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Threave Castle near Castle Douglas
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Scotland's War of Independence |
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homas Dicson
was the son of Richard ( Dick ) De Keith who was the son of the Great Marshal Hervey De Keith, who died in 1249. Thomas
Dicson's Mother was Margaret, the Daughter of William Third Lord of Douglas.
Thomas's father was a long time friend with Sir William Douglas the Father of James
Douglas and fought along side of William Douglas, Andrew Moray, and William Wallace. Thomas was the long time friend of the Douglas family. Although Thomas was years older that James Douglas the two would cross paths again in the fight for freedom. Douglas and Richard were employed by the English so to speak, but were Scottish and would heed the call for freedom.
It was the year 1295 when Sir William Douglas, Thomas's cousin, came to Thomas for help in taking his castle of Sanquhar back from the English.
The two men entered the house and sat down to a meal of oat scones and salmon. William turned to his cousin and laid out his proposal. William told Thomas
that the English had taken over his castle while he was with William Wallace campaigning for Scottish independence. The
two men came up with a plan that would use the thirty men at their disposal thirty plus
Wallace's men.
In the morning the William and Thomas left on a long ride to the lands of Sanquhar. The year was 1295 and Thomas
posed as a fuel man of the castle, riding up to the castle in a fuel wagon. The English sentries stopped Thomas and
after inspecting his cargo, let him proceed.
Thomas upon entering the castle cut the horses that were
pulling the wagon, loose. This caused the cart to lodge in the gates of the castle.
Thomas killed the gatekeeper, and was joined by 30 Scotsmen that were hidden
outside the gate. The men took the castle in silence for it was early in the morning. The 30 men went from barracks to barracks as fast as they could
and as stealthy as possible. They took the castle before the English were out of bed. Thomas, William, and the remaining men held the
castle, though a few of the English managed to escape the assault and report the
castle's capture.
William sent men to track them down, but a few English evaded them. It was not more than a few weeks later that William received word that the English were on their way. When the English returned, William and Thomas slipped out through a secret passage
way on horses to warn Sir William Wallace. Wallace received the message and rescued the castle, with the English losing 500 men.
Due to his heroic acts, Thomas Dicson was awarded the lands of Hazzzelside. Thomas and his wife and children resided
there for a short time. Thomas farmed and did odd jobs, one of which was
to make shoes. Thomas had no more than built his house when the King of England returned
from the French wars. To the King's surprise the country was at war. The Scottish
had been busy fighting for their independence.
The Earl of Surrey had been so confident of
English power that he retired to his estate in Yorkshire. He left the affairs of the state to Hugh De
Cressingham. Cressingham was so money and power hungry the he levied heavy taxes on the Scottish
to fund the King's war against the French. He sent out Chief Justice William Ormesby to collect
the tax and to find all the Scots that had not signed the instruments of fealty.
Those so discovered had their property seized. Those that refused to turn over there lands were killed
and others were made to work for the King to pay their debts.
The Scottish people were still rebellious though Andrew Moray had been captured at Dunbar along with his father, Sir Andrew, and his uncle. They were taken to the prison in Chester
where they managed to make their escape to the mountains and also raised an army
along the way.
In the forest of Selkirk resided William Wallace, the son of
a family from Paisley. William was considered an outlaw as neither he nor his brother
had paid the proper respect to the English at Berwick. Wallace was a very
big man for his time. Wallace was 6'2" with brown hair and steely
eyes. He had a wife in Lanark, but did not live there with her. Wallace would slip into Lanark to see his
her when events permitted. Sir William Heselrig learned of Wallace's secret
marriage and ordered the Wallace house burned and everyone in it. Wallace's wife died
during the attack and William Wallace vowed to take revenge on the English.
Wallace's first act was to seek his revenge on the Sheriff of Lanark. Wallace and his men burned all the
Sheriff's buildings and all within them. From that point forward Wallace became the leader of
the Scottish War for Independence. Men from all over Scotland came to fight along side of Wallace. Wallace headed eastward
and was joined by Sir William Douglas, of castle Berwick, and Douglas' horsemen. Among
these was Richard De Keith and Thomas Dicson. Wallace and the horsemen went ahead in the hopes of surprising the Chief
Justice, who was warned of their approach. The Chief Justice left in such a hurry that he left behind all
the goods that he and his men had plundered.
Sir William Douglas' link to the house of the Stewart made
him the feudal superior of Wallace. This helped in securing the two together.
The defection of Sir William Douglas to the Scottish side reached King Edward.
Edward paid it no attention for he knew of Douglas's hard head, strong will and over all contrariness as a
knight. King Edward only sent men to the elder Bruce, the Governor of Carlisle,
instructing him to send his son Robert De Bruce to go to the Douglas lands and seize the
castle. William Douglas heard of this and sent Thomas Dicson swiftly back to warn the men of the
Castle Douglas.
On his trip to the Douglas land, Robert De Bruce had time to
think. Bruce's father was a strong supporter of the English and enjoyed the amenities of the court. Robert was Scottish born and his brother and sisters were raised in the lands of Carrick. Robert
De Bruce knew his royal background and he never forgot what John Balliol had done to
the Bruce's estates. A young man of 22, Bruce thought of his life with his Celtic mother and his love of the
Scotland. When Robert De Bruce reached the Castle Douglas, held by Sir William's wife and Thomas Dicson, Robert called all that
had followed him there and stated "No man holds his flesh and blood in hatred and I am no exception. I must join my own people and the nation in which I was born. Choose then whether you go with me or return to your homes."
Many of the knights were pledged to King Edward and Robert's father and left. Those that stayed with Robert along with
Lady Douglas and Thomas Dicson headed northeast through Carrick rallying men
along the way. Thomas took the Lady Douglas to a safe house and with a few men set out to join James Stewart. None
dared stay at the Castle Douglas for fear of King Edward.
Edward had been alerted to the building up of men across the
Scotland. The King levied higher taxes and issued orders to imprison all Scotsmen that
made any disturbance of the peace. The English moved with speed along the Scottish borders from Annandale to Irvine
where the Scottish armies were encamped, but there was no battles as truce was
declared. Percy and Clifford meet with the Scottish leaders. Andrew Moray and William Wallace
supported King John Balliol. James Stewart, Bishop Wishart, and Alexander Lindsay considered Robert De
Bruce's father the rightful King of Scots. William Douglas had not thrown his
support to either camp. With the principle men of Scotland divided, little headway
was made with the English.
Percy and Clifford knew that King
Edward had had a falling out with the Church. Talks took place between the
English and the Scots and after days of discussion, on the 9 of July 1297, the
Scots surrender to King Edward and gave hostages as a token of good faith.
Robert De Bruce was required to hand over his baby daughter, Marjorie. Sir William Douglas
refused to produce his hostages and was imprisoned in Berwick Castle. Henry Percy said Douglas was savagely abused. One year later Douglas died leaving behind his son James
who became a devoted follower of Robert De Bruce. The lands of Bruce and James Stewart were taken by the English
in default for not producing hostages. Sir Alexander Lindsay made his on peace with
King Edward.
This collapse left Moray and Wallace to carry on the
resistance to the English.. Moray and Wallace were able to prevent the English
from gathering the taxes from the Scottish people. King Edward could not raise support
nor money for the fight against Scottish resistance, so Edward released the Scottish nobles on the condition that they put an end to their
rebellion. The nobles found the resistance more widespread than they thought. They sent messages to the King
stating their loyalty and informing him of the problems they were encountering. None of the nobles stopped their men from joining the resistance. Moray and Wallace
were forming an army whose size would surprise the English. By August, Moray had seized all the lands in the
north of Scotland. Wallace headed northeast from Selkirk. He took Irvine, Perthshire and Fife. Wallace meet up with Moray
and together lay the siege of Castle Dundee. The Earl of Surrey knew the Scottish had very little
cavalry and thought the Scottish could be defeated in one swift stroke. The Earl of Surrey mustered an army
at Berwick containing heavy cavalry and many footmen and headed towards Stirling
to cross the Forth, believing it to be the pivot point to the north and
to victory.
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| The Battle of Stirling Bridge |
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Moray and Wallace heard of Surrey's advance and joined forces.
Together they moved south to position themselves to defend Stirling. From their position
the Scottish army could look out over the river and the bridge of Stirling and
allowing them a means of retreat. On one side was the river and on the other was the bogs
with the Scottish army in the middle. On the 9th and 10th of September the English made camp on the south side of the
Stirling River. Hugh De Cressingham sent word to Percy and Clifford that there was on need for
their support. James Stewart and the Earl of Lennox were not sure of joining Moray and Wallace
as things did not look good. After William Douglas' death, Thomas Dicson vowed
revenge, but he gave his allegiance to the Stewarts. A truce was called between
the English and Scots as both wanted to talk. The English sent two friars to talk to Moray and Wallace
stating that if they yielded, the English would treat them and their men fairly.
They replied that they were here to defend their freedom, and would prove this to
the English.
On the 11th of September, the English infantry were sent across
narrow Stirling Bridge, but were recalled. Hugh De Cressingham grew impatience
and wanted to attack the Scots directly. The order was given and the English rode two abreast across the bridge. From
early morning till eleven o'clock the English moved forward. Moray and Wallace decided to split the English army
in two. The main force of Scots besieged the English. A small group of Scotsmen took the bridge and started cutting away the timbers. The bridge fell from the weight of the
English horses and men. The knights in armor wallowed in the mud and were not able to maneuver. The
Scots laid decimated the trapped men. The English on the other side of the
bridge were not able to help, and could only watch the massacre. Hugh De Cressingham was cut to pieces and
portions of his skin sent throughout Scotland. The Earl of Surrey did not cross the bridge. Taken
aback by the slaughter, he lost his will to fight and made his way back to the
Scottish/English border. The English wagon train was not as lucky as the Surrey.
James Stewart and the Earl of Lennox were wanting in the woods on either side of the of the
road and as the wagons made their way toward the border, James and his men took the
lead wagons and Lennox took the last wagons, while Thomas Dicson and his men took the middle wagons. Unknown to Thomas and his men, the wagons were loaded not with loot but with English
soldiers. Two of Thomas' men were immediately cut down. Thomas fell as if cut down by the
English swords, rolled under the wagons and as the English came down from the wagon,
Thomas and his men hacked off the legs and feet of the English.
The defeat at Stirling Bridge hit the English hard. This was the first time
King Edwards professional knights had been defeated. The Scottish nobles that
had been allied with the English, denounced Edward and joined the Scottish cause. Robert De Bruce gathered men from Carrick and Galloway.
English resistance crumbled and remained only within the strongest castles. Andrew
Moray was fatally wounded at Stirling Bridge. He survived just long enough to send a letter to the Mayors of Lubeck and
Hamburg, stating that Kingdom of Scotland had by God's grace recovered by battle with the English
the ports of Scotland and that these ports were now open to merchants. Soon afterwards Andrew Moray died.
William Wallace took the place of Moray and the shouldered the burden of
Protector of the Realm. The Scottish Church was behind Wallace as were the
common people. The feuding Scottish magnates also joined Wallace and together
made Scotland strong. Robert De Bruce in March 1298, in Selkirk Forest, made
William Wallace a knight.
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| Governor of Douglas Castle |
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Thomas Dicson left shortly after the Battle of Stirling
Bridge and the knighting of William Wallace to return to Castle Douglas. He and others loyal to
Scotland caused much trouble for the English during the next few years.
William Wallace's death in 1306 was a setback for the
Scots. Robert De Bruce took up the battle with the same heart and same vigor that William Wallace had. Men flocked to
Bruce's side. One of the men that fought for Robert De Bruce was James Douglas, the son of William Douglas.
Thomas Dicson in 1306 was appointed Governor of Douglas Castle. This
was both a
surprise and a blessing as it allowed Thomas to come and go from the castle as he pleased. This would
prove no easy task for others as the castle was held by the English. Thomas Dicson
supported the Scots cause in a covert way. Unfortunately, events forced Thomas to leave the
Castle and obscure himself in the town near St. Brides. One can speculate that Thomas tried to impede the English
occupation of the Castle Douglas by sabotage.
In March 1307, Sir James Douglas went to find Thomas and
was received with tears. Thomas
kept James secretly hidden in a chamber of his house. Thomas brought to James his trusted servants and old friends.
Fearing that the English would discover that Sir James was close by, Thomas brought the men
one by one. Thomas, Sir James, and his men, developed a plan of attack. A group of men
planned to take Castle Douglas on Palm Sunday when the English would be in
church. Thomas and his men would go to St. Brides dressed like country folk with mantles to cover their armor.
When they thought the English were all inside the church, Thomas and his men were to cry out the Douglas
war cry and then set upon the
Castle and take it. Thomas watched the Church and could see the English entering with
palm fronds in their hands. As Thomas was waiting for all the soldiers to enter the
church he heard James cry, "A DOUGLAS! A DOUGLAS!". The battle cry was heard
by the English inside the church and also by the English soldiers outside St. Brides.
James had given the war cry too soon.
Thomas pretending to be hard at work around the
church, drew his sword and ran toward the English. Thomas and his men fought to keep
the English from leaving the church yard. This was not easy because Thomas had very few men
with him. In the ensuing fight, Thomas was slashed across the abdomen which
created a large wound. Thomas fought welding his sword with one hand and
holding his abdomen together with the other. He continued doing this until beaten down and slain. James' trusted and long time friend
died defending the honor of the Douglas family. Thomas' son, William, named after
Sir William Douglas, was now the bearer of the Dicson name.
Sir James fought with ferocity, leading his men to slay or
capture 38 English soldiers. They took 12 hostages to help open the castle gates.
Sir James and his men were shocked to find the castle gates with only the cook and porter
left behind to make ready a feast following church. With meat and drink set out on tables,
Douglas' men shut the gates and feasted. Sir James knew that he could not keep the castle when the English came back. James and his men took as much gold, silver, armor, and apparel as they could
and set out to destroy all that was left behind including the castle itself, as James could not spare any men to
guard the castle. James ordered all the meal, malt, corn, oats, to be taken to the cellar and heaped
up with lard placed on top.
In a fit revenge over the death of Thomas Dicson and his
other fallen friends, James had all his prisoners put to death and placed on top
of the heap in the castle's cellar. On top of everything else were placed the carcasses of dead horses. To make it
further unusable, James placed salt on top. To this day it is called the Douglas Larder. He ordered that the castle be set afire
and anything that could burn was set ablaze. Nothing was left but the scorched
castle walls.
Sir James Douglas had Thomas Dicson buried in the yard of St.
Bride's Church.
History relates that a statue of Thomas Dicson was erected near the gates of
Castle Douglas. The statue held a sword in one hand and with the other hand clasped
his wounded abdomen. The statue was removed in
1850.
