We have no reliable eyewitness accounts of the battle of Linlithgow Bridge just tenuous comments in grander histories by authors who had ulterior motives to their writings. We don't have a blow by blow record as to the course of the fighting - just statements that it took place. At the time of the action it was not even called the 'Battle of Linlithgow Bridge' as the community at the brig didn't exist. The best we get to a name for the battle from the histories is 'the fight near the bridge across the river Avon 2 miles west of Linlithgow'. So how can we possibly progress towards a full understanding of the events of that day with such dubious and conflicting evidence?

We have to look beyond the books. Remove ourselves from the reading room, put on the hiking boots and visit the site. Only then can we can start to piece together the evidence in the landscape. Combine this with a knowledge of how armies fought in the 16th Century, add a bit of 'human nature' and the archaeological record and only then we can come to some understanding as to how things went on the day.

So what evidence do we have in this investigation? This section looks at three areas of interest; the geography of the site, the timing of the battle and the effects terrain and tactics would have on the armies deployment. There is no one defining 'eureka moment' in this investigation. It's a jigsaw of many parts with no picture on the box to say whether you are right or wrong. Enjoy the trip and maybe your interpretation may overlap ours.