* * * * *
In the following rude strains, our forefathers commemorated one of the
last, and most gallant atchievements, performed upon the border. The
reader will find, in the subjoined extract from Spottiswoode, a minute
historical account of the exploit; which is less different from that
contained in the ballad than might perhaps have been expected.
_Anno, 1596_.--"The next year began with a trouble in the borders,
which was like to have destroyed the peace betwixt the two realms, and
arose upon this occasion. The Lord Scroop being the warden of the west
marches of England, and the laird of Bacleuch having the charge of
Liddesdale, they sent their deputies to keep a day of truce, for
redress of some ordinary matters.--The place of meeting was at
the Dayholme of Kershop, where a small brook divideth England from
Scotland, and Liddesdale from Bawcastle. There met, as deputy for the
laird of Bacleuch, Robert Scott of Hayninge; and for the Lord Scroop,
a gentleman within the west wardenry, called Mr. Salkeld. These two,
after truce taken and proclaimed, as the custom was, by sound of
trumpet, met friendly, and, upon mutual redress of such wrongs as were
then complained of, parted in good terms, each of them taking his
way homewards. Meanwhile it happened, one William Armstrong, commonly
called _Will of Kinmonth_, to be in company with the Scottish deputy,
against whom the English had a quarrel, for many wrongs he had
committed, as he was indeed a notorious thief. This man, having taken
his leave of the Scots deputy, and riding down the river of Liddel on
the Scottish side, towards his own house, was pursued by the English,
who espied him from the other side of the river, and, after a chase of
three or four miles, taken prisoner, and brought back to the English
deputy, who carried him away to the castle of Carlisle.
"The laird of Bacleuch complaining of the breach of truce (which
was always taken from the time of meeting, unto the next day at
sun-rising), wrote to Mr. Salkeld, and craved redress. He excused
himself by the absence of the Lord Scroop. Whereupon Bacleuch sent
to the Lord Scroop, and desired the prisoner might be set at liberty,
without any bond or condition, seeing he was unlawfully taken.
Scroop answered, that he could do nothing in the matter, it having so
happened, without a direction from the queen and council of England,
considering the man was such a malefactor.--Bacleuch, loth to inform
the king of what was done, lest it might have bred some misliking
betwixt the princes, dealt with Mr. Bowes, the resident ambassador of
England, for the prisoner's liberty; who wrote very seriously to the
Lord Scroop in that business, advising him to set the man free,
and not to bring the matter to a farther hearing. But no answer was
returned: the matter thereupon was imparted to the king, and the queen
of England solicited by letters to give direction for his liberty; yet
nothing was obtained; which Bacleuch perceiving, and apprehending both
the king, and himself as the king's officer, to be touched in honour,
he resolved to work the prisoner's relief, by the best means he could.
"And, upon intelligence that the castle of Carlisle, wherein the
prisoner was kept, was surprisable, he employed some trusty persons to
take a view of the postern gate, and measure the height of the wall,
which he meant to scale by ladders, and, if those failed, to break
through the wall with some iron instruments, and force the gates. This
done, so closely as he could, he drew together some two hundred horse,
assigning the place of meeting at the tower of Morton, some ten miles
from Carlisle, an hour before sun-set. With this company, passing the
water of Esk, about the falling, two hours before day, he crossed Eden
beneath Carlisle bridge (the water, through the rain that had fallen,
being thick), and came to the Sacery, a plain under the castle. There
making a little halt, at the side of a small bourn, which they call
Cadage, he caused eighty of the company to light from their horses,
and take the ladders, and other instruments which he had prepared,
with them. He himself, accompanying them to the foot of the wall,
caused the ladders to be set to it, which proving too short, he gave
order to use the other instruments for opening the wall nigh the
postern; and, finding the business likely to succeed, retired to the
rest whom he had left on horseback, for assuring those that entered
upon the castle against any eruption from the town. With some little
labor a breach was made for single men to enter, and they who first
went in, broke open the postern for the rest. The watchmen, and some
few the noise awaked, made a little restraint, but they were quickly
repressed, and taken captive. After which, they passed to the chamber
wherein the prisoner was kept; and, having brought him forth, sounded
a trumpet, which was a signal to them without that the enterprize was
performed. My Lord Scroope and Mr. Salkeld were both within the house,
and to them the prisoner cried "a good night!" The captives taken in
the first encounter were brought to Bacleuch, who presently returned
them to their master, and would not suffer any spoil, or booty, as
they term it, to be carried away; he had straitly forbidden to break
open any door, but that where the prisoner was kept, though he might
have made prey of all the goods within the castle, and taken the
warden himself captive; for he would have it seen, that he did intend
nothing but the reparation of his majesty's honor. By this time, the
prisoner was brought forth, the town had taken the alarm, the drums
were beating, the bells ringing, and a beacon put on the top of the
castle, to give warning to the country. Whereupon Bacleuch commanded
those that entered the castle, and the prisoner, to horse; and
marching again by the Sacery, made to the river at the Stony-bank, on
the other side, whereof certain were assembled to stop his passage;
but he, causing to sound the trumpet, took the river, day being then
broken, and they choosing to give him way, he retired in order
through the Grahams of Esk (men at that time of great power, and
his un-friends), and came back into Scottish ground two hours after
sun-rising, and so homewards.
"This fell out the 13th of April, _1596_. The queen of England, having
notice sent her of what was done, stormed not a little. One of her
chief castles surprised, a prisoner taken forth of the hands of the
warden, and carried away, so far within England, she esteemed a great
affront. The lieger, Mr. Bowes, in a frequent convention kept at
Edinburgh, the 22d of May, did, as he was charged, in a long oration,
aggravate the heinousness of the fact, concluding that peace could not
longer continue betwixt the two realms, unless Bacleuch were
delivered in England, to be punished at the queen's pleasure. Bacleuch
compearing, and charged with the fact, made answer--'That he went not
into England with intention to assault any of the queen's houses, or
to do wrong to any of her subjects, but only to relieve a subject of
Scotland unlawfully taken, and more unlawfully detained; that, in the
time of a general assurance, in a day of truce, he was taken prisoner
against all order, neither did he attempt his relief till redress
was refused; and that he had carried the business in such a moderate
manner, as no hostility was committed, nor the least wrong offered to
any within the castle; yet was he content, according to the ancient
treaties observed betwixt the two realms, when as mutual injuries were
alleged, to be tried by the commissioners that it should please their
majesties to appoint, and submit himself to that which they should
decern.'--The convention, esteeming the answer reasonable, did
acquaint the ambassador therewith, and offered to send commissioners
to the borders, with all diligence, to treat with such as the queen
should be pleased to appoint for her part.
"But she, not satisfied with the answer, refused to appoint any
commissioners; whereupon the council of England did renew the
complaint in July thereafter; and the business being of new agitated,
it was resolved of as before, and that the same should be remitted to
the trial of commissioners: the king protesting, 'that he might,
with great reason, crave the delivery of Lord Scroope, for the injury
committed by his deputy, it being less favourable to take a prisoner,
than relieve him that is unlawfully taken; yet, for the continuing of
peace, he would forbear to do it, and omit nothing, on his part,
that could be desired, either in equity, or by the laws of
friendship.'--The borders, in the mean time, making daily incursions
one upon another, filled all their parts with trouble, the English
being continually put to the worse; neither were they made quiet,
till, for satisfying the queen, the laird of Bacleuch was first
committed in St. Andrews, and afterwards entered in England, where
he remained not long[158]."--_Spottiswood's History of the Church of
Scotland_, p. 414, 416, _Ed. 1677_.
Scott of Satchells, in the extraordinary poetical performance, which
he has been pleased to entitle _A History of the Name of Scott_
(published 1688), dwells, with great pleasure, upon this gallant
achievement, at which, it would seem, his father had been present. He
also mentions, that the laird of Buccleuch employed the services of
the younger sons and brothers only of his clan, lest the name should
have been weakened by the landed men incurring forfeiture. But he
adds, that three gentlemen of estate insisted upon attending their
chief, notwithstanding this prohibition. These were, the lairds
of Harden and Commonside, and Sir Gilbert Elliot of the Stobbs, a
relation of the laird of Buccleuch, and ancestor to the present Sir
William Elliot, Bart. In many things Satchells agrees with the ballads
current in his time, from which, in all probability, he derived most
of his information as to past events, and from which he sometimes
pirates whole verses, as noticed in the annotations upon the _Raid of
the Reidswire_. In the present instance, he mentions the prisoner's
_large spurs_ (alluding to the fetters), and some other little
incidents noticed in the ballad, which was, therefore, probably well
known in his days.
[Footnote 158: The bishop is, in this last particular, rather
inaccurate. Buccleuch was indeed delivered into England, but this was
done in consequence of the judgment of commissioners of both nations,
who met at Berwick this same year. And his delivery took place, less
on account of the raid of Carlisle, than of a second exploit of the
same nature, to be noticed hereafter.]
All contemporary historians unite in extolling the deed itself as
the most daring and well-conducted atchievement of that age. "_Audax
facinus cum modica manu, in urbe maenibus et multitudine
oppidanorum munita, et callidae: audaciae, vix ullo obsisti modo
potuit_."--_Johnstoni Historia, Ed. Amstael. p_. 215. Birrel, in his
gossipping way, says, the exploit was performed "with shouting and
crying, and sound of trumpet, puttand the said toun and countrie in
sic ane fray, that the like of sic ane wassaladge wes nevir done since
the memory of man, no not in Wallace dayis."--_Birrel's Diary_, April
6, 1596. This good old citizen of Edinburgh also mentions another
incident which I think proper to insert here, both as relating to the
personages mentioned in the following ballad, and as tending to shew
the light in which the men of the border were regarded, even at this
late period, by their fellow subjects. The author is talking of the
king's return to Edinburgh, after the disgrace which he had sustained
there, during the riot excited by the seditious ministers, on December
17, 1596. Proclamation had been made, that the Earl of Mar should keep
the West Port, Lord Seton the Nether-Bow, and Buccleuch, with sundry
others, the High Gate. "Upon the morn, at this time, and befoir this
day, thair wes ane grate rumour and word among the tounesmen, that
the kinges M. sould send in _Will Kinmond, the common thieffe_, and
so many southland men as sould spulye the toun of Edinburgh. Upon the
whilk, the haill merchants tuik thair haill gear out of their buiths
or chops, and transportit the same to the strongest hous that wes in
the toune, and remained in the said hous, thair, with thameselfis,
thair servants, and luiking for nothing bot that thai sould have
been all spulyeit. Sic lyke the hail craftsmen and comons convenit
themselfis, thair best guides, as it wer ten or twelve householdes
in are, whilk wes the strongest hous, and might be best kepit from
spuilyeing or burning, with hagbut, pistolet, and other sic armour,
as might best defend thameselfis. Judge, gentill reider, giff this wes
playing." The fear of the borderers being thus before the eyes of the
contumacious citizens of Edinburgh, James obtained a quiet hearing for
one of his favourite orisones, or harangues, and was finally enabled
to prescribe terms to his fanatic metropolis. Good discipline was,
however, maintained by the chiefs upon this occasion; although the
fears of the inhabitants were but too well grounded, considering what
had happened in Stirling ten years before, when the Earl of Angus,
attended by Home, Buccleuch, and other border chieftains, marched
thither to remove the Earl of Arran from the king's councils: the town
was miserably pillaged by the borderers, particularly by a party of
Armstrongs, under this very Kinmont Willie, who not only made prey
of horses and cattle, but even of the very iron grating of the
windows.--_Johnstoni Historia_, p. 102. _Ed. Amstael_.--_Moyse's
Memoirs_, p. 100.
The renown of Kinmont Willie is not surprising, since, in 1588, the
apprehending that freebooter, and Robert Maxwell, natural-brother to
the Lord Maxwell, was the main, but unaccomplished, object of a royal
expedition to Dumfries. "_Rex ... Robertum Maxvallium ... et Gulielmum
Armstrangum Kinmonthum latrociniis intestinis externisque famosum,
conquiri jubet. Missi e ministerio regio, qui per aspera loca
vitabundos persequuntur, magnoque incommodo afficiunt. At illi
latebris aut silvis se eripiunt."--Johnstoni Historia_, p. 138. About
this time, it is possible that Kinmont Willie may have held some
connection with the Maxwells, though afterwards a retainer to
Buccleuch, the enemy of that tribe. At least, the editor finds,
that, in a bond of manrent, granted by Simon Elliot of Whytheuch,
in Liddesdale, to Lord Maxwell, styled therein Earl of Morton, dated
February 28, 1599, William Armstrang, called _Will of Kinmond_,
appears as a witness.--_Syme's MSS_. According to Satchells, this
freebooter was descended of Johnie Armstrong of Gilnockie (See
_Ballad, p. 105, of this volume_.)--_Est in juvencis, est et in equis,
patrum virtus_. In fact, his rapacity made his very name proverbial.
Mas James Melvine, in urging reasons against subscribing the act of
supremacy, in 1584, asks ironically, "Who shall take order with vice
and wickedness? The court and bishops? As well as Martine Elliot, and
Will of Kinmont, with stealing upon the borders!"--_Calderwood_, p.
168.
This affair of Kinmont Willie was not the only occasion upon which the
undaunted keeper of Liddesdale gave offence to the haughty Elizabeth.
For, even before this business was settled, certain of the English
borderers having invaded Liddesdale, and wasted the country, the laird
of Buccleuch retaliated the injury by a _raid_ into England, in which
he not only brought off much spoil, but apprehended thirty-six of the
Tynedale thieves, all of whom he put to death.--_Spottiswoode_, p.
450. How highly the Queen of England's resentment blazed on this
occasion, may be judged from the preface to her letter to Bowes, then
her ambassador in Scotland. "I wonder how base-minded that king thinks
me, that, with patience, I can digest this dishonourable ********.
Let him know, therefore, that I will have satisfaction, or else
*********." These broken words of ire are inserted betwixt the
subscription and the address of the letter.--_Rymer_, Vol. XVI. p.
318. Indeed, so deadly was the resentment of the English, on account
of the affronts put upon them by this formidable chieftain, that there
seems at one time to have been a plan formed (not, as was alleged,
without Elizabeth's privity,) to assassinate Buccleuch.--_Rymer_, Vol.
XVI. p. 107. The matter was at length arranged by the commissioners of
both nations in Berwick, by whom it was agreed that delinquents should
be delivered up on both sides, and that the chiefs themselves should
enter into ward in the opposite countries, till these were given up,
and pledges granted for the future maintenance of the quiet of the
borders. Buccleuch, and Sir Robert Ker of Cessford (ancestor of the
Duke of Roxburgh), appear to have struggled hard against complying
with this regulation; so much so, that it required all James's
authority to bring to order these two powerful chiefs.--_Rymer_, Vol.
XVI. p. 322.--_Spottiswoode_, p. 448.--_Carey's Memoirs_, p, 131. _et
sequen_.--When at length they appeared, for the purpose of delivering
themselves up to be warded at Berwick, an incident took place,
which nearly occasioned a revival of the deadly feud which formerly
subsisted between the Scots and the Kers. Buccleuch had chosen, for
his guardian, during his residence in England, Sir William Selby,
master of the ordnance at Berwick, and accordingly gave himself into
his hands. Sir Robert Ker was about to do the same, when a pistol was
discharged by one of his retinue, and the cry of treason was raised.
Had not the Earl of Home been present, with a party of Merse men, to
preserve order, a dreadful tumult would probably have ensued. As it
was, the English commissioners returned in dismay to Berwick, much
disposed to wreak their displeasure on Buccleuch; and he, on his side,
mortally offended with Cessford, by whose means, as he conceived, he
had been placed in circumstances of so much danger. Sir Robert Ker,
however, appeased all parties, by delivering himself up to ward in
England; on which occasion, he magnanimously chose for his guardian
Sir Robert Carey, deputy-warden of the east marches, notwithstanding
various causes of animosity which existed betwixt them. The
hospitality of Carey equalled the generous confidence of Cessford, and
a firm friendship was the consequence[159].
[Footnote 159: Such traits of generosity illuminate the dark period of
which we treat. Carey's conduct, on this occasion, almost atones
for the cold and unfeeling policy with which he watched the closing
moments of his benefactress, Elizabeth, impatient till remorse and
sorrow should extort her last sigh, that he might lay the foundation
of his future favour with her successor, by carrying him the first
tidings of her death.--_Carey's Memoirs_, p. 172. _et sequen_. It
would appear that Sir Robert Ker was soon afterwards committed to the
custody of the archbishop of York; for there is extant a letter from
that prelate to the lord-treasurer, desiring instructions about the
mode of keeping this noble hostage. "I understand," saith he, "that
the gentleman is wise and valiant, but somewhat haughty here, and
resolute. I would pray your lordship, that I may have directions
whether he may not go with his keeper in my company, to sermons;
and whether he may not sometimes dine with the council, as the last
hostages did; and, thirdly, whether he may sometimes be brought to
sitting to the common-hall, where he may see how careful her majesty
is that the poorest subject in her kingdom may have their right, and
that her people seek remedy by law, and not by avenging themselves.
Perhaps it may do him good as long as he liveth."--_Strype's Annals,
ad annum, 1597_. It would appear, from this letter, that the treatment
of the hostages was liberal; though one can hardly suppress a smile
at the zeal of the good bishop for the conversion of the Scottish
chieftain to a more christian mode of thinking than was common among
the borderers of that day. The date is February 25. 1597, which is
somewhat difficult to reconcile with those given by the Scottish
historians--Another letter follows, stating, that Sir Robert, having
been used to open air, prayed for more liberty for his health's sake,
"offering his word, which it is said he doth chiefly regard, that he
would be true prisoner."--_Strype, Ibid._]
Buccleuch appears to have remained in England from October, 1597,
till February, 1598.--_Johnstoni Historia_, p. 231,--_Spottiswoode, ut
supra_. According to ancient family tradition, Buccleuch was presented
to Elizabeth, who, with her usual rough and peremptory address,
demanded of him, "how he dared to undertake an enterprize so desperate
and presumptuous." "What is it," answered the undaunted chieftain,
"What is it that a man dares not do!" Elizabeth, struck with the
reply, turned to a lord in waiting; "With ten thousand such men,"
said she, "our brother of Scotland might shake the firmest throne of
Europe." Luckily, perhaps, for the murtheress of Queen Mary, James's
talents did not lie that way.
The articles, settled by the commissioners at Berwick, were highly
favourable to the peace of the border. They may be seen at large in
the _Border Laws_, p. 103. By article sixth, all wardens and keepers
are discharged from seeking reparation of injuries, in the ancient
hostile mode of riding, or causing to ride, in warlike manner,
against the opposite march; and that under the highest penalty, unless
authorized by a warrant under the hand of their sovereign. The
mention of the word _keeper_, alludes obviously to the above-mentioned
reprisals, made by Buccleuch in the capacity of keeper of Liddesdale.
This ballad is preserved, by tradition, on the west borders, but much
mangled by reciters; so that some conjectural emendations have been
absolutely necessary to render it intelligible. In particular, the
_Eden_ has been substituted for the _Eske_, p. 193, the latter name
being inconsistent with geography.