Tag Archives: reivers

Border Reivers

Hot Trod into Liddesdale

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Here’s a tale that’s got pretty much all the elements which made the Border Reivers so infamous in the 16th century. Cross-border cattle stealing in Northumberland by classic reiver names, hot trod, and an end in Liddesdale where murder and revenge are cruelly meted out.

Lonely Pundershaw farm today deep in the heart of Kielder Forest [Photo:Oliver Dixon]

In July bygaine a year, the Kynmonts now in prison with their complices to the number of 16 men or thereabouts, did steale out of the lands of Pundershaw in Northumberland four score of kye and oxen, appertaining to Mr Cuthbert Hearon of Chipchase which goods the friends and servants of the said Mr Cuthbert Hearon to the number of thrie score of men or thereabout did follow into the Debatable land whom the stealers pursuing to be comed amongst them; John Armstrong called of Parknow and Geordie Armstrong his brother, being comed from that road immediately before, did goe out of Geordie’s house, set upon Edward Charleton of Antoun Hill one of the followers upon whom the said John discharged two pistols and mist him, but the said Anton Hill discharging a carrabine upon John, killed him.

Hereupon the whole crew of Kinmonts and the rest of the country people did rise, followed Anton Hill who did flie more than two myles up Carshope, took him, brought him back through Liddell until they came to the Burnmouth on Tinnisburn.  And being informed there that Parknow was dead, four of the Kinmonts to wit Geordie, Francie, Gleed Jamie Armstrong and Will. Armstrong of Woodhead fell upon the said Anton Hill, and most cruelly murthered him. Of this fact Robert Scott called of Headshaw, William Armstrong called Will of the Harelaw, Jamie Wilson son to Geordie Wilson alias Boots shoemaker in Burnmouth and John Armstrong son in law to the said Geordie Wilson in Burnmouth were eye witnesses.

Immediatlie after, the same four Kinmonts fell upon one [blank] Thompson at the Demainholme, whom they also killed, and then they came to other two of the followers called Carshope’s brethren, one of which they killed outright, the other they left for dead. Of this slaughter William Ellott then dwelling in Demainholme, now in Northumberland and Christie Thomson brother to Edward Thomson in Geilfoot were eye witnesses.

This is a true story as told by the English authorities. However it took place around 1644 when the reiving days were thought to be long gone. It seems that the ‘Middle Shires’ had not totally cast off the reiving past. These bands of lawless men became widely known as the Mosstroopers. Story transcribed from the Buccleuch Muniments in the National Records of Scotland.

Border Reivers, Dumfries, Scottish Borders

Reiver Families of Liddesdale and Canonbie in 1630

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I’ve often seen it suggested that what with the wholesale hanging of reivers in the years following 1605 and the considerable exodus of reiver names to the Ulster Plantation after 1609, that areas like Liddesdale and the Debateable Lands of Canonbie were radically changed in the years that followed. And indeed most of the killing, plundering, blackmail and moonlight riding did stop. But what if we were able to see what families were living there in place of the reivers some twenty years later ?

By 1621, the Earl of Buccleuch had acquired pretty much all of Canonbie and much of Liddesdale. And thanks to the historical rental records of the Buccleuch estates we can see exactly who was tenanting all their farms in Liddesdale and Canonbie as early as 1630. I have transcribed the information as best as I can and the results may surprise you. The rental lists are shown in the two links below.

Liddesdale farm rentals in 1630

Canonbie farm rentals in 1630

In Liddesdale you can see that it’s pretty much all Armstrongs and  Ellotts with some Crosers , Nixons and Hendersons

In Canonbie it’s Armstrongs, Irvings and Bells with a few Grahams, Beatties and Littles for good measure. So pretty much the same mix of names that would have been found 30 years earlier.

What’s also noticeable is a smattering of the most infamous reiver families live on – there’s no less than 3 sons of Kinmont Willie and also Lancie Armstrong of Whithaugh. There’s a Clement and a Quentin Croser – definite echoes of their distinctively named reiver forebears.

For some families at least tenanting under  Buccleuch estate management  brought stability and longevity. My own family were Buccleuch tenants in Canonbie for at least 250 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Border Reivers, Scottish Borders

The joy of researching the Border reiver families

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What are the chances of being able to research ordinary Scottish ancestors from the 16th century ? Normally, the answer has to be next to none. If you weren’t nobility or titled then almost certainly no records will survive to even hint at your existence. Its too early for almost all surviving church records , except perhaps for the minister himself. Almost no headstones survive from that era. And what about property transactions, however unlikely that may be for an average ancestor ?  Well the  register of sasines was only started properly in 1617. A DNA test might demonstrate genetic succession but it wouldn’t tell you anything about 16th century lives.

1590map
A 1590 map of strong Scottish towers on Liddesdale drawn by an English ‘spy’.

But what if your actions presented a real risk to national and international security ?  What if your area was considered to be beyond the law ?  Then , not so different from modern times, the state was interested and your actions would be spied upon, noted and reported to the highest authorities in the land. And thankfully, most of this intelligence has survived to the present day.  As a result, there exists a marvellous legacy of information about the actions of many families who lived close to the Anglo-Scottish border and supplemented their meagre incomes with cross-border crimes of theft, blackmail, ransom and murder on a regular basis throughout the 16th century.

The Calendar of Border Papers is a compilation of intelligence gathered on the English side of the Border between 1560 and 1603 which includes complaints made by English residents about crimes committed against them mainly by Scottish reivers, letters between various English officials and indeed the Queen herself on occasion, and reports from spies and other Border officials about key individual troublemakers. On the Scottish side, the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland deals with pressing matters from the southern frontier and names many border troublemakers too.

These sources and others have allowed us in modern times to examine the importance of kinship in defining how the Border reivers operated and how the various families, closely allied to very particular territory on the Border , interacted with one another. Genealogy is all about family relationships and nothing defined the Border more than the fierce family loyalties of the time.  The use of To-Names in official descriptions helps us to imagine the character,appearance and indeed humour of some of our ancestors whether it’s Willie ‘Redcloak’ Bell, Ill Will Armstrong or Archie ‘Fire the Braes’ Elliot. The ringleaders played a long strategic game with the authorities. The calculated way in which many of them married girls from across the Border succeeded in undermining the authorities of each country by creating important cross-Border family alliances.

So the study of the genealogy of the Border reiving families allows us a unique insight into 16th century life however untypical it may have been. Like Sir Walter Scott before us (who was directly descended from a notorious reiver) , we may choose to romanticise this undoubtedly brutal lifestyle , but if that helps to bring our history alive and make it feel relevant for us today then is that such a bad thing ?  I contend that the story of the reiving families of both Scotland and England that we can construct from contemporary sources is an absolutely fascinating one and one that I’m delighted to be involved with. We may not always be able to identify specific individual ancestors in this era but we can build up a considerable picture of their kinsfolk and where and how they lived. For me genealogy is as much about understanding contemporary lifestyle of the greater family groups than it is about a single name in a family tree.