On September 14, 1402, a Scottish army returning from a pillaging expedition in the English county of Northumberland, suffered complete defeat at the Battle of Humbleton Hill (or Homildon Hill). The Scots, led by Archibald, 4th Earl of Douglas, had invaded in part to avenge the killing and capture of prominent Scottish nobles in the battle of Nesbit Moor.
The battle was famously recounted in Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Although Humbleton Hill is the modern name of the site, over the centuries it has been variously named Homildon, Hameldun, Holmedon, and Homilheugh.
