Royal Scots Navy - Knowledge (XXG)

528: 1129: 681: 429: 1430: 42: 993: 1112:. In successive campaigns, the Scots had lost all four of their royal ships. They would have to rely on privateers until the re-establishment of a royal fleet in the 1620s. However, as the English fleet retreated for winter, the remaining Scots ships began to pick off stragglers and unwary English merchantmen. In June 1548 the situation was transformed by the arrival of a French squadron of three warships, 16 galleys and transports carrying 6,000 men. The English lost 1540: 845: 1673: 226: 1740: 77: 543:'s success was his ability to call on naval forces from the Islands. As a result of the expulsion of the Flemings from England in 1303, he gained the support of a major naval power in the North Sea. The development of naval power allowed Robert to successfully defeat English attempts to capture him in the Highlands and Islands and to blockade major English controlled fortresses at 1501:(1639–40) the king attempted to blockade Scotland and disrupt trade and the transport of returning troops from the continent. The king planned amphibious assaults from England on the East coast and from Ireland to the West, but they failed to materialise. Scottish privateers took a number of English prizes and the 1518:

and Royalist forces at Dunkirk. They consisted mainly of small English warships, controlled by the Commissioners of the Navy based in London, but it always relied heavily on Scottish officers and revenues, and after 1646 the West Coast squadron became much more a Scottish force. The Scottish navy was

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in Ireland, it joined up with the French and had little impact on the war. After the disaster at Flodden the Great Michael, and perhaps other ships, were sold to the French and the king's ships disappeared from royal records after 1516. Scottish naval efforts would again rely on privateering captains

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were largely ineffective until in 1504 the king accompanied a squadron under Wood heavily armed with artillery, which battered the MacDonald strongholds into submission. Since some of these island fortresses could only be attacked from seaward, naval historian N. A. M. Rodger has suggested this may

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By 1697 the English Royal Navy had 323 warships, while Scotland was still dependent on merchantmen and privateers. In the 1690s, two separate schemes for larger naval forces were put in motion. As usual, the larger part was played by the merchant community rather than the government. The first was

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judged whether a captured ship was a lawful prize and dealt with the recovery of goods. As the court was entitled to a tenth of the value of a prize, it was a profitable business for the admiral. The privateers Andrew and Robert Barton were still using their letters of reprisal of 1506 against the

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of 1521–26, in which England and Scotland became involved on respective sides, the Scots had six men-of-war active attacking English and Imperial shipping and they blockaded the Humber in 1523. Although prizes were taken by Robert Barton and other captains, the naval campaign was sporadic and

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ships, usually with a centrally-stepped mast, but also with oars that allowed them to be rowed. Like the longship, they had a high stem and stern and were still small and light enough to be dragged across portages, but they replaced the steering board with a stern rudder from the late twelfth

3237:(1997), which provides extensive coverage in context, particularly for the Wars of Independence and the reign of James IV. The bibliography provided by Rodger is considerable, and includes works on the Early and High Medieval periods. The second volume of Rodger's history, 873:. Scotland's shipbuilding remained largely at the level of boat building and ship repairs and fell behind the Low Countries which led the way into semi-industrialised shipbuilding. Despite truces between England and Scotland there were periodic outbreaks of a 351:

in 1603 ended Scottish conflict with England, but Scotland's involvement in England's foreign policy opened up Scottish merchantmen to attack from privateers. In 1626, a squadron of three ships were bought and equipped for protection and there were several

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they established two patrol squadrons for the Atlantic and North Sea coasts, known collectively as the "Scotch Guard". These patrols guarded against Royalist attempts to move men, money and munitions and raids on Scottish shipping, particularly from the

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naval power was disrupted by conflicts between the Scandinavian kingdoms, but entered a period of resurgence in the thirteenth century when Norwegian kings began to build some of the largest ships seen in Northern European waters. These included King

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of privateers. It was probably one of Lochinvar's marque fleets that were sent to support the English Royal Navy in defending Irish waters in 1626. In 1627, the Royal Scots Navy and accompanying contingents of burgh privateers participated in the

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in 1603 conflict between Scotland and England ended, but Scotland became involved in England's foreign policy, opening up Scottish merchant shipping to attack. In the 1620s, Scotland became engaged in a naval conflict as England's ally, first

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Portuguese in 1561. The Bartons operated down the east coast of Britain from Leven and the Firth of Forth, while others used the French Channel ports such as Rouen and Dieppe or the Atlantic port of Brest as bases. In 1507 Robert Barton with

448:, a long, narrow, light, wooden boat with a shallow draft hull designed for speed. This shallow draft allowed navigation in waters only 3 feet (1 m) deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over 760:, the largest warship of its time (1511). The latter, built at great expense at Newhaven and launched in 1511, was 240 feet (73 m) in length, weighed 1,000 tons, had 24 cannon, and was, at that time, the largest ship in 452:. Longships were also double-ended, the symmetrical bow and stern allowing the ship to reverse direction quickly without having to turn around. The longship was gradually succeeded by (in ascending order of size) the 1582:(1672–74) as an independent kingdom. A very large number of Scottish captains, at least as many as 80 and perhaps 120, took letters of marque, and privateers played a major part in the naval conflict of the wars. 412:(1672–1674), between 80 and 120 captains took Scottish letters of marque and privateers played a major part in the naval conflicts. In the 1690s, a small fleet of five ships was established by merchants for the 594:, a house for marine stores, and a workshop. King's ships were built and equipped there to be used for trade as well as war, one of which accompanied him on his expedition to the Islands in 1429. The office of 1217:

came to the throne of England in 1558, the English party and the Protestants found their positions aligned and the Protestants asked for English military support to expel the French. In 1559, English captain

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declared war upon Scotland in 1544, the Scots were able to engage in a highly profitable campaign of privateering that lasted six years and the gains of which probably outweighed the losses in trade with the

384:, a "Scotch Guard" was established on the coast of Scotland of largely English ships, but with Scottish revenues and men, gradually becoming a more Scottish force. The Scottish naval forces were defeated by 476:, who acted as largely independent kings and could raise large fleets for use even against their nominal overlord the King of Scots. They succeeded in playing off the king of Scotland against the kings of 273:(1296–1328). The build-up of naval capacity continued after the establishment of Scottish independence. In the late fourteenth century, naval warfare with England was conducted largely by hired Scots, 491:. The latter took personal command of a large naval force which sailed from the Firth of Clyde and anchored off the island of Kerrera in 1249, intended to transport his army in a campaign against the 4278: 1606:

in 1698, but the venture failed and only one ship returned to Scotland. In the same period it was decided to establish a professional navy for the protection of commerce in home waters during the

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and winter storms forced the Norwegian fleet to return home, leaving the Scottish crown as the major power in the region and leading to the ceding of the Western Isles to Alexander in 1266.

539:'s successful campaigns in Scotland from 1296, using largely merchant ships from England, Ireland and his allies in the Islands to transport and supply his armies. Part of the reason for 574:

of 1326 recording the feudal duties of his vassals in that region to aid him with their vessels and crews. Towards the end of his reign, he supervised the building of at least one royal

1148:, small ships called 'shallops' were noted between Leith and France, passing as fishermen, but bringing munitions and money. Private merchant ships were rigged at Leith, Aberdeen and 621:

that allowed him to gain compensation for the capture of his vessels by the Portuguese by capturing ships under their colours. These letters would be repeated to his three sons John,

318:, at that time, the largest ship in Europe. Scottish ships had some success against privateers, accompanied the king on his expeditions in the islands and intervened in conflicts in 436:

By the late Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Scotland participated in two related maritime traditions. In the West was the tradition of galley warfare that had its origins in the Viking

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to buy gunpowder which he shipped to Edinburgh castle. James VI sent orders from Denmark to the town of Edinburgh requesting the council hire a ship for his return. They chose the

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After the establishment of Scottish independence, King Robert I turned his attention to building up a Scottish naval capacity. This was largely focused on the west coast, with the

330:. Thereafter Scottish naval efforts would rely on privateering captains and hired merchantmen. Despite truces between England and Scotland, there were periodic outbreaks of a 1144:

in 1567. English and Scottish naval warfare and privateering broke out sporadically in the 1550s. When Anglo-Scottish relations deteriorated again in 1557 as part of a wider

527: 3251:(1989) is the standard life of the king most important to the history of the Royal Scots Navy, and does not stint on naval coverage. Works such as R. Andrew McDonald, 4026: 3976: 1454:. In 1626 a squadron of three ships was bought and equipped, at a cost of at least £5,200 sterling, to guard against privateers operating out of Spanish-controlled 1374: 1096:

invasion fleet of 60 ships, 35 of them warships, supported the English advance into Scotland. The naval superiority of the English fleet was demonstrated when the

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The chief employment of naval power in his reign was in a series of expeditions to the Isles and France. In 1536 the king circumnavigated the Isles, embarking at

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that had spanned the Irish Sea. In the east, it participated in the common northern European sail-driven naval tradition. The key to the Viking success was the

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during the second half of the seventeenth century. Royal Navy patrols were now found in Scottish waters even in peacetime, such as the small ship-of-the-line

4134: 4273: 4021: 3819: 1128: 516:, to the islands, where they were swelled by local allies to as many as 200 ships. Records indicate that Alexander had several large oared ships built at 4144: 3588: 3270:(1998) adds detail from published and manuscript sources to the stories of the king's voyages and gives a detailed analysis of their historical context. 1479:. In 1629 two squadrons of privateers led by Lochinvar and William Lord Alexander, sailed for Canada, taking part in the campaign that resulted in the 818:

and another ship to continue the private war, and took prizes that he claimed were Portuguese, but contained English goods. He was intercepted in the

586:. In the late fourteenth century naval warfare with England was conducted largely by hired Scots, Flemish and French merchantmen and privateers. King 883:

in 1542, called 'Our Lady Port' or 'New Haven,' described in 1544 as having three blockhouses with guns and a pier for great ships to lie in a dock.

4078: 3598: 1710: 1653: 590:(1394-1437, reigned 1406–1437), took a greater interest in naval power. After his return to Scotland in 1424, he established a shipbuilding yard at 1400:

for the use of the royal gunner James Rocknow, usually based at Edinburgh Castle. The guns were probably intended for firing salutes. The sails of

3658: 1073: 4031: 3443: 1571: 4263: 4174: 4088: 4001: 3824: 3546: 3448: 1472: 1468: 357: 710:. Scottish ships had some success against privateers, accompanied the king in his expeditions in the islands and intervened in conflicts in 680: 1459: 1089: 4068: 4053: 3985: 3969: 3581: 1412:

of Kirkcaldy, belonging to David Hucheson, and this ship was painted by James Warkman. When Captain Robert Jameson died in January 1608

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hired two ships in Leith with their masters John Cockburn and William Downy and 80 men for eight days. These masters of Leith sailed to

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in the 1530s with at least four of a known six men-at-war were royal naval vessels on the Scottish side. James V built a new harbour at

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was killed, but none of the English ships were lost. In July 1558, two Scottish warships from Aberdeen, owned by Thomas Nicholson, the

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was sent north with 34 ships and dispersed and captured the Scottish and French fleets, leading to the siege of the French forces in

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James V entered his majority in 1524. He did not share his father's interest in developing a navy, relying on French gifts such as

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planned to fit out Dutch ships with Scottish and Dutch crews to join the naval war effort. After the Covenanters allied with the

1180: 204: 629:, who would play a major part in the Scottish naval effort into the sixteenth century. In his struggles with his nobles in 1488 4159: 4149: 4043: 3834: 3576: 3433: 3416: 1633:

in 1707, the Scottish Navy merged with that of England. The office of Lord High Admiral was subsumed within the office of the

4258: 4093: 4073: 3962: 3906: 3854: 3215: 3178: 3157: 3136: 3115: 3092: 3029: 2987: 2765: 2694: 2625: 2553: 2485: 2464: 2443: 2422: 2380: 2354: 2252: 2231: 2208: 1939: 1382: 1363: 1265: 265:. There are mentions in Medieval records of fleets commanded by Scottish kings in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. King 2221: 3663: 3374: 1725: 1056: 626: 595: 290: 270: 199: 184: 4283: 4006: 3869: 3638: 3625: 3438: 3339: 3300: 1172: 121: 3411: 1176: 3698: 3693: 3593: 3541: 1758: 1298:, chased one of Bothwell's ships, and both ships were damaged on a submerged rock. Bothwell sent his treasure ship to 1261: 1041: 571: 41: 1145: 777: 1306:, where the mast of one of Bothwell's ships was shot away. Subsequently, a storm forced him to sail towards Norway. 795:

Scots privateers and pirates preyed upon shipping in the North Sea and off the Atlantic coast of France. Scotland's

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in an engagement with the galley fleet and their strategic situation began to deteriorate on land and sea, and the

819: 132: 4253: 4232: 3568: 3551: 1720: 1257: 1227: 814:

took a Portuguese vessel that was carrying Portuguese and English goods. In 1511 Andrew Barton headed south with

790: 743: 622: 579: 509: 91: 3911: 3806: 3766: 3723: 1443: 488: 1610:(1688–97) with France, with three purpose-built warships bought from English shipbuilders in 1696. These were 992: 2884:

Miles Kerr-Peterson & Michael Pearce, 'James VI's English Subsidy and Danish Dowry Accounts, 1588-1596',

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to Leith with four great Scottish ships and ten French. After the death of Queen Madeleine, John Barton, in

827: 564: 508:, built at Bergen from 1262-3, which was 260 feet (79 m) long, of 37 rooms. In 1263 Hakon responded to 440:(sea-based lordships) of the Highlands and Islands and which stretched back before that to the sea power of 432:

A carving of a birlinn from a sixteenth-century tombstone in MacDufie's Chapel, Oronsay, as engraved in 1772

764:. It marked a shift in design as it was designed specifically to carry a main armament of heavy artillery. 4227: 4154: 3899: 3887: 3839: 3776: 3536: 3508: 3423: 1575: 1433:

The Red Ensign flown on a mid-17thC Scottish merchant ship. An exhibit in the National Museum of Scotland.

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with 120 musketeers or "hagbutters". In October 1589 James VI decided to sail to Norway to meet his bride

1120:(1550) marked the end of the Rough Wooing and opened up a period of French dominance of Scottish affairs. 1052:

were captured at Leith. The Scots still had two royal naval vessels and numerous smaller private vessels.

911: 405: 393: 46: 416:, and a professional navy of three warships was established to protect local shipping in 1696. After the 4268: 4063: 3849: 3844: 3680: 1642: 1579: 1560: 1552: 1191:, attacked an English fleet off Shetland. The Scottish sailors took cattle and other goods belonging to 974:

in the West, perhaps using the newly compiled charts from his first voyage known as Alexander Lindsay's

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in 1542. The chief use of naval power in his reign was a series of expeditions to the Isles and France.

179: 3936: 2889: 1471:. The Scots also returned to the West Indies, with Lochinvar taking French prizes and establishing the 1152:

as men-of-war, and the regent Mary of Guise claimed English prizes, one over 200 tons, for her fleet.

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A Scottish armed merchantman engaged in the Baltic trade is attacked by a Hanseatic ship. Detail from

285:(1394–1437, r. 1406–1437) took a greater interest in naval power, establishing a shipbuilding yard at 4217: 4109: 3796: 3556: 3523: 3518: 3389: 3344: 1715: 1451: 1245: 1208: 1061: 1009: 675: 650: 646: 610: 598:

was probably founded in this period. It would soon become a hereditary office, in the control of the

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National Records of Scotland, Jamesone, Robert, Wills and testaments Reference CC8/8/44, pp. 250-1.

1656:, who became a commodore in 1717 took service and rose to be Admiral and commander-in-chief of the 1591: 1511: 1480: 1168: 915: 868: 863: 850: 839: 695: 587: 536: 369: 337: 301: 282: 250: 174: 81: 4186: 3931: 3791: 3771: 3713: 3460: 1630: 1378: 1322: 1175:. The English were repulsed by a Scottish force numbering 3000, and the English vice-admiral Sir 1159:

sailed with 11 other ships against Scotland in August 1557, landing troops and six field guns on

1117: 823: 802: 417: 262: 254: 1607: 1539: 1292:, where Bothwell was negotiating with German captains to hire more ships. Kirkcaldy's flagship, 741:

for the king's ships. James IV acquired a total of 38 ships for the Royal Scots Navy, including

1226:, the eventual evacuation of the French from Scotland, and a successful coup of the Protestant 4058: 3894: 3604: 3244: 3211: 3174: 3153: 3132: 3111: 3088: 3067: 3046: 3025: 3004: 2983: 2962: 2941: 2868: 2782: 2761: 2690: 2666: 2642: 2621: 2549: 2515: 2481: 2460: 2439: 2418: 2397: 2376: 2350: 2329: 2305: 2248: 2227: 2204: 2183: 2121: 2100: 2079: 2058: 2037: 1981: 1935: 1899: 1885: 1864: 1850: 1836: 1818: 1800: 1775: 1603: 975: 768: 722: 657:

by five English ships in 1489 and three more heavily armed English ships off the mouth of the

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under the command of John Barton, son of Robert Barton, attacked merchants and fishermen off

4191: 4139: 4124: 3877: 3829: 3781: 3648: 3493: 3483: 1641:. A number of Scottish officers eventually left the Royal Navy for service in the fledgling 1498: 1463: 1310: 1253: 1239: 1109: 875: 484: 373: 353: 332: 844: 531:

Andrew Wood's flagship, The Yellow Carvel, in action, from a children's history book (1906)

512:'s designs on the Hebrides by personally leading a major fleet of forty vessels, including 400:, but a fixed quota of conscripts for the English Royal Navy was levied from the sea-coast 4169: 4129: 3741: 3736: 3703: 3503: 3488: 3230: 2903: 2004: 1745: 1646: 1520: 1476: 1438: 1367: 1314: 1164: 796: 738: 603: 544: 521: 501: 385: 348: 3279: 2910:(Edinburgh, 1927), pp. 16-17, 330: Amy L. Juhala, 'Edinburgh and the Court of James VI', 3229:

The most accessible work on the Old Scots Navy and Scots naval matters, before 1649, is

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and other ships were armed in preparation for potential action. The acting High Admiral

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There are mentions in Medieval records of fleets commanded by Scottish kings including

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The Evil Necessity: British Naval Impressment in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World

1672: 4247: 4179: 3859: 3746: 3453: 1587: 1574:'s rebellion in 1685. Scotland went to war against the Dutch and their allies in the 1527:

in 1649–51 and after his victory the Scottish ships and crews were divided among the

1318: 1069: 971: 931: 772: 752: 727: 699: 686: 465: 437: 413: 404:. Royal Navy patrols started to extend their routes into Scottish waters, and in the 361: 314: 300:(1473–1513, r. 1488–1513) put the enterprise on a new footing, founding a harbour at 1325:

to meet and convoy the English ships carrying the guns to bombard Edinburgh Castle.

830:. Barton was killed and his two ships captured and transferred to the English navy. 4114: 3399: 1657: 1590:

to found a Scottish colony in Spanish-controlled America. It was undertaken by the

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Painting of a Scottish ship, perhaps part of the Darien fleet, by an unknown artist

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for piracy. James IV managed to engineer his release, but in 1509 John Barton with

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in 1707, these vessels and their crews were transferred to the British Royal Navy.

225: 219: 441: 2730:, trans Aikman, vol. 2 (Glasgow, 1827), 396, bk. 16, cap. 19: Raphael Holinshed, 2719: 3615: 3428: 1884:, London : HarperCollins in association with the National Maritime Museum, 1548: 1502: 1214: 1137: 1008:

During the Rough Wooing, the attempt to force a marriage between James V's heir

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of privateers. In 1627, the Royal Scots Navy and privateers participated in the

341: 319: 1555:, a fixed quota of conscripts for the Royal Navy was levied from the sea-coast 4207: 3921: 3882: 3498: 1896:

The command of the ocean : a naval history of Britain, Vol. 2., 1649-1815

1735: 1638: 1615: 1303: 1230:. Scottish and English interests were re-aligned and naval conflict subsided. 1132:

English and Scottish warships decoration on John Speed's Map of Scotland, 1610

1013: 887: 715: 707: 575: 323: 269:(1274–1329, r. 1306–1329) developed naval power to counter the English in the 258: 3287: 1898:, London : Allen Lane in association with the National Maritime Museum, 1637:. The three vessels of the small Royal Scottish Navy were transferred to the 1506: 1450:, while simultaneously embroiled in undeclared North Sea commitments in the 1359: 1299: 1141: 1017: 903: 658: 305: 1882:

The safeguard of the sea : a naval history of Britain, Vol.1, 660-1649

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in pursuit in August 1567. Some of their ships came from Dundee, including

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were decorated with red taffeta. James VI sent Robert Dog from Denmark to

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in a creek on the coast of Brittany. In 1544 Edinburgh was attacked by an

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James IV put the naval enterprise on a new footing, founding a harbour at

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The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain. Volume One 660-1649

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The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain. Volume One 660-1649

1339: 963: 919: 899: 895: 706:. The upper reaches of the Forth were protected by new fortifications on 548: 3943: 3926: 3470: 1811:

The Kingdom of the Isles : Scotland's western seabord, c.1000-1336

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Robert the Bruce's Irish wars : the invasions of Ireland 1306-1329

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easily overcome by the English fleet that accompanied the army led by

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the fleet consisted of 16 large and 10 smaller craft. After a raid on

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The wars of the Bruces : Scotland, England and Ireland 1306-1328

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took a Portuguese ship, but was detained by the Dutch authorities at

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The Irish and British Wars, 1637–1654: Triumph, Tragedy, and Failure

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An Apprenticeship in Arms: The Origins of the British Army 1585–1702

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Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland

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in 1313 and 1317 and Ireland in 1315. They were also crucial in the

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century. The major naval power in the Highlands and Islands was the

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A History Of Clan Campbell: From The Restoration To The Present Day

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Gothic Kings of Britain: the Lives of 31 Medieval Rulers, 1016-1399

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from the French, which was handed back after the subsequent peace.

718:. Expeditions to the Highlands to Islands to curb the power of the 2436:

The Princelie Majestie: The Court of James V of Scotland 1528–1542

1602:, all built or chartered in Holland and Hamburg. It sailed to the 1556: 1538: 1428: 1196: 1127: 991: 843: 807: 703: 679: 591: 526: 427: 401: 392:

in 1653, they were absorbed into the Commonwealth navy. After the

309: 286: 3263:(2002), may be helpful to expand the context provided by Rodger. 1396:, which was equipped with cannon by the Comptroller of Ordinance 1875:

Skipper from Leith: the history of Robert Barton of Over Barnton

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by 1449. Around 1476 the Scottish merchant John Barton received

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Although Scottish seamen received protection against arbitrary

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in April 1573, prolonging civil war in Scotland, the guns from

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Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh: 1589-1603

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Princelie Majestie: The Court of James V of Scotland 1528–1542

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from its origins in the Middle Ages until its merger with the

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