The Lowland pikemen

The spear was the traditional weapon of the Scots, suited to a poor land with little cash or metal to spare and dependent on an armed peasantry for defence; the solid blocks of spearmen or ‘schiltrons’, which met the English on many a medieval battlefield, had a long history behind them, back possibly to the ancient Piets, who had also formed tight clumps of spearmen in battle.

For the Flodden campaign, James IV replaced spears with imported ‘Swiss Pikes', 15 feet long, accompanied by 40 French captains to instruct the levies in Continental tactics. Scots pikemen formed shoulder to shoulder in columns at least as deep, and often deeper, than they were wide. In defence the front rank crouched so low that they almost knelt, with the pike-points of the rear ranks crossing those of the front, as easy to encounter as an ‘angrie Hedgehog’. In attack they came on, at Flodden, 'Almayne (German) fashion, very orderly and with no shouting’, but it is reasonable to suppose that their levies, though very brave, were less well-drilled and disciplined than Swiss or German professionals.

Earlier they had been formed into units of about 500, and these may have remained, but the tactical columns were much larger: at Pinkie basically three huge ‘battles’ which must have been at least 7,000 strong: at Flodden these were, perhaps with French advice, divided into about eight smaller columns, mostly around 5,000 strong.

Scots forces were based on a militia system not unlike that of England, Scots being obliged to equip themselves for war according to rank, and gentry to maintain feudal contingents, appearing for the Sheriff’s inspection at biannual ‘Wappinshaws’ (perhaps lured by the free drinks sometimes provided!). The weapons listed as acceptable at Wappinshaws of the 16th Century included spears and pikes, longbows, crossbows, two-handed swords, halberds, Leith axes and Jedwart Staves (the latter two were long, broad-bladed two-handed axes, similar to a halberd without its spike). Hand guns were also to be provided, and by 1535 landed men were ordered to equip themselves with an arquebus-a-croc, but at Pinkie the Scots had few firearms — in fact lack of missile power was a major weakness in their 16th Century armies.

Mid-century Scots pikemen mostly wore a simple iron helmet, a jack, and white doublet and hose, the sleeves and thighs of the latter being guarded against sword-cuts by four or five rows of brass chain. A large kerchief was wound three or four times round the neck, ‘Not for cold, but for cutting’, and further protection was provided by a round buckler held in the left hand, even when grasping the pike; secondary weapons were broadsword and dagger. Lowlanders of the 16th Century commonly wore the ‘blue bonnet’, and other usual clothing colours were grey and light blue.

Pikemen formed 70 per cent or more of Scottish armies at the larger battles of the period.