The English army crossed the Tweed River on 28 March 1296 and proceeded to the priory of
Coldstream, staying there overnight. The English army then marched towards the town of
Berwick, Scotland's most important trading port, at that time. Berwick's garrison was commanded by
William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas, while the English army was led by
Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford. The English succeeded in entering the town and began to
sack Berwick, with contemporary accounts of the number of townspeople slain range from between 4,000 and 17,000. The English then began a siege of
Berwick Castle, whereupon Douglas surrendered it upon conditions that his life and those of his garrison were spared. Edward I and the English army remained at Berwick for a month, supervising the strengthening of its defences. On 5 April, Edward I received a message from the Scottish king renouncing his homage to Edward I. After not being able to force battle with the Scots, Edward I decided to take the battle to the Scots. The next objective was
Patrick, Earl of March's
castle at Dunbar, a few miles up the coast from Berwick, then occupied by the Scots. The Earl of March himself had sided with the English, however his wife, Marjory Comyn, daughter of
Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan, did not share her husband's political loyalties and had allowed the Scots to occupy the castle. Edward I sent one of his chief lieutenants,
John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, who was John Balliol's own father-in-law, northwards with a strong force of knights to lay siege to the stronghold. The Dunbar defenders sent messages to King John, who had caught up with the main body of the Scottish army at
Haddington, requesting urgent assistance. In response the Scots army advanced to the rescue of Dunbar Castle. King John did not accompany the army. The two armies came met each other on 27 April and
gave battle, near Dunbar. The Scots occupied a strong position on some high ground to the west. Surrey's cavalry had to cross a gully intersected by the
Spott Burn. As they did so their ranks broke up, and the Scots, deluded into thinking the English were leaving the field, abandoned their position in a disorderly downhill charge, only to find that Surrey's forces had reformed on Spottsmuir and were advancing in perfect order. The English routed the disorganised Scots in the charge. The action was brief, with the only casualty of any note being the Lothian knight, Sir
Patrick de Graham. A large number of Scottish lords, knights and men-at-arms were taken prisoner, including
John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and the earls of
Atholl,
Ross and
Menteith, Richard Suart and William de Saintclair. Those who did escape, fled westwards to the safety of
Ettrick Forest. Those captured were sent into captivity in England. Edward I arrived at Dunbar on 28 April, with the castle surrendering. Edward I travelled to
Haddington (1 May), then to
Lauder, Roxburgh Castle, where
James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland handed the castle over to the English. After travelling to Jedburgh Castle, Wyel,
Castleton, and back via Wyel to Jedborough and Roxburgh, the English army travelled to Lauder, then the abbey of
Newbattle and to
Edinburgh, where they laid siege to
Edinburgh Castle. After five days of siege the castle surrendered. The English then set about laying siege to
Linlithgow. Edward I then travelled to
Stirling, where the deserted
castle was surrendered by the porter.
Malise III, Earl of Strathearn, presented himself to Edward I at Stirling and did homage. Edward I then travelled to
Auchterarder, then
Perth,
Kinclaven,
Clunie,
Inverquiech;
Forfar,
Farnell and then to
Montrose. John and the leading nobles of Scotland presented themselves to Edward I at Stracathro Churchyard in July and surrendered. John was stripped of the symbols of power, the Scottish crown taken, the insignia ripped from his surcoat, leading to his nickname ‘toom tabard’ (empty coat), before he and much of the Scots nobility were taken south to the
Tower of London or English castles. Edward I then travelled to
Kincardine in the Mearns,
Glenbervie,
Durris and
Aberdeen, where
Thomas Morham, whom Hugh de Saint John had captured together with eleven others in arms were placed into captivity. Edward I then travelled to Kintore, Fyvie castle, Banff castle, Cullen, Rapenach and Elgin. On 29 July he was at Rothes. where he sent a force under the command of John de Cantilupe,
Hugh le Despencer and
John Hastings into the Badenoch district. Edward I and the bishop of Durham travelled over the mountains via Invercharrach, Kildrummy, Kincardine in the Mearns, Brechin; the
abbey of Aberbroth, Dundee; Baligerny, Perth, the
abbey of Lindores, St. Andrews, Markinch, the
abbey of Dunfermline, Stirling, Linlithgow, Edinburgh, Haddington; Pinkerton, Coldingham before finally returning to Berwick, having subjugated Scotland. ==Aftermath==