.'
0:35:50 > 0:35:55This is that thing we think might be part of a spur.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57The heel bit. It's in really bad nick.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00We've got a horseshoe here. Possible scalloping on the edge,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03which would be indicative of the medieval horseshoe.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06This is a lovely little thing.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Characteristic shield-shaped heraldic pendant.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13We've got this other little crucifix, a little cross.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Oh, yeah, I think this is possibly my favourite find of the whole thing.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20So, we've got a fair selection of stuff,
0:36:20 > 0:36:24but we can't say anything definitive until we've had these tests done.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27So, I think, in the first instance, if you can get them X-rayed
0:36:27 > 0:36:29- and we'll take it from there, really.- Yeah.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40To make sure the finds are medieval,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44Warren is taking the iron objects to be X-rayed, which will hopefully
0:36:44 > 0:36:48reveal the internal shape, hidden beneath centuries of rust and dirt.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Trying to find the medieval evidence of the battle
0:36:51 > 0:36:52is very, very difficult.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55BEEP
0:36:56 > 0:36:58'The X-ray of the horseshoe is disappointing,
0:36:58 > 0:37:00'as it's clearly 20th century.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09'But the spur looks much more promising.'
0:37:09 > 0:37:11From that image, it looks like it's all one piece
0:37:11 > 0:37:14and someone's probably hammered it from one piece.
0:37:16 > 0:37:17Hi, Aoife.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Hello, Tony.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21'For the medieval pendants,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23I'm seeing Glasgow University's metallurgy expert.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29'The analysis reveals
0:37:29 > 0:37:32'that both heraldic objects are made out of copper.'
0:37:32 > 0:37:36- So, pure copper? - So, yeah. Largely copper.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40'But the cross appears to contain a more precious ingredient.'
0:37:40 > 0:37:43- 1%.- 1% gold?
0:37:43 > 0:37:45So, we're looking at something that was potentially
0:37:45 > 0:37:48a reasonably high-status object, then. There's clearly more to it
0:37:48 > 0:37:52- than meets the eye, once you start looking at the science of it.- Yes.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57- Natasha, there's a couple of objects I would like you to look at.- OK.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00'I'm hoping both objects are from the right period,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03'but only Natasha Ferguson, from the National Treasure Trove Unit,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06'can properly validate them.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09'But it's not good news, when it comes to the heraldic shield.'
0:38:09 > 0:38:13They are shield shapes. I can see where that, kind of, comparison
0:38:13 > 0:38:17to heraldic pendants might come from. But this, this is definitely
0:38:17 > 0:38:18a 19th-20th century
0:38:18 > 0:38:20saddle mount.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24You can see the iron rivets where it would have fitted on to the saddle.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26And also that shape. It's probably copying that style.
0:38:26 > 0:38:27'But what about the cross?'
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- It's fragile. - Ah, right. Oh, fantastic.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33That certainly looks like a horse pendant - medieval.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37These date from the late 13th century through to the 14th century.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40They've got quite a tight chronology.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43So, right on our money, then, for the Battle of Bannockburn?
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Your words are music to my ears. Excellent, that's wonderful news.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51At last, something we can safely say is from the battle.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59Never before has the Battle of Bannockburn
0:38:59 > 0:39:01been so thoroughly investigated.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Over two years, we've unearthed a staggering 3,500 objects.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13The soil of Bannockburn hasn't been kind to these finds.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16A lot are corroded beyond recognition and most of these
0:39:16 > 0:39:22are only decades old. So, amazingly a handful from the right period
0:39:22 > 0:39:26have survived and, crucially, they are all related to cavalry.
0:39:26 > 0:39:33This looks very much like a heel-end of a spur.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Oh, on the back of a heel?
0:39:35 > 0:39:38So that would go like that. It's been bent and distorted.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42- Goodness. - Now, this looks interesting.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46It looks as though it's the base of a stirrup from the medieval period.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50We have something which is in a special box,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53because it is the star find.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57This is really the icing on the cake, as far as the finds are concerned.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59- A cross.- Look at that.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Horse pendants are the quintessential piece of horse furniture
0:40:02 > 0:40:06from the period. Now, if we look at this picture here,
0:40:06 > 0:40:11which is from a manuscript from the 1300s. And there they are.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Right there, hanging from the horse's chest.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16..across the horse's chest, three of them.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18And there, on the horse's headband is another one.
0:40:18 > 0:40:24- On its forehead.- And I think we were very fortunate to find what we have.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26So, that's essentially a miracle?
0:40:26 > 0:40:30It's a miracle, backed up with a hell of a lot of really hard work.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34And the thing is, it's a great place,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37because it's where we thought the English were most likely
0:40:37 > 0:40:42to cross the burn, both crossing over to give battle and then fleeing back,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46as the battle goes badly for them. And it's in exactly that spot.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49The medieval cross,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52the spur and the stirrup
0:40:52 > 0:40:55were all found in this loop of the Bannockburn,
0:40:55 > 0:40:56dropped by English knights
0:40:56 > 0:40:59fleeing across the river, to get away from the Scottish army.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Ironically, the supposedly safe ground, where the English
0:41:06 > 0:41:09chose to camp, turned out to be their nemesis.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13I suppose, ultimately, what is wrong, is that the English
0:41:13 > 0:41:17are simply not expecting the trouble that they find themselves in.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20And so, when the Scots come down towards them, en masse,
0:41:20 > 0:41:24there's just not enough organisation in the English camp
0:41:24 > 0:41:27to get anything up and running fast enough to intercept it.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30I think you're quite right. I think the speed and clarity
0:41:30 > 0:41:32of the Scottish advance that takes them on the back foot
0:41:32 > 0:41:36and, as they're in camp, desperately trying to position themselves.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39There's only one army on the field that knows
0:41:39 > 0:41:41there's going to be a battle. And it's the Scots.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Now we know that the battle took place on The Carse, we can
0:41:46 > 0:41:51make more sense of the historical accounts of that momentous day.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Scott McMaster is a medieval historian and runs
0:41:53 > 0:41:57the National Trust for Scotland Battle of Bannockburn Centre.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00With the contemporary accounts to hand, he's going to guide us
0:42:00 > 0:42:01through the day's events.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05What do you think it is that makes the Bruce decide that, rather than
0:42:05 > 0:42:10just holding the English in, putting on a show, in the face of them,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12when does he think, "Actually, I could take them"?
0:42:12 > 0:42:16It's really when Sir Alexander Seaton - a Scots knight fighting
0:42:16 > 0:42:20on the English side - sort of, defects and makes his way up
0:42:20 > 0:42:23and informs Bruce that the English are in such a disarray.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Bruce realises he's got an opportunity here.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29The generals are at each other's throats and he also realises that
0:42:29 > 0:42:32they're hemmed in between the Pelstream and the Bannockburn
0:42:32 > 0:42:35and this is a perfect opportunity to sweep down and attack them.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37So, a position that had been
0:42:37 > 0:42:39understandable, from the English point of view -
0:42:39 > 0:42:42protected by the water, have the water for their horses,
0:42:42 > 0:42:47by the following day, it had become a great problem - a weakness.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Yeah, absolutely, it's going to become a major disadvantage,
0:42:50 > 0:42:51because they're hemmed in.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54On the English perspective, they don't expect the Scots to fight.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56He's a guerrilla fighter, why should he?
0:42:56 > 0:42:58The very rivers are there exactly to protect them
0:42:58 > 0:43:00from any guerrilla attack.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Using the contemporary accounts,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06we're going to restage what happened next.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12And to help us, an army of experienced combat fighters,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15called Clanranald, combined with a visual effects team,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18will make sure the action is as realistic as possible.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28You'll feel like wild dogs in a pit.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32'Clanranald is led by Charlie Allan, who has spent years studying
0:43:32 > 0:43:36'Bannockburn. In the process, Clanranald has amassed an impressive
0:43:36 > 0:43:40'collection of weapons and kit, to bring Bruce's tactics to life.'
0:43:40 > 0:43:43You don't want to die, OK. They don't want to die.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45So, you're fighting for your life.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Day two of the battle started at first light.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59While the English camp was still sleeping,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03the Scots crept silently down through Balquhidderock Wood.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27They emerged into the morning light and lined up.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45To the astonishment of the sleepy English commanders,
0:44:45 > 0:44:47all of the Scots knelt down to pray.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Kneeling for prayer is really essential, from a military
0:44:53 > 0:44:56point of view, but it also gives them time to assemble, so to speak.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58It gives the captains time to have a look around,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01to make sure everyone is there. Nobody rushing ahead suddenly,
0:45:01 > 0:45:04in a bout of excitement to charge at the English.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Or just to make sure that nobody has deserted. That they're all
0:45:07 > 0:45:10- getting together and they're all in line and holding formation.- Yeah.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Across The Carse, Edward watched the Scots kneeling.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24He took the Scots piety as prayers for something else.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51The Scots quickly finished their prayers
0:45:51 > 0:45:54and started to advance towards the English.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Across The Carse, in the English camp,
0:46:16 > 0:46:19a row broke out between Edward and the Earl of Gloucester.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Gloucester goes to the King Edward and explains to him
0:46:34 > 0:46:35that the men need some rest.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37And Edward II is not happy about this.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40He accused Gloucester of treachery and, almost, cowardice.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42And this is obviously in front of the fellow earls
0:46:42 > 0:46:43and some of the knights.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Gloucester, this 23-year-old young guy - full of prestige,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06one of the most powerful men in England - his pride's dented
0:47:06 > 0:47:09and his honour is dented. So, immediately he's enraged by this.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13He leaves and says to himself, "I'm going to prove a point to Edward."
0:47:13 > 0:47:16He jumps on his horse and rides straight at the Scots.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Taking down a solitary knight is one thing,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48but it's estimated that Edward's cavalry numbered around 2,000.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55Scott, are these about the same size as medieval warhorses?
0:47:55 > 0:47:59No, they're. They're actually a lot smaller than the medieval warhorses.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02The warhorses of the period were heavy
0:48:02 > 0:48:05and trained specifically for the main task of warfare.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08In battle, would the horses be armoured?
0:48:08 > 0:48:12Yeah, they are quite heavy, to stop any, sort of, cuts and so forth.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Some of them will be covered in mail, as well.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17They're trained, you know, specifically to fight in battle.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21So, noises, in terms of the elements of steel on steel,
0:48:21 > 0:48:23the smashing, the splintering or whatever is going
0:48:23 > 0:48:25around about them, they'd be very much used to that.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28It is purely a terrifying prospect.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31I think we're all instinctively a little bit nervous around horses.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33The sound of hundreds of them coming in a line.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Yeah, I mean, you would feel the ground, literally, move,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39as the hooves hit the ground and the vibrations come through.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41It's an effective weapon, even now.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59So how did Bruce plan to break their charge, using just foot soldiers?
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Robert's intention was to close the gap between him
0:49:01 > 0:49:05and the unprepared English as quickly as possible.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08So, preventing Edward's cavalry from building up enough momentum
0:49:08 > 0:49:10to smash the Scots line.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16This is really what Bannockburn is fundamentally all about.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19These bodies of men with their pikes and spears, moving forward
0:49:19 > 0:49:22and jabbing forward, closing the gap between themselves and the cavalry,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25so the cavalry can't fully deploy or cannot race in
0:49:25 > 0:49:28- and decimate the infantry. - It's incredible. It must have been
0:49:28 > 0:49:31an incredibly daunting sight, seeing that coming towards you.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34It was. If you imagine that thing moving forward with the pikes
0:49:34 > 0:49:37jabbing towards you, at every possible angle.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39I think we know a man that may be able to give us an idea of that.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Charlie, could we possibly?
0:49:42 > 0:49:45You're going to have to give us some room.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47- Arms up! - THEY SHOUT
0:49:47 > 0:49:51Schiltron formation, on three. One, two, three!
0:50:25 > 0:50:27The Scottish army then reached the English,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30engaging them along the entire front.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32The English knights now found themselves hemmed in
0:50:32 > 0:50:35between the Scots schiltrons and the mass of their own army.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Bruce's schiltron pushes forward
0:51:00 > 0:51:02and the English are hemmed in between the Pelstream
0:51:02 > 0:51:06and the Bannockburn, so there's not much space for them to move, at all.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09And slowly, but surely, of course, what happens is they -
0:51:09 > 0:51:12the horses and the cavalry - are pushed back onto their own men.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15But as they're pushing forward, there is this, crush, essentially,
0:51:15 > 0:51:16that happens and you can just imagine it.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19The horses are coming back and the men are coming back
0:51:19 > 0:51:23and these damn Scots are pushing forward all the time, just piercing
0:51:23 > 0:51:26horse flesh, piercing armour. Pushing them back all the time.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28It's almost like a combine harvester, just cutting...
0:51:28 > 0:51:29cutting back, chewing them up,
0:51:29 > 0:51:32although in this case, it's a prickly hedgehog of spears.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38Pushing forward, the Scots soon began to gain ground
0:51:38 > 0:51:41and chaos broke out in the English ranks.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43With many dead and wounded being trampled.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47The whole army was slowly, but surely, driven back,
0:51:47 > 0:51:49towards the Bannockburn.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19Was there never an opportunity for the English archers to deploy
0:52:19 > 0:52:22and start wearing down the Scots?
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Well, it is mentioned in Barbour's Bruce,
0:52:25 > 0:52:29the detachment of English archers, they are seen to by Keith's cavalry.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31There's 500 light cavalry coming to decimate them.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34But the reality is, cos the English are really caught on the hop,
0:52:34 > 0:52:36that there's no room, as we've already seen for
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- the archers to actually deploy.- So, there's no room for them, either?
0:52:39 > 0:52:43No. I mean, we're standing together. How on earth would you, even if
0:52:43 > 0:52:46we are in ranks, how are we going to loose your arrow
0:52:46 > 0:52:49from this distance if there's so many horsemen ahead of you, as well.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52And you've got this thicket of spears coming towards you, too,
0:52:52 > 0:52:54and there's guys moving about, trying to get position.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56There's just no way for them to deploy themselves.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59It is amazing, isn't it? Even if you've got an overwhelming
0:52:59 > 0:53:02number of fighting men, if you can't deploy them,
0:53:02 > 0:53:06then they simply become a hazard to themselves and each other.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10They're not a danger any more. They're just in each others' way.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14You've got those two super weapons - the heavy horse
0:53:14 > 0:53:17and the archers - and both are absolutely useless in this battle.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23But the biggest threat to the English troops was the Bannockburn.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28The English army, as an organised fighting force, had ceased to exist.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Now in retreat, they are forced to recross the river.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37MEN SHOUT, SWORDS CLASH
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Many fall in a section named by the chroniclers, as the Great Ditch.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Here come more of the fleeing English.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17It's all gone badly wrong for someone.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Can you imagine thousands of men trying to do the same thing?
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Because if you walk, if you ran onto that steep side in armour,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28chain mail, you'd never get up it.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Not if there's thousands of people, where it's like a football crowd.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Robert the Bruce had defeated Edward.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43And it came at a huge price for the English army.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08Reports on fatalities vary immensely.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13At least 150 of Edward's knights were killed.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17While the death toll of the English foot soldiers was in the thousands.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22There is no record of the Scots casualties,
0:55:22 > 0:55:25but we can assume their losses would have been significantly fewer.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30What about the English King?
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Sensing imminent defeat, the party looking after Edward,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39grabbed the reigns of his horse and dragged him off the field
0:55:39 > 0:55:41and fled towards Stirling Castle.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46But Edward wasn't exactly received with open arms.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53After the battle, when it's all gone pear-shaped for Edward,
0:55:53 > 0:55:57he doesn't really have any place to go, apart from the castle.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Surely, though, even his most pessimistic predictions wouldn't
0:56:00 > 0:56:05have allowed for making a run for it, from the battlefield of defeat.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07He didn't expect to lose, that's for sure.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09And when he does come up here,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11the remnants of the garrison up here give him, what I would say
0:56:11 > 0:56:15is pretty sound advice - you do not want to be coming in here.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17He eventually ends up in Dunbar,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20where he gets a ship down to England, but not a happy ending for him.
0:56:20 > 0:56:25No, the ignominy of it! Even turned away by his own men.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39The Battle of Bannockburn secured Robert the Bruce's future
0:56:39 > 0:56:41as ruler of Scotland.
0:56:41 > 0:56:46But he had to wait 14 years for Edward II's son, Edward III,
0:56:46 > 0:56:50to recognise Scotland as an independent kingdom
0:56:50 > 0:56:52and Bruce as its king.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56He died just one year later, in 1329.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02It's amazing how many people still imbue it with such significance,
0:57:02 > 0:57:05- the Battle of Bannockburn. - It does mean so much to so many,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07hence the statue behind us.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10But the thing is, the battle didn't really settle that much.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13It didn't mean that Scotland had won its independence,
0:57:13 > 0:57:14Edward II didn't recognise that.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17What it did do was establish Robert Bruce's reputation
0:57:17 > 0:57:20as king, within Scotland, but the wars of independence rumbled on.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24I suppose, basically, what Bannockburn did was it was part
0:57:24 > 0:57:27- of what secured the legend of that man there.- Yeah.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32It makes the name of Robert Bruce immortal.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42Overlooking the Bannockburn, Bruce had made his plan to defeat
0:57:42 > 0:57:45Edward, to force the English army on to The Carse
0:57:45 > 0:57:50and push this mighty force towards the burn.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54In the end, they had nowhere to go
0:57:54 > 0:57:56and it's on the banks of the Bannockburn where
0:57:56 > 0:57:59the fleeing English left their trace in the landscape.
0:58:02 > 0:58:03But for us, the battle's over.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07It has been a challenge, there's no doubt that, but we do now
0:58:07 > 0:58:12have the first tangible evidence for the Battle of Bannockburn.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15Small in quantity, but high in quality.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18That's a good enough result for me.