May 15, 1544 - English Army Departs Leith, Burning Seton Palace and Haddington

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Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we turn the clock back to May 15, 1544, and descend into the fiery depths of one of the most brutal episodes in Anglo-Scottish relations—the English army’s devastating departure from Leith, torching Seton Palace and the town of Haddington during the infamous campaign known as the Rough Wooing. And if you’re curious about other fascinating events that happened on this day in history, be sure to check out my blog at bagtownclans.com/thisday. The link will be in the description!

To understand this grim moment, we must look at the turbulent political landscape of 16th-century Europe. Scotland was in a delicate position, caught between the ambitions of England and the allure of continental alliances, particularly with France. When King James V of Scotland died in 1542, leaving his infant daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, as heir, England saw an opportunity. King Henry VIII was determined to unite the crowns through marriage—his son Edward would marry Mary, and Scotland would become little more than an English province.

But Scotland had other ideas. The Scottish nobility favored their traditional alliance with France and viewed Henry’s proposal as a thinly veiled conquest. Thus began the Rough Wooing—an ironic name for a campaign that brought with it not romance, but war, fire, and bloodshed.

Enter Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. In May of 1544, under direct orders from Henry VIII, Hertford launched a large-scale invasion of Scotland. The goal was clear: force the Scots into submission through a campaign of terror. He landed at Leith with a well-equipped English force and began a scorched-earth offensive that devastated the Lothians. Edinburgh was sacked, Leith was looted, and villages and monasteries were reduced to rubble.

But it was on May 15 that the campaign reached a crescendo of destruction. As Hertford began his withdrawal southward, he ordered a final act of retribution: the burning of Seton Palace and the town of Haddington. Seton Palace, a seat of the powerful Seton family and a jewel of Renaissance architecture in Scotland, stood as a symbol of Scottish aristocracy and resistance. It was torched without mercy. Eyewitness accounts describe the palace consumed in a storm of flame and smoke, its stone halls collapsing amidst the roar of fire and the clash of steel.

Haddington, a bustling town and an important administrative center, suffered a similar fate. English troops razed it to the ground, sparing neither homes nor churches. Civilians fled into the countryside, and the blackened remnants of the town were left as a stark warning: defy England, and suffer the consequences.

This act of destruction wasn’t just wanton cruelty—it was psychological warfare. Hertford and his commanders believed that by incinerating Scotland’s cultural and political centers, they could break the will of the Scottish people and force the nobles into agreeing to the English marriage proposal. But the plan backfired.

Instead of capitulating, the Scots grew more defiant. The violence solidified the perception of England as a brutal aggressor. Mary, Queen of Scots, was eventually smuggled to France for safety, where she would be betrothed not to an English prince, but to the French Dauphin, strengthening the Auld Alliance.

The Rough Wooing would drag on for nearly a decade, marked by more raids, more battles, and a lingering bitterness that would define Anglo-Scottish relations for generations. The ruins of Seton Palace and the scars left in Haddington became enduring symbols of English tyranny and Scottish resilience.

Even centuries later, the events of May 15, 1544, provoke a visceral response. The burning of towns and homes, the desecration of heritage, the calculated cruelty—all serve as reminders of the human cost of political ambition. The Rough Wooing may have failed in its immediate aims, but it succeeded in hardening Scottish resolve, paving the way for a national identity forged in resistance.

Thank you for joining me today on This Day in Scottish History. I hope this tale of scorched earth and unbowed spirits has given you a deeper appreciation for Scotland’s past. Don't forget to check out my blog for more historical events at bagtownclans.com/thisday. Tune in tomorrow for another journey through Scotland’s remarkable past. I'm Colin MacDonald—Haste Ye Back!

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