Otterburn

Otterburn village, Northumberland, N England. It was the scene of a victory (1388) of the Scots over the English. The engagement, in which Sir Henry Percy was taken captive, is the subject of the English ballad "Chevy Chase" and the Scots ballad "Otterburn."

Otterburn, Battle of (5 August 1388) A victory for Scottish forces over the English at Otterburn, a village in northern England. Although the Earl of Douglas was himself killed, Henry PERCY the Younger (Hotspur) was captured and English control of the north was jeopardized for years to come. The event was immortalized in the Ballad of Chevy Chase.

Otterburn, battle of, 1388. Though little more than a routine border skirmish, Otterburn was rendered remarkable by the number of ballads it inspired, including ‘Chevy Chase’. A large Scottish gathering near Jedburgh in the summer of 1388 resolved on a two‐pronged campaign, one attack west towards Carlisle, the other across Carter Bar into Redesdale. the eastern army, under James, earl of Douglas, having ravaged as far as Durham, was pursued in retreat by Henry Percy (‘Hotspur’). Late on 15 August the English caught up at Otterburn and went straight into the attack. As night fell, the battle developed into a series of hand‐to‐hand single combats. Percy was captured but Douglas himself was killed. the dead from the battlefield were buried nearby at Elsdon.