Blacksmith forges memorial to Battle of Flodden

Sep 3 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

They feature images of the bill hook weapons used in the battle, and arrows, flags, shields, swords, Tudor roses, curved lines to represent the contours of the hill on which the Scots stood, a castellated top and the date of the clash. “There is a lot of detail and it’s the biggest work I have tackled to date,” said Stephen, 39, who has worked as a blacksmith since leaving school. He opened his Holburn Smithy near Lowick in 1992, reviving a 100-year-old forge on the site.

His other works have included the Chatton Millennium feature and the entrance archway to Barter Books in Alnwick. He said: “Each of the sections of the of the gates have been crafted using techniques much the same as those used in the period of the Battle of Flodden.” Ann said: “Because of its strategic position between England and Scotland, Barmoor has played a key role in history and none more so than the Battle of Flodden .

“Today our park at Barmoor has a very different role, which is tourism. With the tranquillity and wildlife it is so peaceful here and it is very easy to forget Barmoor’s turbulent past.

“The re-opening of the original castle gateway has been momentous and we felt the gates would be a fitting tribute to the role Barmoor has played in history.”

500th anniversary of battle

THE gates are being installed as planning starts on how to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden in four years’ time.

In just three hours of fighting at Flodden, near the village of Branxton, 15,000 men were killed.

The battle claimed the lives of the Scots King James IV, most of his accompanying nobility and 10,000 of their countrymen.

Flodden saw the last effective mass use of the English longbow. It also set in motion a series of events that would contribute within 80 years to the union of the English and Scottish crowns.