Border Reivers

The period of Scottish history in the three centuries before the Union of the Crowns in 1603 can be characterised locally by 'a deep rooted aversion to the English.' The whole length of the Anglo Scottish border stretching between the Tweed and the Solway was subjected to feuding and violence with frequent skirmishes and raiding parties by both sides. The usual activities were sheep and cattle stealing, fire raising and murder. These took place across the English border with counter raids by the English. Life must have been quite uncertain for borderers at that time. Pele towers, fortified houses, such as Gilnockie or Hollows, are a feature of this period. The word reiving was coined for raids. Local reiver families included the Armstrongs, Johnstones, Bells, Elliots and Maxwells and on the English side the Grahams, Dodds, Dacres and Nixons. The frontier was divided into three 'Marches', the East, Middle and West March to keep law and order. These were controlled by 'Wardens'. Eskdale and Liddesdale also had specially appointed 'Keepers' due to the amount of trouble there. On certain days of the year a truce was called when the wardens could pass judgement on outstanding disputes. This cycle of feuding was at its worst in the mid 1500s and by far the worst trouble took place in the so called 'Debateable Land,' the name for disputed territory between the Esk and the Sark, centred on Canonbie. The period is typified by lawlessness and for a time the area was used only for grazing and habitation was forbidden. In 1552, however, an agreement was reached and the eastern part (the parish of Canonbie) went to Scotland and the western part (the parish of St Andrews) went to England.