# Action at Earnside

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{{Short description|14th-century skirmish in Scotland}}
The '''action at Earnside''' was a skirmish which took place in the [Wars of Scottish Independence](/source/Wars_of_Scottish_Independence) in September 1304.  Not much is known about it, but it is significant as the last action known to be fought by [William Wallace](/source/William_Wallace).<ref>Barrow ''Robert the Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland''</ref>

Even its location is uncertain.  Contemporary records describe it as taking place at "Yrenside".  This is usually interpreted to mean "Earnside", i.e. somewhere on the banks of the [River Earn](/source/River_Earn).  However it has been suggested that it should be interpreted as "Ironside", which could possibly mean Ironside Hill in the [Sidlaw Hills](/source/Sidlaw_Hills).

There is mention in English records of compensation being paid for a horse lost in a flight from William Wallace below "Yrenside".<ref>
[https://archive.org/stream/calendarofdocume04grea#page/477/mode/1up Calendar of Documents]</ref>  There is also mention of the Constable of [Dundee](/source/Dundee) pursuing Wallace.<ref>Cowan ''The Wallace Book'' page 40</ref>

thumb|Plaque commemorating 'Black Earnside' near Newburgh, Fife, 27 July 2013

To complicate matters further, there is a plaque at NO 26298 19407 in [Fife](/source/Fife), about {{frac|2|1|2}} miles (4 km) NE of [Newburgh](/source/Newburgh%2C_Fife) in a lay-by on the unclassified road to [Gauldry](/source/Gauldry), which claims that on 12 June 1298 Wallace defeated the [Earl of Pembroke](/source/Earl_of_Pembroke) here at a site apparently called "Black Earnside". However it is not clear that this has any basis in contemporary records, and raises some problems, among them that Wallace was at the [Battle of Falkirk](/source/Battle_of_Falkirk_(1298)) the following month, and the Earldom of Pembroke was vacant at that time. The name "Black Earnside" is not mentioned on the [Ordnance Survey](/source/Ordnance_Survey) maps of the area and the site is not in any case in Earnside, the [River Earn](/source/River_Earn) having flowed into the [River Tay](/source/River_Tay) some {{frac|4|1|2}} miles (7 km) upstream of the site. Historic Environment Scotlsand's archaeological notes state "There is no good historical evidence for this battle".<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=30051|num2=NO21NE 4|desc=Battle Of Black Earnside}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Earnside}}
Category:Battles of the Wars of Scottish Independence
Category:Conflicts in 1304
Category:1304 in Scotland
Category:Battles between England and Scotland

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Action at Earnside](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_at_Earnside) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_at_Earnside?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.