‘If Jesus Christ were amongest them, they would deceave him,’
Richard Fenwick 1597

The church, however, did not put forth a chaste and goodly front. Many of its clergy within the Borders had what were at best suspect personal images. Its clergy, whom there were never enough, often did little more than pay lipservice to the teachings of church, in conjunction with

Peel Tower by Darrell J. Rohl

much superstition. The clergy themselves were often accused of scandalous behavior. Will Patrick priest of Bewcastle and his curate John Nelson, were named amongst 500 other Englishmen within a complaint by the Scots in 1552. Priests were often found to be armed themselves, and it should come as no surprise that some of the clergy may have found that the sword was in fact mightier than the pen. In some cases they may not have had any other choice as the clergy were included in the watches, a Border Law which stated it was everyones duty to watch the fords and passes.

The churches response in matters of complaint were limited. Many Reivers were excommunicated, removing them from the church, that is a church they cared nothing for. A response with limited effect. Even when excommunicated the Reivers knew that they could be reinstated. Early in the 16th century The Archbishop of Glasgow’s ‘Monition of Cursing’ against the Border Reivers went one step further. In comparison to an excommunication a Monition cannot be revoked. This Curse went on for some 1500 words and curses the Border Reivers for everything imaginable. Presumable this was of much amusement to the Reivers.
Probable the most visible evidence of the rocky history of border religion can be seen in the presence of a number of Vicar’s Peels. As can be seen from the photo above a particularly fine example can be found at Corbridge. Built in the early 14th century and standing within the grounds of St. Andrews Church. The Tower, as with many buildings along the Border was built from Roman worked stone pillaged from nearby ruins. With its original door and a stone table and washbasin the solid structure of the Peel bears witness to the turbuland times. Due to the ever present danger of ones home being burnt to the ground, some additions to the household would be built in stone. This can be seen within the Vicars Peel, where sloping stones act as a book rest. The less there was to burn, the least amount of damage could be done.

Figure 1 (Border Miniatures, Keswick)

The one indisputable fact concerning the Border Reivers was their supreme ability in the art of theft and guerilla warfare. A lifestyle which required specialist equipment. The fully equipped Reiver represented an elite light cavalryman, capable of navigating rough terrain at night with practiced stealth, and when required implementing deadly force. Figure 1 (Border Miniatures, Keswick) represents a Border Reiver c. 1590. The mount of the Reiver was as specialised as the equipment they used. It was small and sure footed ideally suited to the rough terrain of the border. Known as ‘hobbys’ or ‘hobblers’ they were capable of traveling around 60 – 80 miles per day (G Fraser, The Steel Bonnets p86). These abilities saw the mounts well suited to both ‘peace time’ raids, and their use as wartime scouts or light cavalry. Horses were extremely important to the Reivers, both for their status and the basic fact that they were vital for raids.

Towards the end of the 16th century there was a change within arms and armour and consequently military thinking. It was the age of gunpowder and the demise of the chivalrous knight in shining armour. This change had been ongoing for some time, and the end of the dominance of the knight had already been highlighted with the longbow. Representing one the most decisive weapons ever used, the longbow in the hands of the humble peasant had long since taken the shine from many a knights armour. This fact is probably one of the reasons for the ‘backwards’ view many had towards guns. A practiced archer was, at the beginning, capable of shooting more arrows with greater accuracy than any gun. At the beginning this wasn’t all that difficult as on the ascendancy of Queen Elizabeth a practiced archer could fire 12 arrows per minute, while the new arquebus could manage 10-12 shots per hour. Naturally by the end of the 16th century this rate had risen to 35-40, but many were still not convinced. Batches of guns sent to the North were of varying quality, with some reports of injuries, while the quality of the gunpowder was also questionable. Early weapons wouldn’t work in the rain and due to their firing technique were useless for mounted cavalry. All of these reasons probably explain the small crossbow hooked onto the saddle as it could be used with some confidence and little worry of losing a limb if it misfired. Though it is worth noting that guns in the form of ‘calivers’, ‘arquebuses’, and dags (heavy hand gun) were beginning to be used throughout the border. This is mainly due to the wheel-lock mechanism which wasn’t affected by the wet weather. A number of wealthy Reivers would in fact carry two pistols as reloading would take too much time, and they were still prone to the occasional misfire.

The Reiver could also be armed with a sword, a dagger and a Border lance. The lance appears to be a very popular weapon of the Reivers. Measuring from 6 to 13 feet long (more likely around 8 foot) the Reiver became highly adapt in its use. The weapon could be used couched, for throwing or for thrusting at a foe. More than any other weapon, the Reiver was acknowledged as the master of the lance.

The role of the Reiver and the coming of the gunpowder age dictated the type of armour that was used. Though there would have been those who could have afforded plate mail, the Reiver by necessity needed the best compromise between protection and weight. In order to cover the miles, it was not practical to wear full armour on a raid. The wealthier Reiver began to wear just back and breast plate. Many others would often be wearing whatever they inherited or occasionally stole. The universal protection worn by the common man is known as the ‘jack’ or ‘jack of plaite’. This item of protection can be seen as the direct result of the gunpowder age and the need for light armour and maneuverability. The jack featured small overlapping iron plates stitched into two or three layers of quilted cloth. Often fronted with another material such as leather, the jack offered the perfect balance between cost, effectiveness and weight. It was often even the choice of the lords whom preferred it against the heavier plate armour. Again this is due to its effectiveness against sword cuts, and the plate armours uselessness against the up-and-coming guns. The Reiver could also wear gloves of steel or leather, some being made in a similar fashion to the jack. Legs as shown below were rarely protected by anything more than knee length riding boots.

The helmets worn by the Reivers ranged from the simple steel cap to the sallet in the 1500′s. These offered good protection but with the added problem of restricted visibility. By the mid-16th century the burgonett (featured in the picture above), a light open helmet began to take over. Offering an unrestricted view, and a solid design occasionally peaked with protected cheek plates with a projecting peak at the back to cover the neck. It also often featured a strengthening strip of metal over the centre with an added lining of leather (presumably for comfort and to cushion any blows). The helmet may also be covered over or ‘blackened’ to protect it from the elements, and possibly to ensure no tell-tale reflections from the moon occur at inopportune moments.

Possibly the most famous head gear of the Reiver was the morion, a style which became fashionable in the 1580′s, featuring a curved brim, comb and occasional ear pieces. The most common design was known as the Spanish morion, but it also appeared as a ‘cabacette’ morion and the most distinctive ‘combed’ morion. Each style was produced to varying standards of quality and decoration.

Thus the Reiver was armed and ready for war or piece. When reading about the Reivers and their deeds it should always be remembered how skilled they were. Anyone who has visited the borders of England and Scotland will realise the skill it must have taken to traverse the bogs and rough terrain at night. Doing this while armed and rescuing some stray sheep (sheep were ever straying) the Reivers were a bread like ne other.

Scots Dike - The Debatable Lands

This is a stretch of land measuring, at the longest, 12 miles by 4 miles, but its size bears little relation to the trouble it caused. It had been called the Debatable Land as early as the 15th century, because its ownership was in dispute between England and Scotland. By the 16th century the Debatable Land was a thorn in side of both opposing countries. As neither England nor Scotland would recognise its ownership to the other, neither could hold the other responsible for its occupants behaviour. The most notorious borderers soon saw this Debatable ground as the ideal place for residence. As the area became worse, one way to deal with it was to lay it to waste. This was done on numerous occasions, one example is that of William, Lord Dacre, Warden of the English West March in 1528. Lord Dacre assembled a force of 2000 riders for a surprise attack on the Armstrongs of the Debatable Land. Unfortunately, an ‘English’ Storey, had tipped off the Armstrongs who subsequently repulsed the attack. In a later attack Dacre did manage to destroy Johnnie Armstrong’s tower at Hollows on the Esk. Unfortunately for Dacre, while he was attacking the Armstrongs tower, the Armstrongs were plundering and destroying Netherby and a mill belonging to Dacre at Gilsland.

This not only gives an idea of the type of forces that the Debatable Land could muster, but also the cross Border loyalties that existed. By 1552 the Scots Dyke was built (pictured above) which was meant to divide the land, and the straight line of this is clearly visible on the map found on page vi. This may have allowed the English and Scottish governments to say which part belonged to who, but the people who lived there had scant regard for this trench that had been dug in their land.

King James V of Scotland gathered together an army to meet the English, but upon Henry VIII withdrawal King James’ nobles disbanded having little trust in their King. James again gathered another army of some 15-18000 strong. This army headed South West from Edinburgh to Cumbria and Carlisle. The army was under the temporary command of Oliver Sinclair the ‘Kings hated Favourite’. The Scots army burnt their way across the Debatable Land pushing the infamous Grahams into the hills. Thomas Wharton, the Deputy West March Warden, decided to meet the Scots army with his Carlisle garrison of 3000 men. As the Scots began to ford the river Esk the ranks of the army were hemmed in by the banks of the river and the marshland known as the Solway Moss. Whaton deployed 700 to 800 men to act as skirmishes, harassing the army as it slowly made its way across the ford.

Quickly a dispute arose amongst the Scots commanders and the army began to fall into disarray suffering numerous casualties. The retreat became a rout with the army taking further punishment from the Grahams and others of Liddesdale. Some 1200 prisoners were taken by Wharton, with his own casualties not even reaching double figures.

Its position marks it as a key point in guarding the often bloody border area. Built in around 1240, probably by Sir Nicholas de Soules, the Kings butler, the original castle on the present site, would probably have been of timber motte-and-bailey construction. Later this was replaced by a stone castle first built by the English Lord Dacre, with later additions by the Scottish Noble families of Douglas and Angus. Later in its history the Earls of Bothwell came into possession of the Castle, the most infamous of which saw the illicit, and highly romanticised visit of the then married Mary Queen of Scots in 1566.

In truth the visit was not so romantic. On the 8th October 1566 Bothwell was injured during a skirmish with a particularly noted Reiver, one Little John Elliot of the Park. Mary, whom at the time was on an annual progress from Edinburgh, was resident in Jedburgh. On hearing of Bothwell’s injury, Mary, who married to Lord Darnley, and an entourage of servants whose purpose was to protect her reputation as much as her person, rode to Hermitage Castle. There were already rumours abound which linked the two, and such a fleeting visit would only serve to heighten them. As Mary was married there was never the option to stay at Hermitage, and the whole party made their return journey to Jedburgh. During the 25 mile trek Mary stumbled into a bog, contracted a fever and was bed-bound in Jedburgh for a week.

By 1594 Hermitage was in the hands of one of the most notable Reivers, Sir Walter Scott of Branxholm and Buccleuch. The Bold Buccleuch, as he is popularly known is possibly most famous for his part on in the rescue of another infamous Reiver, Kinmont Willie Armstrong from Carlisle Castle in 1596.

The Exploits of the Bold Buccleuch were to be the final chapters in the long standing history of Hermitage Castle. In 1603, Hermitage Castle was to bear witness to the radical changes resulting from the Union of the Crowns and the ascension of James VI of Scotland as James I of England.

The first picture of Hermitage Castle shows the castle from the north west with the central tower flanked by the prison tower (left) and the north west and kitchen towers (right). The original entrance (not visible) to the castle was at first floor level just to the right of the high pointed arch. The progressive changes that the castle went through are also visible within the photographs. Clearly visible on the photograph below is one of the later additions to many castles, a gun-hole. The broad gun-hole allows a wider field of fire, unlike the narrow arrow-slits they replaced. This can be seen by the north facing view in the second photograph displaying the potential line-of-sight offered.