Sir Walter Scott of Branxholm, Laird of Buccleuch, performed an exploit
which has been celebrated both in prose and rhyme.
About the end of January, a ‘day of truce’ was held at a spot called
Dayholm of Kershope in Liddesdale, by the deputies of the English
warden, Lord Scrope, and the Laird of Buccleuch, keeper of Liddesdale.
The Scotch deputy, Scott of Goldielands, had but a small party--not
above twenty--among whom, however, was a noted border reiver, William
Armstrong of Kinmont, commonly known as _Kinmont Willie_. The English
deputy was attended by several hundred followers. It happened that,
before the end of the meeting, a report came to the English deputy
of some outrages at that moment in the course of being committed by
Scottish borderers within the English line. He entered a complaint on
the subject, and received assurance that the guilty parties should be
as soon as possible rendered up to the vengeance of Lord Scrope.
The day of truce ended peaceably; but, as the English party was
retiring along their side of the Liddel, they caught sight of the
Scottish reivers, and gave chase. Kinmont Willie was now riding quietly
along the Scottish side of the Liddel. Mistaking him for one of the
guilty troop, the English pursued him for three or four miles, and
taking him prisoner, bore him off to Carlisle Castle.
Probably the Liddesdale thief had incurred more guilt in England than
ten lives would have expiated. Yet what was this to Buccleuch? To him
the case was simply that of a retainer betrayed while on his master’s
business and assurance. If the affair had a public or national aspect,
it was that of a Scottishman mistreated, to the dishonour of his
sovereign and country. Having in vain used remonstrances with Lord
Scrope, both by himself and through the king’s representations to the
English ambassador, he resolved at last, as himself has expressed it,
‘to attempt the simple recovery of the prisoner in sae _moderate ane
fashion_ as was possible to him.’
[Sidenote: 1596.]
Buccleuch’s moderate proceeding consisted in the assembling of two
hundred armed and mounted retainers at the tower of Morton, an hour
before sunset of the 12th of April. He had arranged that no head of
any house should be of the number, but all younger brothers, that
the consequences might be the less likely to damage his following;
but, nevertheless, three lairds had insisted on taking part in the
enterprise. Passing silently across the border, they came to Carlisle
about the middle of the night. A select party of eighty then made an
attempt to scale the walls of the castle; but their ladders proving too
short, it was found necessary to break in by force through a postern on
the west side. Two dozen men having got in, six were left to guard the
passage, while the remaining eighteen passed on to Willie’s chamber,
broke it up, and released the prisoner. All this was done without
encountering any resistance except from a few watchmen, who were easily
‘dung on their backs.’[210] As a signal of their success, the party
within the castle sounded their trumpet ‘mightily.’ Hearing this,
Buccleuch raised a loud clamour amongst his horsemen on the green. At
the same time, the bell of the castle began to sound, a beacon-fire
was kindled on the top of the house, the great bell of the cathedral
was rung in correspondence, the watch-bell of the Moot-hall joined
the throng of sounds, and, to crown all, the drum began to rattle
through the streets of the city. ‘The people were perturbit from their
nocturnal sleep, then undigestit at that untimeous hour, with some
cloudy weather and saft rain, whilk are noisome to the delicate persons
of England, whaise bodies are given to quietness, rest, and delicate
feeding, and consequently desirous of more sleep and repose in bed.’
Amidst the uproar, ‘the assaulters brought forth their countryman,
and convoyit him to the court, where the Lord Scrope’s chalmer has
a prospect unto, to whom he cried with a loud voice a familiar
guid-nicht! and another guid-nicht to his constable Mr Saughell.’ The
twenty-four men returned with Kinmont Willie to the main body, and the
whole party retired without molestation, and re-entered Scotland with
the morning light. ‘The like of sic ane vassalage,’ says the diarist
Birrel, with unwonted enthusiasm, ‘was never done since the memory of
man, no, not in Wallace’ days!’ Buccleuch himself, with true heroism,
treated the matter calmly and even reasoningly. The simple recovery of
the prisoner, he said, ‘maun necessarily be esteimit lawful, gif the
taking and deteining of him be unlawful, as without all question it
was.’
[Sidenote: 1596.]
The matter was brought before the king in council (May 25) by the
English ambassador, who pleaded that Sir Walter Scott should be given
up to the queen for punishment. It was on this occasion that the
border knight defended himself in the terms above quoted. Of course his
own countrymen sympathised with him in a deed so gallant, and performed
from such a motive, and the king could not readily act in a contrary
strain. Elizabeth never obtained any satisfaction for the taking of
Kinmont Willie.--_Spot._ _Moy._ _H. K. J._ _C. K. S._ _P. C. R._
_Bir._[211]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1596 (?)