Bothwell Bridge [Child 206]

DESCRIPTION: Earlston bids farewell to his family and sets out for Bothwell Bridge (to join the Covenanters). Monmouth, who commands the enemy, welcomes him but orders him to disarm. The two sides cannot agree, and a bloody battle ensues
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1803 (Scott)
KEYWORDS: battle death nobility
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
June 22, 1679 - Battle of Bothwell Bridge (Bothwell Brig)
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Child 206, "Bothwell Bridge" (1 text)
Bronson 206, "Bothwell Bridge" (4 versions)
Bronson-SingingTraditionOfChildsPopularBallads 206, "Bothwell Bridge" (3 versions: #2, #3, #4)
Chambers-ScottishBallads, pp. 84-86, "The Battle of Bothwell-Bridge" (1 text)
Leach-TheBalladBook, pp. 551-553, "Bothwell Bridge" (1 text)
Whitelaw-BookOfScottishBallads, pp. 538-544, "Battle of Bothwell-Bridge" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Michael Brander, _Scottish and Border Battles and Ballads_, 1975 (page references to the 1993 Barnes & Noble edition), pp. 1175-176, "Bothwell Bridge" (1 text)
Roud #337
NOTES [678 words]: The Restoration of the Stuarts produced a real mess in Scottish church affairs. The Scots wanted a presbyterian system; Charles II wanted an episcopal organization, which would make things much easier for him. Charles got his way, but at the cost of a lot of opposition and a church filled with non-entities (Hutton, p. 179). Eventually the presbyterians had enough, murdered the Archbishop of St Andrews, and set about trying to have things their way. This rebellion resulted in the battle of Drumclog (1679; see "Loudon Hill, or Drumclog," Child 205), at which Dundee was defeated. It brought many more men to the Covenanter cause. These new men, however, were anything but disciplined; they didn't even really agree on what they wanted (they were anti-Episcopal, but there were all sorts of ways to oppose bishops!).
Brennan, p. 56, says the rebels at this battle were led by Robert Hamilton. They ended up massing along the Clyde, with the Royalist army led by Charles II's illegitimate son James Scott, Duke of Monmouth on the other side, with Bothwell Bridge the only way to cross other than by boat. The Covenanters tried to parley, but refused Monmouth's demand to lay down their arms in return for his promise to seek leniency. Monmouth -- who is estimated to have had an army twice the size of the rebel force -- began an assault, hitting the rebels with his artillery and then attacking the bridge. The Covenanters were quickly routed (Keay, p. 207; Brennan, by contrast, says that Monmouth had 5000 men, Hamilton 6000). Whatever the numbers, there is no question, though, that Monmouth had better, more disciplined troops; they were able to force the bridge and rout the rebels.
According to Clark, pp. 260-261, the presbyterian forces lost about 400 killed and over 1000 captured; many were sold into slavery in Barbados. Brennan, p. 56, says that 500-700 rebels were casualties and 1200 were transported. (Given how poor records were in that period, that constitutes pretty close agreement. According to Brennan, p. 57, many thought Monmouth too lenient.)
The very fact that Monmouth had the command when Charles II's brother James was then living in semi-exile in Scotland is interesting. It probably should have been James's job, but Charles perhaps did not wish to risk the after-effects if James, who was Catholic, was in charge of suppressing Protestants.
Monmouth's win was very convenient for Charles II -- he had not had the money to raise the six regiments that had been thought necessary to suppress the rebellion, and had thought he would have to turn to a parliament which would very likely have demanded the exclusion of James from the line of succession. "It had apparently been a narrow escape, and Charles himself may be blamed for the policy which had encouraged the trouble to break out. It had cost 1,200 lives" (Hutton, p. 376. For Charles's policies, see again "Loudon Hill, or Drumclog," Child 205).
Despite the failure of the rising, the mere fact that it happened caused the Duke of Lauderdale (John Maitland, 1616-1682), the Secretary of State for Scotland who had implemented the High Church policy, to lose most of his power (Miller, pp. 106-107, who explains that Lauderdale was getting old and losing his touch anyway).
The ballad implies that Claverhouse was a senior officer at Bothwell Bridge -- but in fact he was only a captain of no great importance at this battle. Furthermore, it says that Monmouth was killed. It is true that Monmouth eventually lost his head -- but that was in 1685, after he rebelled against James II; for background, see "The Monmouth Rebel." I wonder it those lines floated in from a ballad about the Battle of Sedgemoor. I'm surprised Walter Scott didn't edit it out.
It should be noted that various sources list July 2 as the date of the battle. This is, I believe, a case of Old Style (Julian) versus New Style (Gregorian) dates.
There is at least one unrelated (but quite old) broadside about this battle, NLScotland, APS.4.99.4, "Bothwell-Bridge: Or, Hamilton's Hero," T.B. (London), 1679 - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 6.6
File: C206

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