Anglo-Scott Border Reiver Persona

Persona in a Box - Contributor: Lord Erasmus MacBain

Overview

• General Title: Anglo-Scott Border Reiver
• Societal Class: Commoner to Lower Nobility
• Year: 1500-1600.
• Country / Location: Pretty much any one of the 6 Border Counties on the Scottish / English Border.
• More Specifically: Scottish -East March, Middle March (Modernly “Borders”) & West March (Modernly “Dumphries & Galloway”) / English - East March (Modernly “Cumbria”, Middle March and East March (Modernly “Northumberland”). A special area called “Liddesdale” existed between a small portion of the English East March and the Scottish Middle March that was claimed by neither country.

Layer 1, General data

Geography

The borders are the on both sides Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England and a Southern strip of Scotland. The terrain is split by many rivers, most notably the Tweed that runs through the heart of the Eastern Marches and the Arran that runs through the Western Marches, mountains and nearly impassible marshes. A Reiver took pride in his ability to find his way in this difficult terrain by only the light of the moon, marshes included. This area was heavily wooded at the time with many small farms dappled throughout. Today the area is quite sparsely populated but in the1500s there was a quite high population for a rural area. The inheritance customs of the day divided the land equally between each male err. After dozens of generations of this custom, the farms themselves had become so small and cramped that one could barely, even in times of relative peace, grow enough grain to feed one’s family thus contributing to the poverty and martial troubles in these lands.

Society and General Character of the People

1. These were hard times for those living along the Anglo-Scottish border. Conflicts between the two Crowns intensified and led to frequent incursions into each other’s territory from the time of Long Shanks (1237-1307) right up to the unification of the crowns in 1603 for almost exclusively political reasons. No permanent claim of lands was made by either side in the 300 hundred plus and every incursion trampled across the Borders. Burning homes and crops, stealing animals and any portable valuables (Called “insight”) that could be had as well as just murdering just about anyone the army on either side came across. By the 1500s the Borderers had been inadvertently bred strong and hard and they had become quite accomplished light infantry. The Borderers sold their light infantry services all over Europe and fought in conflicts on either side of the conflict and occasionally against other Borderers who had signed up with the other side. There service was prized in Europe as they not only were effective on the battle field, their foraging and reiving skills learned from the hard life at home made them quite useful in procuring supplies for the rest of the army.
2. This constant warring of the Anglo-Scottish conflicts led the Borderers to a nearly complete lack of loyalty to either Crown or country. Loyalty was given first to your Kin (blood family) then to your Riding Sir Name (similar to the Northern Scottish Clans but not quite as strong a tie) and finally to your neighbors (who were frequently related Kin in some fashion or at the least someone on who you would need to rely should you have to call a Hot Trod yourself.) eg: A Scotts Borderer would likely be more loyal to an Englishman living ten miles down the Arran River than to the James VI of Scotland because his cousin was married to the cousin of the Englishman in question. Feuds between Borderers were common and many lives were lost in recompense for other wrongs in a virtually never ending cycle of violence. Some of these feuds lasted several generations and vengeance was frequently sought from the kin and progeny of the offender by the kin and progeny of the offended long after the details of the actual offence had been forgotten.

Laws and Corruption

1. The laws of the Crown held very little weight if any in the Borders.
2. There was however a “Border Code” that was “enforced” by the “March Wardens” and generally respected by the populous save those who lived in Liddesdale who recognized no law at all. Liddesdale was so dangerous a place that it was considered outside both the English and Scottish Marches even though it lay in between them on the border itself. No Marsh Warden would venture there for fear of his own skin for hundreds of years.
3. There was no real strong concept of ownership regarding property as we would understand it today. If you needed something to survive, you took it from where ever you could find it. From the most common man to the landed gentry they all held to this concept.
4. There were certain things that could be done if someone took things from you; if the theft was quickly discovered a “Hot Trod” could be called summoning everyone in the area to chase after the perpetrators and regain the lost property. A hot trod could legally cross the border without notice as long as the perpetrators were still in range of detection. To call a Hot Trod a rider with a burning bit of hey on a spear tip would ride around to the local residents’ homes calling them out for the trod. You were expected to take part if you were at all a healthy man. If you did not ride, your neighbors would not likely ride for you when your time came. If the thieves were no where to be found then a “Cold Trod” could be mounted but usually with many fewer men making up the chase. This chase could not legally cross the Border without the cross-border Warden’s permission and frequently ended up as a raid on another non involved group thus replenishing the lost property with new property. The alternately raided farm may not have even been on the other side of the border necessarily. As you can well imagine these people who just lost their cattle to replace the ones taken by someone else would then mount another trod to reclaim the property they just lost, and so on and so forth.
5. The third method of seeking justice for mal-treatment by others is that, if you knew who had wronged you, your Warden could seek with the other parties Warden to get either compensation for the loss or to imprison the perpetrator in punishment for their crime. On a “Warden Meeting” day, at an agreed location, a trial and the metering out of the decision of that trial would be taken care of provided the accused had been located and provided by their Warden. Regular scheduled days were set up at times allowing for multiple trials to take place. This was treated much like a festival day. Vendors would set up shop in the area of the meeting, football games and other athletics were played out by the various attendees and a day of truce would be had in the two Marches. You had until sundown to get back to your homes before you were yet again at hazard. Even if you were wanted for some act, if you were not at the meeting to be tried as agreed prior to the day, you could not be arrested on that day as it would break the truce. Strict observance of this truce day was expected of everyone in the affected Marches whether attending the meetings or not. A notable exception to this is described in some dubious detail in the Ballad of Kinmont Willie where the English Lord Scroop captured Kinmont Willie to “hang him up” before it was just to do so on a day of truce. Murder and theft were treated with the same fashion in that, excepting a few notable cases, whether or not you spend time in jail or were hanged largely depended on your ability to pay, either compensation or bribery. There was an understood value of things.
6. A persons life was valued depending on the position they held in society so you could kill just about anyone if you had the money to pay damages to the group they were from and have no further legal ramifications. The same went of stealing cattle or insight. Of course, personal hatred and rivalries from these actions would still be consequential but on an unofficial basis.
7. How you spent your time in jail depended on your ability to pay you keep to your keeper. The Auld Gael in Hexam has a deep basement with no windows and only a trap door in the middle of the ceiling to keep those jailed with no means to pay their way while prisoners with money lived with the jailers and their families in relative comfort in the upper floors as paying guests would at a lodge. Some were even just on their honor not to escape.
8. It should be noted that, though the inhabitants of Liddesdale were the most notorious, everyone in the Borders was a Reiver in some fashion or other and they all stole property from someone else to survive, from the lowliest of farm hands to the minor Nobles who owned the land.

Religion

1. None was common at this time in the Borders. The area was too dangerous for the clergy of the day, they were viewed with contempt by the Borderers and further to this the Borderers were considered irredeemable to the Church and further more the whole of the Borders, itself and its occupants, were damned at one point by the Arch Bishop of Glasgow in a series of letters “to be read in every pulpit”. He wished upon them “every sort of evil thing that had come to pass since the world began”, and proceeded to curse by name every little bit of them, adding, in case he’d missed some part of them, “every part of their body from the top of their head to the sole of their feet, before and behind, within and without”. They were cursed when sitting, standing, eating, drinking, at home and abroad, together with wives, families, crops, livestock; event the implements they used on their farms. Thunder and lightning were called down upon them together withal the plagues of Egypt and so forth and so on.
2. Protestantism (though not readily practiced) was known in the area.
3. Witchcraft was another religion that is rumored to have existed to some extent in the Borders at this time. By way of example; It has been speculated by some researchers that King James VI of Scotland’s court, one Francis Stewart 5th Earl of Bothwell, who came from the Scottish Borders was a practicing witch. This may be evidenced by his carved wedding chest that is now in a private collection. This had distinctive “Pagan” carvings on some of the side panels instead of the more common to the era Christian themed depictions. (Ref. book “The Devil & King James” by Brian Moffat)
4. Most of the people in the Borders just didn’t have the time for otherworldly concerns. The necessities of life in the Borders were such that they would need to break most of the 10 commandments to simply survive.

Links to Major local historic events

1. Scotland 1450-1500: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/timeline/to1500.html
2. Scotland 1500-1550: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/timeline/to1550.html
3. Scotland 1550-1600: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/timeline/to1600.html
4. England 1485-1689: http://www.britannia.com/history/reftime.html

Bibliography

1. The Border Reivers – Godfrey Watson – 1974 – Sandhill Press
2. The Steel Bonnets – George MacDonald Fraser – 2001 - The Akadin Press
3. 1603 – Christopher Lee – 2003 - St. Martin’s Press
4. The Devil and King James – Brian Moffat – 2002(?) - Rocking Boat Press
5. Warfare and Fortifications in the Borders – Dent & MacDonald – 2000 Scottish Border Council

Layer 2, every day life:

Occupations

1. There were the usual range of farmers, blacksmiths, minor nobility and simple tradesmen and their like just as you would find in any European back country area. More notable are the professions not in the Borders at this time. There were no Clergy, Monks, Nuns or Scholars to speak of, nor sophisticated tradesmen. Policing was done by the March Warden and his men. There were also an out of proportion number of con-men and criminals (including at least one record in the Calendar of Border Papers of counterfeiters.) Several of those completely lawless Reivers in Liddesdale were known to be extortionists, exacting a tribute to rob and burn your neighbor’s farm rather than yours. Another, more legit, profession in the Borders was as a Light Infantry Mercenary and they did service all over Europe and fought for any side willing to pay them. They even faced off against other Borderers on fields in France, Germany and likely elsewhere too.
2. Most occupations were purchased rather than given to the best candidate or even to a relative. Most of these jobs, especially government ones, did not pay enough to perform the job itself and cost of doing business was born by the employee so they would need to find enough money to do so elsewhere. Managerial employment provided one way to do this in that the jobs came with the ability to select people to work under you, who like yourself, would have to pay to get the job as well as a maintenance fee to keep it or even sell their job to another. It was expected that through bribes and extortion for these public servants to do the job for the populous that this populous would supplement the regular income making the job profitable at the end of the day. This doesn’t sound too bad until you realize that this would be true for the March Wardens and his men as well. They would expect to be paid for helping you with a trod to get your property back and even some kind of stipend for keeping you safe when you were not attacked. Even the judge who tries the accused would expect to be paid by both the defendant, the plaintiff and even the March Warden some additional stipend to do what the Crown had charged him to do. Any Clergy you ran into, firstly they’d likely be a con-man, but regardless they would be try to extort money from you to save your sole and so on down the line. This type of corruption was not considered corruption at all, just the way things were done. It should be noted that, though the inhabitants of Liddesdale were the most notorious for this, every man in the Border’s second profession was as a Reiver in some fashion or other and they all stole property from someone else to survive. This was true from the lowliest of farm hands, the minor Nobles who owned the land to the March Wardens themselves. A Reiver stole things, any thing that they could get back home in the course of a night. Even when acting as mercenary they were frequently charged with the task of stealing supplies from the country side and the opposing armies to help provide for the army they were hired by. Prime reiving season was late autumn, after harvest, up until spring when food became more abundant and times a little easier.

Housing

1. Three main types of housing constructs were made in this period along with the survival of some robust medieval castles such as the Hermitage were in this period. All constructions built prior to around the 1200s that were not as robust as the Hermitage would have been destroyed as some point in the prior 200 years. Many of the new stone constructions were made with stones taken from Roman ruined fortifications in the area.

• • Typical Peel Tower: The local Lord or person of importance would likely have lived in a Peel Tower. A fortified stone tower usually at least 4 stories in height about 40’ on each side with a few small windows usually above the third story. The base of the tower would have a single story lightly fortified building approximately 20’ wide by 60’ long attached on one side that extended forward of the front wall of the tower that had no windows on the outer sides. A wall was then added from one corner of the tower out to a point and that would turn 90 degrees and run to the single story protrusion creating a small enclosed courtyard. Heavy oaken doors would be provided in the wall, tower and extra building. The Tower did not internally connect to the extra building. In times of attach, the animals could be brought into the extra building and courtyard for protection while the people holed up in the tower. Roofs were square peaked slate shingled on the tower and usually slate shingle; single peaked on the extra building. Most attacks were by other Reivers who would be forced to abandon any siege in time to make it across the border by first light so no bigger fortification was really needed. The origins of the Peel Tower seem to come from stockades of various constructions, from sod and mud or “very old thorns” to wood and finally to the stone enclosure described above. The tower was added to afford the owner some protection as time went on and the stockade became the place were the owner lived. Furniture would be rare. Window seats and even shelving would be made of stone and incorporated into the building itself. The Laird would have a chair, but that would likely be the only one. Anyone else would sit on a chest; settle (bench) or stool of some fashion. Bedsteads would have been considered the height of luxury with only the most wealthy possibly having a feather mattress (or AKA at the time “bed”).
  • Bastle House: A well off Borderer would have a two story rectangular home between 15’ by 30’ to 20’ by 60’ made of stone with a slate shingle, single peaked roof. The lower floor would have a single heavy oak door on one of the smaller ends opening into 1 to 3 inner chambers under where the animals could be kept during attacks and no windows. On one of the long sides would be a narrow stone stair case running along its side leading to a small heavy oak door on the second level of the structure. No rail would be provided to make it precarious. And the small landing at the top meant that if a battering ram was used only 1 or 2 men could operate it. The door would likely have been too strong for such an assault. Only a few small windows would be placed on the upper floor with one of them allowing view of the stair landing and the others on different walls giving views around the property but not much else. Oak floor boards on the upper level and bare stone floors below. A small trap door led from the upper to lower floors with its ladder being able to be lifted up making entry to the main house quite difficult. If warning was had of an attack, wet sod could be stacked against the lower door to help keep the door from being burnt down and the ladder lifted just in case the attackers did get in. As with the Peel Tower above, the object was not to withstand a prolonged siege, but just to make it through the night. Furniture would have been as in the Peel Tower likely without the chair for his lordship’s behind.
  • Common cabin home. Made from a few stakes in the ground with sod and rocks filling the gaps, brushwood and mud would seal out the draft and branches were laid across the top of the walls making the roof with a smoke hole left in it. A cow hide pinned across a gap in the wall made the door. These were so simple a dwelling because of the frequency of raids and of the associated burning of the dwelling down. It was said that three or four hours were all that were needed to construct one of these homes. The use of this type of shelter carried on well after unification and was described as such during the reign of Charles I and further still to a reference in 1771 by Pennant though by that time the homes were a bit larger but still “made of mud” and would be built by the owner and his neighbors by nightfall. A better version of these homes had a half stone wall with the remainder being built in the same fashion as the simple shanties described above. Furniture in these homes would have been the most rudimentary and utilitarian and a stool would have likely been the nicest seat in the house. These homes were so frequently burned out that any furniture at all would likely have just been a waste of effort and likely would not have been bothered with.

Domesticated animals and food stuffs

1. Horse: The Reivers were primarily light cavalry when doing what they did best, acting as mercenaries or even just seeking revenge on those who reived against them. For this reason a good light horse was prized above just about any other animal. The horses of the borders were chosen for endurance and speed. A Borderer the fastest horse while admired for the beast would also be an instant target for any other Reiver who may have heard of the quality of his steed so a great mount was a curse as well.
2. Cattle: “Stirks” covered both bovine and oxen and were also prized for heartiness and strength. Meat was a staple in the Borders and cattle a ready food supply; all you needed do was find one that wouldn’t be missed too soon.
3. Sheep: Sheep were raised in good numbers and were also the target of raids.
4. Porcine: Pigs were around but less common than Cattle or Sheep.
5. Cheese:
6. Grains: These crops were grown in the Borders, preferably quick growing varieties as the longer the grain stayed in the ground the more likely it was to be burned and lost. Because of this and this being towards the end of one of the colder cycles during “Little Ice Age” grain production was inconsistent. You’d be better off raising animals and trading for grains as you can hide a cow, but a field of grain isn’t going anywhere. Barley was the most common grain and was most commonly served parched or boiled and bread was rare but occasional food stuff.
7. Alcohol: Spanish and French wines were rare but available as the Scotts specifically traded regularly with both countries (much to England’s chagrin) but only really known to the gentry. Claret was the most well known. Drunkenness was uncommon to the average Borderer.
8. Spices were few and a luxury.
9. While on a raid or trod, a Borderer would eat a sort of cracker made from oat meal, water and a beef fat paste cooked on a metal plate over a fire.
10. Vegetables were quite rare, potatoes were unknown to the area at this time and cabbage was a new-fangled item on a Laird’s menu.

Indoor recreation

1. Music and Poetry: The two were fairly inseparable. When not singing Ballads accompanied by a harp or pipes, they played the small pipes Poetry was nearly always tragic in subject.
2. Gambling: Playing cards, dice and “tables” were common pastimes of the average Borderer.

Sport

1. Hunting was more a food source than a sport but hunts did occur with the gentry. Hawking and stalking red deer, sometime on the other side of the border was typical for this. Permission was to be asked of the March Warden whose territory was to be hunted, but this did not always occur and was a source of some friction. Lesser men coursed hares.
2. Fishing was done in the many rivers of the area.
3. Football (Soccer in the US) was a popular participant and spectator sport for all classes. There are stories of epic and painful games with a hundred men on a side and broken bones being not being uncommon and feuds lasting for generations over conduct during matches. This area needs to be flushed out in much greater detail. Anyone…
4. Horse: Racing of horses was likely the most fulfilling sport of the Borderers. Great pride in the horse, the races and even greater pride in the bragging rights to the victors of these meets that occurred throughout the borders.
5. Other games: Nine pins and “bowls” were also played

Dress

1. General clothing: From the commoner to the gentry they all dressed in the English fashion though not high fashion as would have been seen at Court. On the field at least, the gentry would look much the same as his followers wearing the same type and color of coat and stockings. Patten noted after an expedition against the Scotts that the Scottish Lairds and barons dressed in not only the same jacks, covered with white leather as their men, but the same white leather or fustian doublets and usually, white hose. This he said explained why so many of the ‘great men’ were killed in action. One would assume this is because it was a normal practice of the day to ransom captured nobles back making killing them a bad proposition.

• • Shirt: Un-collared and made of white linen. The whiteness of your shirt could reflect on the quality of your wife, a point of pride for the wife but not cared much about by the man.
  • Ruff: a simple ruff would be worn for as was the fashion in England at the time.
  • Pants: Plane long slops.
  • Doublet: By the English fashion, slashed and puffed when appropriate to the time.
  • Hats: Flat Caps and light blue wool tams. (It was noted by some visiting dignitaries to a dinner at a Laird’s house in Galashiels that the servants did not remove their bonnets while serving dinner, nor at any time to show of respect for their Laird as was common of the day elsewhere in Europe.)
  • Underclothes: No mention of undergarments is mentioned in any of the surviving wills so not much is know there.
  • Shoes: Again along the English Fashion, turn buckle shoes would work well with tall riding boots used while riding.
  • Wool cloaks: Wool being a natural water repellant fabric would be common.

1. Finer clothes: The gentry would sometimes have finer clothes but would not wear them excepting for special occasions unlike Londoner’s at this same time. Such items as “a damask gown, a velvet jerkin, a pair of velvet breeches and a satin doublet” were recorded in Sir George Heron’s will by way of example.
2. Women’s clothing: These again would follow the English fashion but again on the plainer side for most. The men, while not particularly mindful of their own appearance would try to provide what ever fineries they could manage for their wives who in turn took great pride in what ever they could get.
3. Arms and Armour:

• • Helm: Burgonet or Morion if any.
  • Torso: Jack of Plates (A white leather jerkin with diamond shaped plates of steel sewn between the layers.) A placard was also known to be worn over the Jack of Plates or other leather jack but would have been reserved for a Laird but was still very uncommon.
  • Legs: None but the tall boots. The gentry may have tassets running to their knees with a placard on the torso.
  • Gloves: Leather gauntlets for the common Borderer on both hands while the gentry may have on their Reign hand a metal gauntlet that extends up the fore arm and past the elbow with plated fingers and chain mail in the palm side of the hand. The sword or spear arm would be a leather gauntlet.
  • Gorgets: Uncommon, likely not without a placard.
  • Horse Barding: None, they were light cavalry after all and preferred smaller fast and agile horses.
  • Shield: Rare but if any a small round shield. Side mounted and or center grip mounted depending and none if the rein arm had a metal gauntlet.

1. Weapons:

• • Sword: Back Swords or Broad Swords would be preferred. Rapiers were known but would have been extremely rare in the Borders. It being a gentleman’s weapon would have little place there. Swords were not uncommon at this time for the general population in this area as they were constantly in conflict with someone over something.
  • Spear: A spear would be carried on horse and was the preferred weapon for war Reivers being light cavalry.
  • Pistol: Wheel lock or matchlock. (Wheel locks were late in the century.) Flint locks were unknown.
  • Musket: Wheel lock or matchlock. While on foot only and rarely at that though would be used for home defense and the windows in bastle houses were built to accommodate this.
  • Tableware:
  • Cutting: A personal knife, single edged and not too long for cutting meats and cheeses.
  • Scooping: A wooden spoon.
  • Lifting: A “pricker” (think of it as a single tined fork or a metal chop stick) was what was used. Forks were relatively new to Great Briton and had not made their way into the Borders.
  • Drinking: Ceramic simple tumblers, about 5” in height, sometimes fluted slightly into a kind of squat tulip shape. A laird may have actual glass versions of these or something reminiscent of a goblet, though it would not be exaggerated in size over its base.
  • Flatware: Wooden or pewter trenchers would have been the order of the day with food being served in common plates and taken from them directly to the mouth for all but the Laird’s house. Simple bowls for soups and the like, wood for the commoner and ceramic for the upper crust. The Laird would have plates of pewter or fine wood and food would be taken from the trencher onto individual plates.

Bibliography

1. The Border Reivers – Godfrey Watson – 1974 – Sandhill Press
2. The Steel Bonnets – George MacDonald Fraser – 2001 - The Akadin Press
3. 1603 – Christopher Lee – 2003 - St. Martin’s Press
4. Warfare and Fortifications in the Borders – Dent & MacDonald – 2000 Scottish Border Council

Layer 3, Personal details to be completed by end user:

Name

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Childhood

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Current condition

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