Scotland and England were frequently at war during the late Middle Ages. During these wars, the livelihood of the people on the Borders was … See more

The inhabitants of the Borders had to live in a state of constant alert, and for self-protection, they built fortified tower houses.
In the very worst … See more

A variety of terms describe the Border families, such as the "Riding Surnames" and the "Graynes" thereof. This can be equated to the … See more

The reivers were both English and Scottish and raided both sides of the border impartially, so long as the people they raided had no powerful protectors and no connection to their own kin. Their activities, although usually within a day's ride of the border, … See more

Border reivers were sometimes in demand as mercenary soldiers, owing to their recognised skills as light cavalry. Reivers sometimes served … See more

A special body of law, known as March law or Border law, developed in the region. Under border law, a person who had been raided had the right to mount a counter-raid within six days, even across the border, to recover his goods. This "hot trod" had to … See more

The reivers were romanticised by writers such as Sir Walter Scott (Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border), although he also used the term Moss-trooper, which refers to seventeenth-century … See more