south-west Scotland, and forced toflee for his life.^86 By then, though,
Edward III had thrown off the mask, and marched up from York to
besiege Berwick. Just outside the town, on Halidon Hill, the king won the
first great triumph of his famous military career, signally avenging the
disaster at Bannockburn.^87 Balliol was propped back onto his throne,
and both King Edwards proceeded to dispense the rewards of victory
to their followers. Henry, of course, did particularly well. It seems that
he was granted not just the earldom of Buchan and the constableship
of Scotland (both of which he had claimed for so long), but also the
earldom of Moray.^88 Taken together, all this was sufficient to make
Henry the dominantfigure in north-eastern Scotland–on paper, at least.
The challenge, of course, was to convert this theoretical position into
reality. As soon as he got the chance, Henry was on the road, at long last,
to Buchan, tofinally take possession of the earldom, more than twenty
years after he hadfirst claimed it. It seems that he took up position in the
castle of Dundarg,‘which he [refortified] strongly, and...lorded it over
the whole of Buchan’.^89 However, the Balliol camp was already begin-
ning to buckle under the strain of an effective revanche by the Bruce
party. Even Henry’s son-in-law, David of Strathbogie, briefly defected to
the enemy.^90 By late 1334, Henry was under siege in his own castle, cut
off from his friends and allies much further south. Since not much could
be expected from Edward Balliol, Henry’s hopes rested on his former
pupil, the English king. In the winter of 1334, Edward III made an effort
to break through and relieve Dundarg. He never got anywhere near the
castle, though. Henry capitulated just before Christmas. Edward duly
lent him 400 marks as a contribution towards his ransom. Although
Henry was freed on the understanding that he would do his best‘to
bring about peace and concord’,itisnotsurprisingthat,assoonashe
was released, he quickly rejoined the English for the summer campaign
against the Scots.^91
In fact, the campaign of 1335 marks Edward III’s greatest effort in
Scotland. A vast, two-pronged attack was planned. The armies met at
Glasgow, and pushed on, in triumph, to Perth. Whilst they were there, an
additional Anglo-Irish force landed on the western coast. Edward Balliol
(^86) Ibid., 237–8.
(^87) For Henry’s involvement in the battle, see Rogers,War Cruel and Sharp,68–73.
(^88) See the charter of 16 June 1334, cited in Nicholson,Edward III and the Scots, 160.
(^89) The Book of Pluscarden, tr. inThe Wars of Edward III, source 22.
(^90) See Beam,The Balliol Dynasty, 242–5.
(^91) The Book of Pluscarden, tr. inThe Wars of Edward III, source 22; and Nicholson,Edward
III and the Scots, 185–6.
160 Hubris and Nemesis (c. 1311–1356)