* * * * *
_Carmichael was our warden then_.--P. 157. v. 2.
Sir John Carmichael was a favourite of the resent Morton, by whom
he was appointed warden of the middle marches, in preference to the
border chieftains. With the like policy, the regent married Archibald
Carmichael, the warden's brother, to the heiress of Edrom, in the
Merse, much contrary to the inclination of the lady and her friends.
In like manner, he compelled another heiress, Jane Sleigh, of Cumlege,
to marry Archibald, brother to Auchinleck of Auchiuleck, one of his
dependants. By such arbitrary practices, Morton meant to strengthen
his authority on the borders; instead of which, he hastened his fall,
by giving disgust to his kinsman the Earl of Angus, and his
other friends, who had been established in the country for
ages.--_Godscroft_, Vol. II. Pages 238. 246. Sir John Carmichael, the
warden, was murdered 16th June, 1600, by a party of borderers, at a
place called Raesknows, near Lochmaben, whither he was going to hold
a court of justice. Two of the ring-leaders in the slaughter, Thomas
Armstrong, called _Ringan's Tarn_, and Adam Scott, called _the
Pecket_, were tried at Edinburgh, at the instance of Carmichael of
Edrom. They were condemned to have their right hands struck off,
thereafter to be hanged, and their bodies gibbeted on the Borough
Moor; which sentence was executed, 14th November, 1601. "This
_Pecket_, (saith Birrel in his _Diary_), was ane of the maist notalrie
thieftes that ever raid:" he calls his name Steill, which appears,
from the record, to be a mistake. Four years afterwards, an Armstrong,
called _Sandy of Rowanburn_, and several others of that tribe, were
executed for this and other excesses.--_Books of Adjournal of these
dates_.
_And the Laird's Wat, that worthie man_.--P. 157. v. 2.
The chief, who led out the sirname of Scott upon this occasion, was
(saith Satchells) Walter Scott of Ancrum, a natural son of Walter of
Buccleuch. The laird of Buccleuch was then a minor. The ballad seems
to have been popular in Satchells' days, for he quotes it literally.
He must, however, have been mistaken in this particular; for the
family of Scott of Ancrum, in all our books of genealogy, deduce their
descent from the Scotts of Balwearie in Fife, whom they represent. The
first of this family, settled in Roxburghshire, is stated in _Douglas'
Baronage_ to have been Patrick Scott, who purchased the lands of
Ancrum, in the reign of James VI. He therefore could not be the
_Laird's Wat_ of the ballad; indeed, from the list of border families
in 1597, Ker appears to have been proprietor of Ancrum at the date of
the ballad. It is plainly written in the MS. the _Laird's Wat_, i.e.,
the Laird's son Wat; notwithstanding which, it has always hitherto
been printed the _Laird Wat_. If Douglas be accurate in his genealogy,
the person meant must be the young laird of Buccleuch, afterwards
distinguished for his surprise of Carlisle Castle.--See _Kinmont
Willie_. I am the more confirmed in this opinion, because Kerr
of Ancrum was at this time a fugitive, for slaying one of the
Rutherfords, and the tower of Ancrum given in keeping to the
Turnbulls, his hereditary enemies. His mother, however, a daughter of
Home of Wedderburn, contrived to turn out the Turnbulls, and possess
herself of the place by surprise.--_Godscroft_, Vol. II. p. 250.
_The Armestranges, that aye hae been_.--P. 158. v. 1.
This clan are here mentioned as not being hail, or whole, because
they were outlawed or broken men. Indeed, many of them had become
Englishmen, as the phrase then went. Accordingly, we find, from Paton,
that forty of them, under the laird of Mangertoun, joined Somerset
upon his expedition into Scotland.--_Paton, in Dalyell's Fragments_,
p. 1. There was an old alliance betwixt the Elliots and Armstrongs,
here alluded to. For the enterprises of the Armstrongs, against their
native country, when under English assurance, see _Murdin's State
Papers_, Vol. I. p. 43. From which it appears, that, by command of
Sir Ralph Evers, this clan ravaged almost the whole west border of
Scotland.
_The sheriffe brought the Douglas down_.--P. 158. v. 2,
Douglas of Cavers, hereditary sheriff of Teviotdale, descended from
Black Archibald, who carried the standard of his father, the Earl of
Douglas, at the battle of Otterbourne.--_See the Ballad of that name_.
_Wi' Cranstane, Gladstain, good at need_.--P. 158. v. 2.
Cranstoun of that ilk, ancestor to Lord Cranstoun; and Gladstain of
Gladstains.
_Wi a' the Trumbills, stronge and stout;
The Rutherfoords, with grit renown_.--P. 158. v. 2.
These were ancient and powerful border clans, residing chiefly upon
the river Jed. Hence, they naturally convoyed the town of Jedburgh
out. Although notorious freebooters, they were specially patronised by
Morton, who, by their means, endeavoured to counterpoise the power
of Buccleuch and Ferniherst, during the civil wars attached to the
queen's faction.
The following fragment of an old ballad is quoted in a letter from
an aged gentleman of this name, residing at New-York, to a friend in
Scotland:
"Bauld Rutherfurd, he was fow stout, Wi' a' his nine sons
him round about; He led the town o' Jedburgh out, All bravely
fought that day."
_Wi' Sir John Forster for their guyde_.--P. 158. v. 3.
This gentleman is called, erroneously, in some copies of this ballad,
_Sir George_. He was warden of the mid-marches of England.
_Wi' Sir George Henroune of Schipsydehouse_.--P. 159. v. 1.
Sir George Heron of Chipchase-house, whose character is contrasted
with that of the English warden.
_Had Tindaill, Reedsdaill at his hand_.--P. 159. v. 2.
These are districts, or dales, on the English border. Hebsrime seems
to be an error in the MS. for Hebburn upon the Till.
_Five hundred Fennicks in a flock_.--P. 159. v. 3.
The Fenwicks; a powerful and numerous Northumberland clan.
_Then raise the slogan with ane shout_.--P. 161. v. 3.
The gathering word, peculiar to a certain name, or set of people, was
termed _slogan_, or _slughorn_, and was always repeated at an onset,
as well as on many other occasions, as appears from the following
passage of an old author, whom this custom seems much to have
offended--for he complains,
"That whereas alweys, both in al tounes of war, and in al campes of
armies, quietnes and stilnes without nois is principally in the night,
after the watch is set, observed (I need not reason why.) Yet,
our northern prikkers, the borderers, notwithstanding, with great
enormitie, (as thought me) and not unlyke (to be playn) unto a
masterless hounde houyling in a hie wey, when he hath lost him he
wayted upon, sum hoopyng, sum whistelyng, and most with crying,
a _Berwyke_! a _Berwyke_! a _Fenwyke_! a _Fenwyke_! a _Bulmer_! a
_Bulmer_! or so ootherwise as theyr captein's names wear, never linnde
those troublous and daungerous noyses all the night long. They
sayd they did it to fynd out their captein and fellowes; but if the
soldiours of our oother countries and sheres had used the same maner,
in that case we shoold have oftymes had the state of our campe more
lyke the outrage of a dissolute huntyng, than the quiet of a wel
ordred army."--
_Patten's Account of Somerset's Expedition_, p. 76.--_Apud Dalyell's
Fragments_.
Honest Patten proceeds, with great prolixity, to prove, that this was
a custom more honoured in the breach than in the observance; and, like
Fluellen, declares, "that such idle pribble prabbles were contrary to
all the good customs and disciplines of war." Nevertheless, the custom
of crying the _slogan_ or _ensenzie_, is often alluded to in all our
ancient histories and poems. It was usually the name of the clan, or
place of rendezvous, or leader. In 1335, the English, led by Thomas
of Rosslyne, and William Moubray, assaulted Aberdeen. The former was
mortally wounded in the onset; and, as his followers were pressing
forward, shouting _Rosslyne! Rosslyne_! "Cry _Moubray_," said the
expiring chieftain; "_Rosslyne_ is gone!" The Highland clans had also
their appropriate slogans. The Macdonalds cried _Frich_, (heather);
the Macphersons _Craig-Ubh_; the Grants _Craig-Elachie_; and the
Macfarlanes _Lock-Sloy_.
_The swallow taill frae tackles flew_.--P. 162. v. 2.
The Scots, on this occasion, seem to have had chiefly fire-arms; the
English retaining still their partiality for their ancient weapon,
the long-bow. It also appears, by a letter from the Duke of Norfolk to
Cecil, that the English borderers were unskilful in fire-arms, or,
as he says, "our countrymen be not so commyng with shots as I woolde
wishe."--See _Murdin's State Papers_, Vol. I. p. 319.
_And had not been the merchant packs_.--P. 162. v. 3.
The ballad-maker here ascribes the victory to the real cause; for,
the English borderers, dispersing to plunder the merchandise, gave the
opposite party time to recover from their surprise It seems to
have been usual for travelling merchants to attend border-meetings,
although one would have thought the kind of company, usually assembled
there, might have deterred them.
_Sir Francis Russel ta'en was there_.--P, 163. v. 1.
This gentleman was son to the Earl of Bedford. He was afterwards
killed in a fray of a similar nature, at a border-meeting, between the
same Sir John Forster (father-in-law to Russell), and Thomas Ker of
Fairnihurst, A.D. 1585.
_Proud Wallinton was wounded sair_.--P. 163. v. 1.
Fenwick of Wallinton, a powerful Northumbrian chief.
_As Collingwood, that courteous knight_.--P. 163. v. 1.
Sir Cuthbert Collingwood. Besides these gentlemen, James Ogle, and
many other Northumbrians of note, were made prisoners. Sir George
Heron, of Chipchase and Ford, was slain, to the great regret of both
parties, being a man highly esteemed by the Scots, as well as the
English. When the prisoners were brought to Morton, at Dalkeith, and,
among other presents, received from him some Scottish falcons, one of
his train observed, that the English were nobly treated, since they
got live _hawks_ for dead _herons_.--_Godscroft_.
_Young Henry Schufton_,--P. 163. v. 2.
The name of this gentleman does not appear in the MS. in the
Advocates' Library, but is restored from a copy in single sheet,
printed early in the last century.
_For laiming of the laird of Mow_.--P. 163. v. 2.
An ancient family on the borders. The lands of Mowe are situated upon
the river Bowmont, in Roxburghshire. The family is now represented by
William Molle, Esq. of Mains, who has restored the ancient spelling of
the name. The laird of Mowe, here mentioned, was the only gentleman of
note killed in the skirmish on the Scottish side.
_For Gretein kend net gude be ill_.--P. 163. v. 2;
Graden, a family of Kerrs.
_Beanjeddart, Hundlie, and Hunthill_.--P. 163. v. 3.
Douglas of Beanjeddart, an ancient branch of the house of Cavers,
possessing property near the junction of the Jed and Tiviot.
_Hundlie_,--Rutherford of Hundlie, or Hundalee, situated on the Jed,
above Jedhurgh.
_Hunthill_.--The old tower of Hunthill was situated about a mile above
Jedburgh. It was the patrimony of an ancient family of Rutherfords.
I suppose the person, here meant, to be the same who is renowned
in tradition by the name of the _Cock of Hunthill_. His sons were
executed for march-treason, or border-theft, along with the lairds of
Corbet, Greenhead, and Overton, A.D. 1588.--_Johnston's History_, p.
129.
_But auld Badreule had on a jack_.--P. 164. v. 1.
Sir Andrew Turnbull of Bedrule, upon Rule Water. This old laird was so
notorious a thief, that the principal gentlemen of the clans of Hume
and Kerr refused to sign a bond of alliance, to which he, with the
Turnbulls and Rutherfords, was a party; alleging, that their proposed
allies had stolen Hume of Wedderburn's cattle. The authority of
Morton, however, compelled them to digest the affront. The debate (and
a curious one it is) may be seen at length in _Godscroft_, Vol. I. p.
221. The Rutherfords became more lawless after having been deprived
of the countenance of the court, for slaying the nephew of Forman,
archbishop of St. Andrews, who had attempted to carry off the heiress
of Rutherford. This lady was afterwards married to James Stuart of
Traquair, son to James, Earl of Buchan, according to a papal bull,
dated 9th November, 1504. By this lady a great estate in Tiviotdale
fell to the family of Traquair, which was sold by James, Earl of
Traquair, lord-high-treasurer of Scotland, in consequence of the
pecuniary difficulties to which he was reduced, by his loyal exertions
in favour of Charles I.
_Gude Ederstane was not to lack_.--P. 164. v. 1.
An ancient family of Rutherfords; I believe, indeed, the most
ancient now extant. The family is represented by Major Rutherford of
Edgerstane. His seat is about three miles distant from the field of
battle.
_Nor Kirktoun, Newtoun, noble men_!--P. 164. v. 1.
The parish of Kirktoun belonged, I believe, about this time, to a
branch of the Cavers family; but Kirkton of Stewartfield is mentioned
in the list of border clans in 1597.
_Newtoun_.--This is probably Grinyslaw of Little Newtoun, mentioned in
the said roll of border clans.