#OTD in 1296 Edward I crossed the Tweed at Coldstream and entered Scotland. The muster rolls are incomplete, but suggest he had about 20,000 men with him. Of these, 3000 were Irish and at least 10,000 Welsh.

The conflict with Scotland and France was now escalating very quickly. The English king marched onto Scottish soil just two days after the Earl of Buchan’s failed attack on Carlisle, and one day after his brother Edmund’s victory over the French at Bordeaux.

At this stage Edward was still unaware of the Franco-Scots treaty. So far as he was concerned, the expedition into Scotland was a show of arms against a rebellious vassal, John Balliol.

The Bruces, Carrick and his son Robert, were among the retinue of Antony Bek, the fighting Bishop of Durham. Their retinue consisted of six knights, a clerk, and a cook. Two of their knights were Cumbrian, the rest southerners from Essex.

Bruce motives were simple. Grandpa Bruce - who was now dead - had invited Edward to invade Scotland and put a Bruce on the throne. Daddy Bruce - Carrick - had the same ambition and was up to his eyeballs in debt to Edward. Robert - the future king - was definitely just patriotically biding his time and had no ambitions whatsoever beyond freeing Scotland from the wicked Sassenach. Yep.

Attached is the only known photograph etc.