Background
Lilliard's early life is unknown.
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Lilliard of Ancrum
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During an attack on February 27, 1545, Lilliard is said to have distinguished herself in battle in her village of Maxton, near Melrose and Jedburgh. The English had set Maxton on fire. Among the victims, according to legend, were the bedridden parents of Lilliard, an only child, who nearly died herself trying to rescue them; she was rescued in turn by her lover. As befits a tragedy, he soon thereafter died of wounds received from combat with the English soldiers.
With her parents and lover dead, an avenging Lilliard joined the fight. The Scots ambushed and savaged the English army. The victors were joined by Scottish soldiers who, before the present turn, had reluctantly collaborated with the enemy; this battle took on special significance as proving the rewards of Scottish unity, billiard is credited with inflicting a mortal wound upon the English field commander, Lord Evers. Thus were her efforts taken to be pivotal to the Scots' victory.
According to one legend, Lilliard had donned men's gear to do battle, wearing a helmet marked by a white plume. Although her flowing golden locks showed under the helmet, other soldiers were surprised to discover at the battle's end that she was a woman in men's costume. Her unorthodox dress and demeanor earned her the title "Amazoness" among some legend keepers.
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The battlefield was named "Lilliard's Edge" in her honor, and in 1827 the novelist Sir Walter Scott, whose ancestor of the same name had fought on the Scottish side, paid a memorial visit to her grave in Ancrum Moor. Because of the legendary aura of her story, greatly enhanced by Scott's works, it is difficult to determine the true extent of Lilliard's military actions.
