Sir Henry Mercer, Baron of Meikleour

Henry Mercer

Henry Mercer married Margaret Douglas in 1503.

On 7th May, 1511, he received a Charter reconstituting the Barony of Meikleour.

He was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

The descendants of Sir Henry will be added to the site at a future date. (His son Laurence carried on the main line, from which branched off Melgins and Saline in 1588. Sir James, last of the Aldie line, died 1671. )

Margaret Douglas of Lochleven

Henry was the second husband of Margaret Douglas of Lochleven, relict of Sir David Stewart of Rosyth.

Her father was Robert Douglas, 3rd Baron of Lochleven who took an active part in hanging Cochrane, Earl of Mar at Lauder Bridge. He was killed at the Battle of Flodden so Margaret lost both her husband and her father on the same day.

Henry and Margaret had the following children

	Robert Mercer
	Laurence Mercer
	Henry Mercer Spouse: Mariot Fyn
	Mariot Mercer
	John Mercer (Burgess of Perth. d:1567) Spouse: Bessie Adamson

The Battle of Flodden 9th September, 1513.

A dark day in Scotland's bloody history. A large Scottish army under King James IV invaded England in honour of their "Auld Alliance" with the French who had been invaded by King Henry VIII.

The Scots forces took a strong position on Flodden Hill and were met by the Earl of Surrey and his English force who won the day through a combination of surprise, luck, opportunism and bad Scottish leadership.

The confrontation was both disastrous and unnecessary and led to the death of Scotland's King and most of its nobility.

King James IV

The following extract from John Prebble's book "The Lion in the North" (ISBN 0-14-005645-9) describes the aftermath.

"An exact count of the Scottish dead is impossible. It was probably not less than ten thousand, if not the twelve thousand claimed by the English. They died with extraordinary obstinacy and ferocity, and with terrible wounds. 'Such large and strong men,' said the Bishop of Durham who hewed them as vigorously as any layman, 'that they would not fall when four or five bills struck one of them.' The best of Scotland died about (King) James and his bastard son, Alexander, the Bishop of St Andrews. Earls, barons, knights, freeholding lairds, farmers and their labourers. Among the common folk of the burghs and the fields the losses were terrible and bitter. There were towns like Selkirk, no doubt, that had sent a company of spearmen to the King and now wept at the return of one man only."