Bannockburn
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Bannockburn. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a Scottish village three miles southeast of Stirling on a rivulet of the name. The name is derived evidently from bannock, a Scottish cake of unleavened oat or barley meal, baked on a hot griddle, and from burn, the Scottish name for a small stream. The battlefield of Bannockburn is one of the most celebrated in Scottish history. It was here that Robert the Bruce defeated the English forces under Edward II of England, June 24, 1314. Bruce is thought to have had about 30,000 men and Edward about 100,000. Bruce disposed his small army most skillfully, and rendered the English cavalry useless by digging a large number of pits, in the bottom of which sharpened stakes were driven. These pits were so concealed by brush and grass that the English horse was afraid to venture among them. Among the traditions of the battle is one to the effect that, just before charging the English lines, the handful of Scotch soldiers pulled off their blue bonnets and knelt in prayer. The English monarch thought that they were making submission to him, but was soon undeceived. At the critical moment a horde of camp followers appeared on an elevation behind the Scottish forces, and struck terror into the English, who thought that large reinforcements for the Scots were coming. The rout of the English was complete. The battle secured the independence of Scotland. At present the village has about 2,000 inhabitants with prosperous manufactures of carpets, tartans, and woolen cloth. As the train rolls in, the railroad porter calls out, "Bannockburn!" in the most prosaic manner imaginable. Instead of hearing the clash of arms, the tourist hears the clack of flying shuttles. See Bruce ; Stirling ; Scotland
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a village of Stirlingshire, Scotland, 3 miles S. S. E. of the Bannock Burn, a little Stirling, on affluent of the Forth. It is an important seat of the woolen manufactures, especially of carpets and tartans. Tanning is carried on to some extent, and the neighboring villages are noted for the manufacture of nails; while coal abounds in the vicinity. In the great battle of Bannockburn, fought on June 24, 1314, Robert Bruce, Bruce, with 30,000 Scotch, gained a signal victory over Edward II., with 100,000 English, and secured his throne and the independence of Scotland.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The armies have shrunk. Aiton's in 1910 and Collier's in 1921 both put 30,000 Scots against 100,000 English; modern historians reckon Bruce had perhaps 6,000-8,000 men and Edward II something like 15,000-20,000, still a heavy disadvantage but not the medieval chroniclers' arithmetic. The weaving Aiton's heard as "the clack of flying shuttles" has gone: Bannockburn's carpet and tartan trade died out in the twentieth century and the village is now largely a southern suburb of Stirling. The battlefield itself is commemorated by a National Trust for Scotland site with Pilkington Jackson's equestrian Bruce, unveiled in 1964, and a visitor centre rebuilt for the 700th anniversary in 2014 - a year Scotland also voted, and declined, to leave the United Kingdom. Historians still argue about exactly where on the carse the fighting took place.
Written for this edition, 2026.