By the middle of the sixteenth century the Border Reivers had a strangle hold on the lands on each side of the English Scottish Border. None more so than the Elliots and Armstrongs of Liddesdale. Murder, theft, arson, blackmail and feud were the canker of the Border Marches. Whatever resources, initiatives or amendments to the […]
By 1593 the feud that had existed between the Maxwells and the Johnstones, the two most powerful families in south-west Scotland, was to reach its zenith. The feud was long-standing as it had existed for over a century. Whilst the culmination of the feud would result in the Battle of Dryfe Sands which has already […]
The eldest son of ‘Auld’ (Old) Wat of Harden was William Scott who would succeed his father as Baron of Harden and be knighted by James VI. Harden House is still to be seen about three miles south of Hawick in the Scottish Borders as is the deep glen where Auld Wat hid the cattle […]
Sir John Carmichael of that Ilk was murdered in June 1600 by a party of Scottish Reivers as he rode from Langholm to Lochmaben to attend a Warden Court. Sir John was born in 1542, son to an illustrious family which hailed from Lanarkshire. He was a direct ancestor of the Earls of Hindford. He […]
The relationship between Scotland and England wasn’t always as amicable as it is today. From the late 13th century to the 16th century, Scotland and England were constantly at war with each other. This created a lawless environment where crime soared, people from both sides of the border would live more like outlaws, taking advantage […]
The BBC has begun the re-broadcast of the series ‘Scotland’s Clans’ with the story of Clan Armstrong. This was broadcast here in the UK on Monday night and is available online on the BBCi Player. I have to say that the presentation was first rate and whilst there will no doubt be a few that […]
