Aberdeen, a commercial town with a university, bore a singular moral
relation to the adjacent Highlands of the Dee, where a wild and lawless
population, speaking a different language, and using a different dress,
existed. Many were the troubles of the industrious burghers from these
rude neighbours, who would sometimes come sweeping down upon their
borders like a flight of locusts, and leave nothing of value uneaten
or undestroyed. At this time, we find the council of the northern
city meeting to consider ‘the barbarous cruelty lately exercit by the
lawless hielandmen in Birse, Glentanner, and thereabout, not only in
the unmerciful murdering of men and bairns, but in the masterful and
violent spulying of all the bestial, guids, and gear of a great part
of the inhabitants of these bounds ... committit near to this burgh,
within twenty miles thereto;’ for which reason it was ordained that the
whole inhabitants should be ready with arms to meet for the defence of
the town, and to resist and repress the said hielandmen, as occasion
shall be offered.’
The Crichtons and Douglases, whom the Johnstons had plundered in the
summer of this year, having induced Lord Maxwell to take up their
cause, and enter with them into bonds of _manrent_ for mutual support,
it behoved the Laird of Johnston to be stirring. To his aid came the
reiving clans of Scott and Graham, and with them he fell upon and cut
off a party of the Maxwells. This led to a decisive attempt of Lord
Maxwell to bring the Johnstons to subjection; but, though undertaken
under sanction of his office as warden of the west marches, it ended in
a way very unfortunate for himself.
[Sidenote: DEC. 6.]
‘The Lord Maxwell, being on foot 1500 and horse together, coming to the
Lochwood, having special commission of the king to have destroyed the
said Lochwood, and banished and destroyed the haill Johnstons, because
he [the laird] was ane favourer of the Earl Bothwell in some of his
turns--being come over the Water of Annan--the Laird of Johnston, with
the Scotts, to the number of 800 or thereby, ombeset the said lord in
his way; where, without few or na strakes, the said lord was slain with
the Laird Johnston’s awn hand [or, as is alleged, by Mr Gideon Murray,
being servitor till Scott of Buccleuch[197]]; never ane of his awn
folks remained with him (only twenty of his awn household), but all
fled through the water; five of the said lord’s company slain; and his
head and right arm were ta’en with them to the Lochwood, and affixed
on the wall thereof. The bruit ran that the said Lord Maxwell was
treacherously deserted by his awn company.’--_Jo. Hist._
Such was the famous clan-battle of _Dryfe’s Sands_, the last of any
note fought in the southern part of Scotland.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1593-4.