Photo: © The National Trust For Scotland.
An arrowhead, unearthed by archaeologists on the Bannockburn battlefield, is the first weapon found at the site of Robert The Bruce’s Famous victory over the English.
The discovery came as The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which owns the historic land, marked the 690th anniversary of the battle, which took place on June 23 and 24 1314.
Derek Alexander, NTS archaeologist, unearthed the tiny piece of metal in topsoil while digging a trench at the Borestone site where the Scottish forces are said to have set up camp.
"This is an extremely important artefact as it is the first find of a weapon from the battle site," explained Derek.
"Although the area around the Borestone was on the edge of a hunting forest in the 14th century, this arrowhead is not a hunting arrow. It has no barbs but is simply an iron point; a type called a 'bodkin', used for penetrating heavy armour."
On June 23 and 24 1314, the forces of Edward II of England faced the armies of Robert I of Scotland on the flat land south of Stirling.
Photo: © The National Trust For Scotland.
Edward had come to relieve Stirling Castle, one of the few Scottish castles still under English control, and faced a smaller, but better led and better positioned Scottish force.
The Scots won a heroic victory and Edward fled, narrowly escaping capture. Despite Scotland’s right to full independent status not being recognised until 1328, the Battle of Bannockburn marked the end of English control of the kingdom.
While documentary evidence and various artefacts from the battle have survived, this latest find is the only weapon discovered at the site.
Made of iron and measuring 35mm (approx 1.5 inches) in length, the arrowhead is of a type in common use during the 14th century.
It is not known whether it was ever fired in anger, but the area where it was found is thought to have been where the engagements of the first day of the battle took place.
It was there, between the Borestone site and the crossing of the Bannockburn further south, that Robert The Bruce killed Henry de Bohun before repulsing a frontal attack from Edward II’s army.
Experts at the NTS have yet to establish whether the arrow was English or Scottish. However, while the English longbowmen are mentioned in accounts of the second day of the battle, when they were driven from the field by the Scottish cavalry, no mention is made of them on the first day.
Photo: © The National Trust For Scotland.
Given the small size of the arrowhead it is possible that it was Scottish since they are known to have used shorter, less powerful bows than the English.
The arrowhead is the latest in a series of recent finds on the battlefield, including two pieces of 14th century stirrups found during filming of BBC2’s Two Men in a Trench programme.
Staff at the NTS are currently looking into funding to undertake a major redevelopment of the interpretation facilities at Bannockburn and part of this research will involve systematic archaeological investigation of the site.
"We really are thrilled with this find," added Alison Corley, Property Manager at Bannockburn Heritage Centre.
"The arrowhead lay deep beneath the plot used by authentic trade vendors when The Battle of Bannockburn re-enactments take place. We can guarantee though that the arrowhead wasn’t just dropped by one of our re-enactors!"
Last year 12,000 people flocked to see the annual re-creation of one of the most important battles in Scottish history. This year, The Battle of Bannockburn 2004: Scotland 1 – England 0, is taking place on September 18 and 19.
