Heather Pentland Lecture 2026

Sunday 4 October, 2.30pm at Crookham Village Hall

£6 per person. To book please contact tillvastreasurer@gmail.com

Dr David Caldwell

The Battle of Pinkie, 1547

The Last Battle Between the Independent Kingdoms of Scotland and England

Pinkie is a well-documented battle with several eye-witness accounts and

contemporary illustrations. There is also archaeological evidence of military activities.

The manoeuvres of the two armies can be placed in the landscape near Edinburgh,

despite considerable developments since the sixteenth century. Nevertheless, the

battle and its significance has not been well understood. From a military point of view

there is much of interest. The commanders were experienced and had already had

battlefield successes. There was an awareness on both sides of contemporary best

practice and use of up-to-date weapons and equipment. After Pinkie it briefly seemed

as if the future of Britain had been redefined. The reality proved rather different, and

the battle has largely slipped from popular consciousness.