⚔ Battlefields of Britain

Siege of Wark 1138

Siege of Wark: The keep at Wark Castle
Image: Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).

Key facts

Date (year)1138Wikidata P580 start time
Century12th centuryderived
PeriodNorman & medievalderived
CountryEnglandderived

About the battle

The siege of Wark is a 1138 siege of Wark on Tweed Castle (Wark castle) conducted from May–November by Scottish forces under David I against the defending English garrison. The siege was part of a campaign launched by David in support of his niece, the Empress Matilda, and her claim to the English throne over that of Stephen of Blois who had seized the throne in 1135. The invasion followed a similar campaign in 1136 when David had succeeded in gaining control of Cumberland, and raids launched in 1137 and earlier in 1138.

Despite David's defeat at the battle of the Standard in August 1138, the siege continued and the castle fell in November after the abbot of Rievaulx negotiated a surrender allowing the starved defenders to leave honourably with their arms. The fall of Wark contributed to Stephen being forced to cede control of Northumberland to David in 1139. Cumberland and Northumberland would both remain under Scottish control until after David's death in 1153.

Visiting the battlefield

Location

  • Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 55.6416, -2.2820

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Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Wark (1138) (revision 1370746409), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.

Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).

Nearby battlefields

Browse more: battles in Northumberland · battles in England · Norman & medieval · 12th century battles

Further reading