“’
,
The King of Scotland sent me here
;
good Outlaw I am sent to thee
,
I wad wat of
,
whom ye hold your lands
,
And
Or man
wha
?’ ‘
;‘
may thy master be
!’
Thir lands are MINE
the Outlaw said
I ken nae King in
;’.”
Christentie
,“
This quote from the border ballad
,”
Outlaw Murray
The
is symbolic of the turbulent
lifestyles of those persons residing along the
-
,
Anglo Scottish border
.
known as the borderers
The border lands between Scotland and England
were under constant conflict and strain due to
the continual wars and tensions betwixt the
.
countries
Border clans and families were often
caught up in the crossfires of these conflicts
,
resulting in loss of land
,
livelihood
.
and lives
Many of these clans and families resorted to
reiving for survival due to the destruction of their
Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries, Scotland
livelihoods and the passing of laws forbidding
.
trade between the two countries
Reiving was an
accepted way of life until the reign of King James
.
I of England
The following is a brief explanation
of the circumstances that brought about the
,
border custom of reiving
,
and its people
its effects on the land
and the events that brought the
.
era of border reiving to its end
In
1286
.
Scotland
,
AD
Edward I of England invaded
These events would set off a chain
reaction that would have resounding effects for
.
centuries to come
The border region between
the countries of Scotland and England would
become an infamously dangerous place to be
avoided by most and survived by those who
.
belonged to the land itself
Over the centuries of
’
,
warfare that would follow Edward s invasion
,
lands
,
homes
and livelihoods would be
;
destroyed birthing a new breed of borderer
the
.
17
border reiver
Maxwell Crest, Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries, Scotland