Battle of Solway Moss 1542
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary.
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1542 | Historic England NHLE name |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 16th century | derived |
| Period | Tudor & early Stuart | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | Anglo-Scottish Wars | Wikidata |
| Registered area | 345.8 ha | Historic England |
| Grid reference | NY 38369 67713 | Historic England |
| Historic England list entry | 1000034 | Historic England |
| Designated | 1995-06-06 | Historic England |
About the battle
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish border in November 1542 between English and Scottish forces.
The Scottish King James V had refused to break from the Catholic Church, as urged by his uncle King Henry VIII, who then launched a major raid into south-west Scotland. The Scottish army that marched against them was poorly led and organised, and many Scots were either captured or drowned in the river. News of the defeat is believed to have hastened the early death of James V.
Visiting the battlefield
The battlefield is registered by English Heritage, and currently under research to be inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.
Location
- OS grid reference: NY 38369 67713
- Approximate centre of registered area: 54.9989, -2.9649
- Registered area: 345.8 hectares
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Solway Moss (revision 1379342428), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Commemoration”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battlefield data © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Arfderydd 573 · 4 km
- Battle of Sark 1448 · 7 km
- Battle of Dornock 1333 · 15 km
- Battle of Arkinholm 1455 · 17 km
- Battle of Annan 1332 · 18 km
- Battle of Annan Moor 1645 · 18 km
Other battles of the Anglo-Scottish Wars
- Battle of Nesbit Moor 1355
- Battle of Duns 1372
- Battle of Otterburn 1388
- Battle of Homildon Hill 1402
- Battle of Nesbit Moor 1402
- Battle of Yeavering 1415
- Battle of Piperdean 1436
- Battle of Sark 1448
- Battle of Haddon Rig 1542
- Battle of Ancrum Moor 1545
All battles of the Anglo-Scottish Wars →
Browse more: battles in England · Tudor & early Stuart · 16th century battles