Border Reivers- Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603- Busy or Ill Week

Border Reivers- Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603- Busy or Ill Week

The old queen of England, Elizabeth l, died in March 1603. She had ruled since 1558; with her death came an end to the dynasty of the Tudor monarchs and James V1, Stuart king of Scotland, was next in blood-line to the English throne.James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, grand-daughter of James 1V who had married Margaret, the sister of Henry V111 of England. Thus James had the blood of the English Tudors coursing through his veins. At the death of Elizabeth, 'the heich and michtie Prince James the Sext with all the rairest gifts of mynd and bodie' made his royal progress from Edinburgh to London to assume the Crown of England and thus unite the two kingdoms. It was his heartfelt desire that the Border Line between the two countries should exist no more and that the Border country should be known as the Middle Shires of a new United Kingdom.James having 'special regarde to the Marchis and Bordouris' felt that 'the verie hart of the cuntrey sall not be left in ane uncertaintie'. He wanted the Border country between the two nations to be the hub of a new combined realm of Scotland and England. As such the law and custom of the old Borders were 'vanished and delete'. The old Border lands would now become the Middle Shires of a new United Kingdom.The Border lands, for centuries the domain of the Border Reivers, and a land were they had held sway over all authority and even monarchy, were to be no more. The death of the Elizabeth resulted in a time of upheaval and turmoil among the Border clans and surnames on both sides of the Border. Though many of the Border Reivers had anticipated the changes that would ensue following Elizabeth's death, especially as she was child-less and even though, for years, she had been reluctant to nominate her successor, it was a time of uncertainty. One thing for sure, though, the change of monarch would result in momentous change for the Border people. Both Scots and English had treated the monarchs of both realms with suspicion and indifference for centuries. The News Reached the Border ReiversIt was a belief of the Border Reivers that folowing the death of the old monarch and the proclamation of the new, the rule of law was suspended. Precedent was there; such a tradition was not confined to Britain. There would be one last chance to settle old scores, bring to a head centuries old feuds, cut loose and seek out plunder or exact retribution from those who pandered to the law. And all without recrimination! The law was on hold! It was more likely, however, that they saw the upheaval as a chance to set the Border alight from end to end. Thus the Border Reivers embarked on a campaign of relentlessraiding, burning and looting against enemies within their own country and on the opposite side of the Border Line. For the first few days after news of the death of Elizabeth the raids were of such intensity and magnitude that they became known as 'Busy or Ill Week'. The Reivers' RaidsThe clans of the Scottish West March raided as far south into England as Penrith, some thirty miles south of the Border Line. Their raids were both aggressive and unsparing of anyone who tried to contest their progress as they devastated the country. They were out to make their mark against the English and rid themselves of anyone who had bedevilled them now and in their past. Some form of retaliation was inevitable with the result that the Border country both north and south was laid waste, some of the Border clans and families left bereft of any means of livelihood.In the East Marches, Robert Carey complained of the 'unruliness' once it was known that Elizabeth was dead. Again, as James progressed southwards, the Laird of Johnstone with one hundred riders put down the forays of 'certein lewd people' in the Scottish West March. Border Reiver fastnesses and strongholds were destroyed and some offenders locked up in Carlisle castle.On the English side of the Border, Hutcheon Graham ( the Grahams were the most formidable of the English Border Reiver surnames), embarked on a aggressive raid through North Cumberland. He burned many places and looted at will.James Vl Reviews the Border MarchesAlthough James, once ensconced on the throne of England had initially taken the decision to put aside the violent responses of his unruly Scottish Borderers during Busy Week, he soon forgot his promise of an amnesty for his Scottish Border Reivers. He would also demonstrate in time his hatred of the English Grahams.End of the Border ReiversMany of the members of the Border Reiver clans were hunted out of their strongholds and fastnesses in the Border valleys and summarily executed. Often no trial was deemed necessary; a name such as Graham, Armstrong, Crozier or Irvine was enough to ensure that a man would dangle at the end of a rope or be drowned should a burn or stream be in the vicinity. If that were not enough, soon other plans were put in operation to rid the Border of its people and leave their land clear for the toadies and favourites of the new king. The Grahams, for instance, men, women and children, were transported to Ireland, to the infertile lands of Roscommon, where they eked out a precarious living. Many survived and became established there whilst others emigrated to the Americas and further afield. Others were soon home again and roaming the Borders much to the dismay of the Border authorities.Others were enlisted in the British army and sent to the Low Countries. There the British manned garrisons at Flush, Brille and Ramikins as insurance for a significant loan that queen Elizabeth had paid the Dutch in their war against Catholic Spain. Many were back within their homelands in record time.Their limitless spirit would be undiminished. It would take almost another century for the Middle Shires to be free of the Border Reivers. In the end there was nothing to be gained from adhering to the old ways and the descendants of the men who had created havoc and mayhem on the Borders for centuries past sheathed their swords and took up the plough.

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