Historical Basis
The ballads are thought to have been based on the events of the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, although the account of the battle is not historically accurate and it may relate to border skirmishes up to fifty years later. Nevertheless, the first ballad includes the lines
This was the hontynge off the Cheviat,
that tear begane this spurn;
Old men that knowen the grownde well yenoughe
call it the battell of Otterburn.
There is also a third ballad named The Battle of Otterburn (ballad) which is assuredly about this battle.
Read more about this topic: The Ballad Of Chevy Chase
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