DAVID FORSYTH AND THE BATTLE OF FLODDEN

Five hundred and twelve years ago on 9 September 1513, in the fields near Branxton in Northumberland one of the greatest disasters in Scottish history took place. The Battle of Flodden.  Along with King James IV, much of his nobility and thousands of soldiers were killed. 

Among those who stood beneath the royal banner was David Forsyth of Carvichtoun. The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland note simply but powerfully:

“David Forsyth, who died in the conflict of Flodden under the banner of the late King James IV.” (Exchequer Rolls, Vol. 14,

In 1519–20, years after Flodden, the records show that David Forsyth’s son, also named David, was finally granted sasine — legal possession of his father’s lands. The entry reads:

“… sasine was given at Edinburgh, 28 January, to David Forsyth, son and heir of the late David Forsyth, who died at Flodden.”

To take up his inheritance, the younger David had to pay a relief — a feudal fee owed to the Crown by heirs. It was a solemn transaction: a son reclaiming his father’s place, not only in land but in memory.

The grief of Flodden found its way into song and ballad. Among the most famous is The Flowers of the Forest, a haunting lament that speaks of the young men who never returned:

“We’ll hear nae mair lilting at our yowe-milking,
Women and bairns are dowie and wae.
Sighing and moaning on ilka green loaning,
The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away.”

Though composed later (with versions dating from the 17th and 18th centuries), the song carries the sorrow of Flodden’s aftermath — villages left without their sons, Scotland bereft of its leaders. To this day, The Flowers of the Forest is played at memorials, funerals, and on Remembrance Day, a lasting echo of 1513.

Are you a descendant of Forsyths?
🔗 Join Clan Forsyth Society USA to explore your heritage and connect with others researching the Forsyth name across the centuries!