Today I took the opportunity to glance over an Osprey book from 1995 called The Border Reivers by Keith Durham and Angus McBride.
Reivers wasn’t a word I was familiar with, unless you count the Reavers in the science-fiction series Firefly. And indeed, they are not dissimilar, both describing a frontier people that often live outside the laws governing ordinary men. I’ve read in the past about the Welsh Marches, meaning the border between England and Wales, but the Border Reivers in this book are the groups of raiders who lived on the Anglo-Scottish border that roughly follows the Cheviot Hills.
The book begins with a description of the border lands, and the first thing that surprised me—even though I’m originally from the UK—is that although Hadrian’s Wall runs horizontally from west to east coast, the border between Scotland and England runs north-east to south-west, not far off vertical. How did I not know that?! (Please note that the photos that follow are not from the book.)
Reivers wasn’t a word I was familiar with, unless you count the Reavers in the science-fiction series Firefly. And indeed, they are not dissimilar, both describing a frontier people that often live outside the laws governing ordinary men. I’ve read in the past about the Welsh Marches, meaning the border between England and Wales, but the Border Reivers in this book are the groups of raiders who lived on the Anglo-Scottish border that roughly follows the Cheviot Hills.
The book begins with a description of the border lands, and the first thing that surprised me—even though I’m originally from the UK—is that although Hadrian’s Wall runs horizontally from west to east coast, the border between Scotland and England runs north-east to south-west, not far off vertical. How did I not know that?! (Please note that the photos that follow are not from the book.)
The book describes the nature of this shifting boundary, and I have to say that, not knowing the area, the frequent use of local names is somewhat confusing, and I would have preferred a slightly clearer map (which is more detailed than the above picture, but still a little confusing.) But none the more for that, I found this fascinating, from the division of both sides of the border into East, West and Middle Marches, to the “Debateable Land” which is a small piece of land that belonged to neither side, to the description of the area as being in a “pitiful state” by the beginning of the 16th century after hundreds of years of scorched earth policies by either side.
There are plenty of photos of original leather jacks and swords with basket hilts, which I appreciated, and a discussion about the two types of fortified dwellings in the area, the tower house and the bastle. There’s also a summary of the Battles of Flodden Field (1513) and Solway Moss (1542), and I have to say that the plates in this book are delightful, being not just drawings of stationary soldiers but of scenes of both battles and of the “Day of Truce” in the 1590s, beautifully drawn and painted.
I knew little of this area before I read this book, and really enjoyed it. I’d highly recommend it if you’re interested in frontier life and the Anglo-Scottish hostility that has endured for so long.
Freya
Freya
RSS Feed