Following the decisive Scots victory at the
Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Scots had recovered all their strongholds, with the exception of Berwick. In September 1317, King
Robert Bruce attempted a siege of Berwick, which lasted until November before he withdrew. The following April, Peter Spalding helped followers of Robert the Bruce enter and seize the town of Berwick from the English. He was English and a burgess of the town, but he was married to a cousin of Sir Robert Keith, Great Marischal of Scotland. The raiding party, led by Sir James Douglas, and possibly the
Earl of Dunbar, took the town after a fight. The castle was warned when they lost control of their men, who began to
plunder and failed to capture the castle. King Robert soon arrived with an army, and after an eleven-week siege, the castle garrison capitulated due to a lack of supplies. The English
burgesses were expelled, and King Robert re-established Berwick as a Scottish trading port, installing his son-in-law
Walter Stewart as Keeper. ==Aftermath==