Etal Castle is a Norman manor house that was later modified into a more substantial fortification as tensions grew with nearby Scotland. The feuding resulted in the capture of a number of English castles in the border region by the Scottish King James IV, including Etal in 1513. 

It was from the captured castle that James IV infamously left to confront an English army at what became known as the Battle of Flodden. The battle was a rout for the Scots with the king, scores of Scottish nobility, and thousands of soldiers killed.