Talk:Battle of Solway Moss

Henry's Raid
The way the article was worded suggested that Henry came to Scotland in person, which, of course, he did not. York was the furthest point north that he ever came in his life. Rcpaterson 03:31, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Maxwell
We need a citation that Maxwell never arrived at the battle; Phillips indicated that Maxwell was taken prisoner at Solway Moss. - PKM (talk) 22:59, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Well, the Scottish chroniclers Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie and George Buchanan both go with the idea that Maxwell was poised for victory, and Oliver Sinclair's unexpected warrant supplanting him as commander spoiled the day. But clearly this is a better story than Maxwell's illness, fitting the 'young counsel' theme prevalent in Scots literature. The illness idea may fit a recent theory that James V died of typhoid, contracted in the borders, recently proposed by Richard Oram and others. Unoquha (talk) 20:03, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Jamie Cameron, James V (1998), indicates Maxwell was there, and in command as far as extant sources can determine. He advances the idea that the Oliver Sinclair story was a political smear against James V. I have therefore altered the article to reflect the Oliver Sinclair story as depending on traditional chronicle accounts, and introduced references to Cameron (1998). Unoquha (talk) 07:11, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

In England or Scotland?
The article states that the battle took place in the Scottish Borders but the maps at the Battlefield Trust reference indicate a site in present-day England. Was the border further south in this section in 1542, so that it was Scotland at the time, or was the battle in the Debatable Lands, or is the article just wrong and the battle took place in England? Mutt Lunker (talk) 16:54, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Jamie Cameron (1998), now referenced in the article, indicates that English contemporary sources place the battle in English territory as the border then stood. But yes, 'Scottish Borders' tends now to mean the South of Scotland and Scottish administrative region, whereas 'Borders' could loosely stand for both sides. In 1603 James declared the entire area, both sides, the 'Middle - Shires". Unoquha (talk) 07:11, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

As the Scottish Borders are in Scotland, the text as it now stands, "on the English side of the Scottish Borders", is still a bit ropey I reckon. Wouldn't "on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish border" or "...English-Scottish border" be more accurate? Can you put an in-line citation from Cameron regarding this aspect? Thanks. Mutt Lunker (talk) 08:26, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

Prisoners/Pledges
There are reliable lists of these, (Scottish hostages in England) but I don't think they need be added (unless v. notable). As in article, Marcus Merriman thought the hostage taking had little efect on subsequent events.Unoquha (talk)