[MR] Book on Scottish Borderers

[Groff, Garth (ggg9y)]

Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Scots,

While thumbing through the most recent Edward R. Hamilton catalog, I noted that George MacDonald Fraser's STEEL BONNETS is still available. This book tells the story of the Border Reevers, organized families of thugs from both England and Scotland who terrorized both sides of the border region from 1500-1603. When the cattle were fat and the crops were in, the "riding families" would send hundreds of men on raids across the border, or against their own neighbors, to steal livestock, or anything else they could carry off. Anyone who got in the way usually paid with their lives. The "riding families" included the Bells, the Armstrongs, the Elliots, the Scotts, the Nixons (does that name sound familiar?), and many more. Fraser (author of the Flashman novels) puts his excellent story-telling skills to use recounting the borderer's savage, daring, and sometimes humorous, exploits. Although others have tackled this topic (there have been two small Osprey books on the Border Reevers, both sketchy but with excellent illustrations), Fraser has given this slice of Scottish history very satisfactory treatment, though even he admits in the forward that he only scratched the surface. On the other hand, most Scottish history books are Highland-centric and give only passing mention to this 100-year slice of Lowland history. David Ross allows but two paragraphs in his supposedly all-inclusive SCOTLAND, HISTORY OF A NATION.

This edition of STEEL BONNETS is paperbound, 384 pages, and is only $4.95, plus $3.50 shipping (flat rate per order, no matter how many books). It can be ordered online at EdwardRHamilton.com . You might want to search their catalog for more books of interest to Scadians (all discounted). I am a frequent buyer, and have collected many titles from them on the middle ages and renaissance. I am just a satisfied customer, and have no personal interest in ERH.

As an aside, my real Napier ancestors had more than a passing brush with the some of the Border Reevers. It was around 1590 that young Archibald Napier of Edinburgh found one of his best horses had been "lifted." Archie and some friends went south in search of his property. Here they encountered one of the sons of Walter Scott, Earl of Buccleuch, a notorious Border Reever. Archie and the younger Scott exchanged hard words. Scott laid an ambush to murder Archie on his return. Archie and his friends managed to fight their way out of the trap, and he cut down Scott with his sword. Word soon reached Buccleuch, and he sent a party of his other sons and followers to Edinburgh in search of Archie. They caught up with him on the Royal Mile, just outside the Palace, and left Archie full of fatal holes with his blood running down the gutter. Archie's two brothers immediately armed themselves for a counter stroke. At this point an outraged King James IV (later James I of England) stepped in. He ordered both sides to stand down, and for Buccleuch to pay a death settlement to the Napiers through him. For some reason, the payment stuck in the King's pocket, but further bloodshed was avoided. Such is history!

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot