.
WHAT DOES THE CLUB DO?

1. The principal aim of the club is to commemorate the Scots who died at the Battle of Flodden, which was the last medieval battle fought between England & Scotland, on 9 September 1513.

2. In so doing, the club carries out a short ceremony at the Battle of Flodden War Memorial, near Branxton Village, in North Northumberland at 7pm on 9 September each year. Club officials commemorate James 1V and the Scots who died with him on that bloody battlefield when the Scots army was completely overwhelmed and most of the Scots nobility and youth of the country was wiped out in a few hours. A wreath is laid and a local piper, normally Pipe Major Robert Bell or his son, Piper Duncan Bell, play the bagpipes. We are also joined by members of the Ex-Standard Bearers of Selkirk, a representative of which normally lays a wreath. Members of the public are made welcome at this ceremony.

Later in the evening the club also spends a little time at the new Flodden Monument at Tweed Green, Abbey Road, Coldstream, where flowers are laid to commemorate the dead Scots nobles lost at Flodden. Members of the public are invited to observe.

3. On the immediate Friday after this ceremony the Club holds a commemoration dinner in the clubrooms of the Royal British Legion, Coldstream, where guest speakers toast ‘King James’, ‘Border Men Who Fell’ and ‘Toast to the 1513 Club’
In the ‘Border Men Who Fell’ toast the speaker usually ends his speech by referring to the Border Men who Fell at Flodden but during the speech reference is normally made to the significant number of Border men, hailing from both sides of the Border, who fell in the Great Wars.

4. While the big focus in early September each year is remembering the battle, the Club is active all-year round in developing the local heritage and in encouraging interest in local history.

5. The club also makes charitable donations to local causes.

THE CLUB LOGO & FLAG (left) A specially commissioned flag was produced and is present at the club's annual dinner and Flodden ceremony on 9th September.

WHERE IS THE CLUB BASED?

Coldstream (home of the world famous Coldstream Guards), Berwickshire, Scotland. Coldstream is the first town in Scotland on the A697 and sits some 4 miles from the battlefield of Flodden which is located at Branxton, North Northumberland.

WHEN WAS THE CLUB FORMED?

In 1997 a small number of gentlemen of Coldstream with a special interest in the Battle of Flodden decided one evening to form a club to commemorate the battle. The founder members were James D Bell, Iain J Dickson, Stuart J Tait and they were joined by the ‘Coldstreamer’ of that year, Stuart A Galbraith.
From these early beginnings a 50 strong member club exists in 2007, with another 50 regular attendees at club functions as interested guests.

The founder members are now Life Members and have been joined by Robert G Hanlon, allowing us to admit new voting members to the club. These are Ken Palmer, Ged Deane, Reverend Jim Watson, Alistair Pow, Robert Hanlon Jnr, Reverend Malcolm Lockey and James Miller.

The waiting list for membership, containing 3 names, has been closed for the time being.

We have 8 Associate Members. This is a membership that is available to anyone in the world, including locals and those that are on the waiting list for club membership. The Club is very proud to announce the Associate Memberships of:-

John Fairnington of Adelaide, Australia
Henry Douglas of Hawick
Bob Oliver of Otterburn
Robert Wade of Tallebudgera Valley, Queensland, Australia
Peter Scott of Selkirk
Ian Galloway of Selkirk
Tom Wilson of Coldstream
Kenneth Palmer of Hawick

WHO RUNS THE CLUB TODAY?

This non profit making body is currently managed on behalf of the membership by:

CHAIR – James D Bell
VICE CHAIR – Iain J Dickson
SECRETARY – Gerald Tait
TREASURER – Richard G Melvin
STANDARD BEARER – George Miller OBE
COMMITTEE – Pipe Major Robert Bell, Kenneth Brodie, Harry Brydon, Godfrey Bryson, Malcolm Campbell, Ged Deane, Iain Dickson, Stuart Galbraith, George Miller OBE, Eddie Park.

The address for correspondence is the Secretary, Gerald Tait, 25 Duns Road, Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland, TD12 4DW. Telephone 01890-882685. Email tait617@btinternet.com

KEY, PAST EVENTS IN THE CLUB

1. Local Heritage Initiative Grant for Battlefield

Branxton Parish Council obtained a £30,000 grant from the Local Heritage Initiative to expedite a very exciting project involving battlefield walks, footbridges, interpretation boards, audio visual presentations in the village hall, brochures and leaflets.

The Flodden 1513 Club gave verbal support to this project from day one and assisted with its successful conclusion.

2. Official Opening of 1513 Monument

On Saturday 9 September 2006 the Flodden Education and Interpretation Project was officially opened. This was a culmination of two years work in securing funding and organising the logistics of this £27k project. The project entailed the purchase of audio visual equipment so that we can conduct presentations on Flodden in village halls etc, booklets on Flodden and a new monument in Abbey Road, Coldstream, which marks the spot where some of the Scots nobles are said to have been buried in the consecrated grounds of Coldstream Priory.

This monument is thought to be only one of a few dedicated to the huge loss of Scots nobles at the battle. Legend has it that Abbess Hoppringle and some nuns visited the aftermath of the battlefield and retrieved some of the bodies.

The official opening of the monument was attended by 100 dignitaries, invited guests and observers. Amongst the gathering was John Fairnington, from Adelaide, our sole (at that time) Associate Member and Peter Reese, celebrated author on Flodden and his wife Barbara. These three people have become friends of the club.

The official opening was conducted by James Pringle of Torwoodlee (a direct descendant of the Abbess), Lady Caroline Douglas-Home and Major Alexander Trotter, Lord Lt. of Berwickshire.

A reception at the Royal British Legion was chaired by Stuart Galbraith and included speeches by James Bell and Gerald Tait. 'Gongs' were presented to the club's five life members.

The project was funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Leader+, Flodden 1513 club cash and materials supplied in kind by White Rose Tiling Ltd (Robert G. Hanlon). A later donation from Selkirk ex Standard Bearers Association put the icing on the cake.

3. Flodden Stained Glass Window

In March 2009, a stained glass window to commemorate the Battle of Flodden was installed in Coldstream Parish Church. It was funded by the Flodden 1513 Club, Scottish Borders Community Grant Scheme, Coldstream Parish Church, Hawick 1514 Club, Coldstream & District Local History Society and private donations.

IS THERE A BOOK?

The Flodden 1513 Club obtained a £2,500 grant to write and publish a book on Flodden. Our author is our current Chairman, James D Bell, an authority on the Battle of Flodden and the book is now on sale to the general public.

It is entitled From Boroughmuir to Branxton Moor’ and costs £8.00. ‘Boroughmuir’ is where most of the Scottish army mustered before the battle in 1513. ‘Branxton Moor’ is the actual name of the battle site although it is normally referred to as the Battle of Flodden.

OTHER ITEMS

Associated Membership - this is a one-off membership for life.

top of page

.