Sir Nicholas Appleyard - The Battle of Flodden
Nicholas was born in 1473, son of Sir John Appleyard and Margaret Bracken who had married in 1466, residing in Bracken Hall, not far out of Norwich In Norfolk. As the son a man of title and coming from a line of titles, Nicholas would have lived comfortably in comparison to many of the time. Members of their family had held various offices including Mayor of Norwich and had represented Norwich in Parliament and they were associated with various Kings of England including Richard II and Henry IV. England and Scotland’s history of fighting each other over borders and religion date back over 1,000 years with one of the earliest known battles dating back to 937ad with the Battle of Brunanburh. With Appleyard’s in the royal courts from the 1100’s, it can be assumed that they, along with their tenants, would have played a role in many of those battles. In September 1513, England and Scotland would come together in the biggest battle of their history, the Battle of Flodden.