Routledges, Raids and Reivers

    The Routledges it has to be said were not the most ferocious family in the days of the Reivers but never the less they did leave their foot print in the historical documents, if not the landscape. They may not have Peel towers and Castles standing today like the Armstrong's and other powerful families but if you know where to look we have left our mark.

    The first Reiving evidence was the one I mentioned in First Routledges 1433, in 1494 where a Simon and his son Matthew are said to have stolen sheep and made away with goods, going by the translation off old English. And then after that we pop up in various raids either as the raiders or the victims, or even being taken prisoner.

    The Routledges may have started off in the early records as being a Scottish family, but they are always accredited with being and Reiving family of the English West March. The Border, although very debatable, was divided into three areas on both sides, which were simply the West, Middle and East March. These were created in 1523 to help police the border. But lines on a map meant nothing to a reiver

West and Middle Marches

As you can see from above we really did draw the short straw sharing a March with the worst families in the Borders history. We are shown twice on the map and both on the English side of the Border. One seems to be in the area of the debatable Lands and the other is in the area of Bewcastle, which is where all of the raids we were involved with either came from or were attacked that I can find

What and Who was a Reiver?

    Its all fair enough saying that the Routledges were Reivers and so were all the families and clans mentioned above but if you have never heard of them you're going to be none the wiser. So I'll do my best to explain what and who they were. They are often compared to the cowboys of the wild west, but personally I think this is a great injustice to them. If you were alive in the 16th century along the Anglo-Scottish Borders then you would have been classed as a reiver. Perhaps the only people to escape being classed as reivers were the men of the cloth, such as priests and bishops. Although even then some of them were a bit dubious. Reiving to the reivers was not a criminal activity but more a way off life. I doubt I would have made a good reiver as they never drank wine and only occasionally beer. This was due to the state and size of lands along the borders. Each family or clan would have their own plot and a few oxen or cattle and most would have horse. This meant that if food was scarce they just went and took some one else's. Most reiving took place from August through to the beginning of March. This was because the crops were in, and the animals where fat. Also the nights were darker and longer making for a better escape. They were indeed lawless, but they knew no other way. Even the wardens of the marches on both sides where just as lawless and crooked as the common man; they could just hide behind a title.

    At first it probably started off with just the theft of some oxen. then they stole some one else's, and so on till some one was hurt and then injured. And then from there blood feuds grew between families and clans. The worse of which was the Kerrs and the Johnston's who nearly wiped each other out in one confrontation. There is various little stories and ballads which help create a picture of life on the border. One is of the head of a clan who sat down to eat one night and his wife laid down the plate before him. On it was no food, but a set of ridding spurs instead. This was her way of saying that their food was low and that it was time to go reiving. To get on their horses and fetch in something if they wanted to eat. Another good tale is one you can use next time your pestered by a religious group in a town centre or an airport (as everyone has the right to believe in any faith they want so I'm not naming any one in particular). It was the tale of a man captured by the Elliot's. He was not from the area and as they held a sword to him, he begged; "Are you not Christians..." to which they replied, "No, we're Elliots!". So next time your asked, "Are you a Christian" feel free to reply, "No, I'm a Routledge". They wont have a clue what you are on about.

      As for the Border Reivers weapons they had a vast array of swords and daggers at their disposal but also pikes, body armour and helmets. The reivers are normally recognised by their helmets. These came in two favoured styles, the open faced Burgonet and the more familiar Combed Morion. As for their swords the preferred choice was a openwork basket hilt broadsword. This is not to be confused Scottish broadswords with the red felt in as they evolved from the ones the reivers used. The Basket hilt was the sword of the common reiver. The more wealthy or noble reiver would have owned a pike or rapier style sword, or even a  bastard sword. And even up to the late 16th century the English long bow was still being used by reiver to great effect due its light weight, while the Scottish struggled to counteract with a much a smaller bow. Add all this to someone who has been trained in weapons since a small child and put him on the back of a horse at the dead of night and you can soon see their devastating effect. So who where the reivers? Well they were you and me. They were doing what they had to do to survive, and only the foolish outsiders dared to intervene.  

"They Shook Loose the Borders"

Reiving and Prisoners

The first raid know by Routledges is that mentioned before in the Our First Raid. And this was quite an audacious attack on the place and manor or even castle to the decree that it was so badly damaged that Walter Scott of Buccleuch never rebuilt it but cut his losses and fortified his castle at both Branxholme and  Hermitage. The list of what was taken was quite extensive as you will have already read and they must have had quite a bit of time as not only did they take all the live stock but also eighty tonnes of butter and cheese, and every last bit of furniture before burning it to the ground.

But apart from that the earliest raid that I came across for us was by complete accident. It was when I was researching the early Routledges in Hawick that I found it. It was a raid against Abbotrule in Rule Water and took place around 1540 when, The Laird of Fernehirst and his tenants complained that James Routledge of Todhills, with fellow Routledges had cruelly slain Thome Oliver and Will Kowman. This is also the first mention of a Routledge at Todhills.

For all this is the earliest raid I can find recorded, the Routledges must have been raiding and causing trouble long before this as in The Great Pardon of 1526 there is Routledges mentioned. The Great Pardon came from King James of Scotland on May 9th 1526 and was a pardon for "crimes of treason and les majeste" in Liddlesdale. Amongst those named in the pardon are Scott's, Kerr's, Hoppringles, Turnbull's, Elliots and a group of Routledges. Those that are named are John, Archibald, David and Simon Routlage.

David Routledge could very well be the same one mentioned in 1508 and in 1511 on both occasions coming from Liddlesdale. In 1508 he was a witness to Adam Hepburn being served as heir to his father Patrick, Earl of Bothwell. And in 1511 he was bail to James Douglas of Carver. This is the last connection between ourselves and the Douglas family. Possible this is the same David who appears on the 1537 Hawick charter.

The next piece of evidence to show our families strength was in 1528 when an army of 500 men marched after the Routledges. There is more about this in the March of the 500. Also around the same time in the Hamilton papers it states that "the Chief of the Rowteleages and the Nycsones" is also the Chief of the Armstrong's in the Tarras Burn Area. It does imply that perhaps the same person controlled all three families and that if the English sent an army to destroy the Routledges in area it would be nice to think that for just one moment in history, all be it a couple of years, we were more powerful than the Armstrong's. This may not be the case, but it is a nice thought though.

There is only one more record I can find where we are the attackers and it comes only 3 years after the first raid  against Abbotrule by James Routledge of Todhills in 1540. It is in1543 when the Chief of the Armstrong's is found filing claims at Edinburgh for damages by English raids on his territory in which he claims in detail for damages done to a number of Routledges on the Tarras Burn. His claim was not allowed. Well I'm not surprised it was not allowed as the Armstrong's had only 15-20 years before hand, burned and plundered 52 Scottish churches. They must have had some nerve to claim for damages when they were the ones causing most of it themselves!

(The dungeon at Hermitage when many Reivers where left to rot and starve to death)

Sadly this is the last record I can find where we were the ones reiving and not being reived. In fact I cant find a mention of the Routledges for nearly another 20 years. Its not till 1562 when we reappear again and not in the best of circumstances. By this point we seem to have disappeared from the Scottish side of the border and are only mentioned as 'Englishmen' when we do appear.

It is in a bond, dated 30th Jan 1562 by Archie Elliot of the Fawnyche and others to John Kerr of Farnehirst, to enter a Thomas Routlege upon Whitsunday under pain of 300 angel nobles at Hawick that we make a reappearance.

Then again only a few months later on May 11th 1562, Archibald Elliot decides to take another Routledge prisoner. This time in another bond by Archie and his son Gavin, to Sir John Kerr and Robert Kertoun. But this time it is to enter a John Routlache, son of Mungo Routlache, an Englishman, as a prisoner upon Michaelmas Day under pain of £200 Scots to be paid within 15 days. Michaelmas Day is the 29th of September so I'm not sure when John was taken a prisoner as the bond is dated May.

Then again after Thomas and John being taken prisoner it is another twenty years before I can find the Routledges. There is no doubt that the March of the 500 truly did break the family up. Or perhaps these twenty year gaps is no coincidence that it is a generation. For example the father is killed and its twenty years before their sons come of age.

Poor Thomas Routledge

The first story comes from various books and museums and is quite a famous one. Although I'm not too sure why as it seems to me after my research a fairly tame raid. It is that of Isabel Routledge, a widow, owning a small herd and a house of her own in the English West Marche. On April 2nd 1581 she was visited by 30 Elliots who ransacked her home, took her four oxen, her six cows and her only horse and made of with all her possessions. Now it should be pointed out that for all the Reivers would burn, steal and murder, they would never rape.

In the same year, and perhaps the same raid, there is also a  Thomas Routledge of Todholes recorded being taken prisoner and his horse and oxen stolen while resisting a raid from the Elliots of Liddlesdale. Most people collect stamps or key rings; the Elliots seem to collect Routledges.

This period seems to be quiet a busy one and the Bewcastle area seems to have been hit hard as in the January of 1582, only a few months after Thomas was taken prisoner there is another raid on Todhills and Thomas Routledge is again mentioned. Perhaps the same one. This time though Thomas and his neighbours are found complaining of having 40 kine and oxen, 20 sheep and goats, a horse and their household goods worth £300 sterling stolen by Kinmont Jock, Eckie of Stubholm and Jock Armstrong of Calfhill. So poor Thomas having just escaped or being released from being taken by the Elliots comes home to have everything he owns taken by the Armstrong's.

But things were to only get worse for poor Thomas. In October 1583, a raid was carried out on Bewcastle by the lairds of Mangerton and Whithaugh, Eamount Armstrong of Wisgills and 40 of their men from Liddesdale. First they raided the tenement of George Routledge of Greinhilesh, stealing 10 goats, 20 ewes and his household goods leaving George and his son 'hurt in the peril of death'. Secondly they robbed Anthonie Routledge of Nutticleugh of 26 kyne and oxen and his house hold goods. The official report of this raid says that:

"Allan Rowledge was slayne and William Routlege, Thome Routlege, John Routledge and Thomas of Toddholls, all maimed and hurt in peril of death whereof one hath his legge cut of"

Poor old  Thomas.

The Rise, Fall, and end of the Reivers

And with those devastating raids ends the records I can find of the Routledges Reiving. But from the evidence I've presented above you can see the rise and fall of the Routledges. It began in the 1400's in Hawick where we are land owners, Burgers and Bailies. Then after the Battle of Flodden, like so many other males, we seem vanish from the area with the exception of David who could very well have been one of the Child defenders who took the flag at the battle of Hornshole.

Then we move past David into the 1520's where not only were we forgiven for our crimes by the King of Scotland but had moved south to Liddlesdale. Only to be chased north again by an army from the English. By now the Routledges must have lost there lands completely and are always referred to as the Broken Clan. Never the less, with no lands they seem to have spent the early 1540's Reiving others around them such as the Armstrong's.

Sadly that was it for us. Far too broken from the March of the 500 we spend the 1560's being taken prisoner by the Elliots. And this seems to set the trend for the remaining years. The Early 1580's must have been a hard time as their farm at Todhills and others in the area where raided over and over again by the Elliots. Perhaps a unreported or recorded family feud.

      The Routledges must have welcomed 1603 and the years afterwards with open arms. In 1603 the King of Scotland became the King on both sides of the border and King James I took no time in setting about bringing to an end of the border wars and settling it once and for all. And boy did he do it with force!

      Jeddart Justice was his answer. A sort of hang now and ask questions later policy. The king ordered that the leaders and notorious reivers could be hanged with out trial. And in some cases whole families where hung. Mass hangings could be found in places such as Jedburgh and Hawick and no doubt this went on all along the border.

       Those that were not hung were shipped abroad to Ireland or the America's and if they tried to return death awaited them. However it was not all blood and boats if you had been a reiver. If you could be peaceful, behave and promised to cause no trouble then you could keep your farms and land and pay your taxes. And as from the evidence Todhills belonged to the Routledges from 1540 -1760's almost unbroken. So it is safe to assume that we decided to behave our selves and settle down and not cause trouble and bring to an end our reiving days.

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