In 1326 the English king Edward II was deposed by a rebellion led by his wife, Isabella, and her lover, Mortimer.

After two weeks of poor supplies and bad weather the English confronted the Scots when the latter deliberately gave away their position.

The English believed that they had the Scots surrounded and were starving them out, but on the night of 6 August the Scottish army escaped and marched back to Scotland.

Robert Bruce was securely on the Scottish throne and had carried out several major raids deep into England.

[5] To add to Edward II's embarrassments, when an Anglo-French war broke out in Aquitaine in 1323 the English were defeated and forced to agree a humiliating peace in 1325.

[11] Edward II's treasurer, Walter de Stapledon, was killed by a mob in St Paul's Cathedral; his main counsellor, Hugh Despenser, was declared a traitor and sentenced to be drawn, hanged, disembowelled, castrated and quartered – his head was displayed at one of London's gates; Robert Baldock, his chancellor, died in prison; and the Earl of Arundel was beheaded.

[6][16] Edward II had refused to recognise Robert Bruce as king of Scotland, and the Scottish raids were intended to exert pressure on the English to acknowledge his kingship.

[17] Ending the devastating Scottish raids by defeating the Scots in battle would aid in legitimising Isabella and Mortimer's de facto rule.

For Bruce, demonstrating that the English were unable to end the raids would potentially put the Scottish king in a position to dictate a peace.

Their scattered formation, which enabled them to advance on a front of 70 miles (110 km) or more, also made it difficult for opponents to identify their numbers, centre of operations and even direction of travel.

[note 1][22] While assembling, the Hainaulters fell out with the English infantry and engaged in a running battle through York.

[16] Edward III accompanied the army[23] as nominal commander, but exercised no authority; that was reserved for Mortimer.

After a week the English were complaining, states le Bel, of their "discomfort and poverty" and their commanders developed a new plan.

[note 2] Their spearmen adopted their traditional schiltrons – tightly packed pike formations with little mobility but capable of all-round defence.

[27][28] The English formed up in battle order, were addressed by Edward III and advanced slowly, hoping that the Scots would come down to fight them on the flood plain.

The English in turn declined to attack, and remained on the south bank of the Wear, facing the Scottish positions, hoping to starve them out.

On the night of 2/3 August the Scots decamped, moving a short way to an even stronger position, within Stanhope Park proper.

They penetrated to the centre of the English camp and collapsed the King's tent with a terrified Edward III inside.

The English slept fully armoured and in battle order in anticipation of a Scottish assault, with large bonfires burning to illuminate the field.

The outwitted English marched slowly back to Durham – their horses were worn out – where they were reunited with their supply wagons on 10 August.

[33] Contemporary English opinion of the campaign considered it "to the great shame, dishonour, and scorn of all England".

The siege of Norham Castle continued into late 1327 and the main English force in the region was unable to venture out of its base at Alnwick.

[33] If the Scots were to invade again in 1328, the English lacked the finances to raise troops to oppose them, and so Isabella and Mortimer were forced to negotiate.