ved by an iron grating. A mile to
the west is the Gillies' Hill, now finely wooded, over which the Scots'
camp-followers appeared to complete the discomfiture of the English, to
which event it owes its name. Bannockburn House was Prince Charles Edward's
headquarters in January 1746 before the fight at Falkirk.

The famous battle of Bannockburn (24th June 1314) was fought for the relief
of Stirling Castle, which was besieged by the Scottish forces under Robert
Bruce. The English governor of Stirling had promised that, if he were not
relieved by that date, he would surrender the castle, and Edward II.
hastily collected an army in the northern and midland counties of England.
Bruce made no attempt to defend the border, and selected his defensive
position on the Bannock Burn, 2-1/2 m. S. of Stirling. His front was
covered by the marshy bed of the stream, his left flank by its northerly
bend towards the Forth, his right by a group of woods, behind which, until
the English army appeared, the Scots concealed themselves. Two corps were
left in the open in observation, one at St Ninian's to watch the lower
course of the burn, one to guard the point at which the Falkirk-Stirling
road crosses the burn. On the 23rd the van of the army of Edward, which
numbered about 60,000 against the 40,000 of the Scots, appeared to the
south of the burn and at once despatched two bodies of men towards
Stirling, the first by the direct road, the other over the lower Bannock
Burn near its junction with the Forth. The former was met by the Scottish
outpost on the road, and here occurred the famous single combat in which
Robert Bruce, though not fully armed for battle, killed Sir Henry Bohun.
The English corps which took the other route was met and after a severe
struggle defeated by the second Scottish outpost near St Ninian's. The
English army assembled for battle on the following day. Early on St John's
day the Scottish army took up its assigned positions. Three corps of
pikemen in solid masses formed the first line, which was kept out of sight
behind the crest until the enemy advanced in earnest. A line of "pottes"
(military pits) had been previously dug to give additional protection to
the front, which extended for about one mile from wing to wing. The reserve
under Bruce consisted of a corps of pikemen and a squadron of 500 chosen
men-at-arms under Sir Robert Keith, the marischal of Scotland. The line of
the defenders was unusually dense; Edward,