According to George MacDonald Fraser in his acclaimed book the Steel Bonnets, there were 40 Scottish names listed as Border riding families, of which 17 were included in the Scottish Parliamentary Act of 1587 for the suppression of Unruly Clans.
These names resonate through border history, ballads and bloodlines, and although romanticised today, their lives were anything but.
The names listed below are from the Steel Bonnets and include those who were mainly English but had family residence north of the border and are in italics. Armigerous means currently no chief recognised, although some such as Bell are going through the process. An * defines one of the 17 in the 1587 Act.
- Armstrong*: Liddesdale, Annandale. Chief: Armigerous
- Beattie*: West March. Chief: Armigerous
- Bell*: Annandale. Chief: In the process of having a Commander recognised
- Bromfield: East March. Chief: Armigerous
- Burn: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Carlisle: West March. Chief: Armigerous
- Carruthers*: Annandale. Chief Peter Carruthers of Holmains
- Charlton
- Cranston: East March. Chief: Armigerous
- Craw: East March. Chief: Armigerous
- Crozier*: Liddesdale, Teviotdale. Armigerous
- Davidson: Teviotdale. Chief: Grant Guthrie Davidson of Davidston
- Dixon*: East March. Chief: Armigerous
- Douglas: Liddesdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Elliot*: Liddesdale, Teviotdale, Ewesdale. Chief: Madam Margaret Elliot of Redhaugh
- Forster
- Gilchrist: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Glendinning*: West March. Chief: Armigerous
- Graham*: West March, Debatable Lands. Chief: James Graham, Duke of Montrose
- Hall: Liddesdale, Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous.
- Henderson: Liddesdale. Chief: Alistair Henderson of Fordell
- Hume/Home: East March. Chief: Michael David Alexander Douglas-Home, Earl of Home
- Irvine/Irving*: Annandale, Eskdale. Chief: Rupert Irving of Bonshaw
- Johnston/e*: West March. Chief: Patrick Hope-Johnston, Earl of Annandale and Hartfell
- Kerr: Teviotdale, Liddesdale. Chief: Ralph Kerr, Marquis of Lothian
- Laidlaw: Liddesdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Little*: West March, Chief: Armigerous
- Maxwell: West March, Annandale. Chief: Armigerous
- Moffat*: West March. Chief: Madam Jean Moffat of that Ilk
- Nixon*: A Grayne of Armstrong. Chief: Armigerous
- Oliver: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Pringle: Teviotdale. Chief: Sir Norman Pringle of that Ilk and Stichill
- Robson
- Rutherford: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Scott*: Teviotdale, Ewesdale, Liddesdale. Chief: Richard Douglas Scott, Duke of Buccleuch.
- Tait: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Turnbull: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Turner: Liddesdale. Chief: Armigerous
- Trotter: East March. Chief: Henry Trotter of Mortonhall
- Young: Teviotdale. Chief: Armigerous
Although not mentioned in the list in the Steel Bonnets these families are listed in the 1587 Act:
- Jardin*: Annandale (mentioned in subtext). Chief: Sir William Murray Jardine of Applegarth.
- Latimer*: A Grayne of Maxwell. Chief: Armigerous
- Thom(p)son*: West March. Chief: Armigerous
Grayne is a family who rode with another and came under their protection (equ Highland Sept).
Below is a chart which shows the 17 clans mentioned in the 1587 Act of Parliament, ‘for the Suppression of Unruly Clannis’. They were listed, along with 33 names from the Highlands and Islands. On the chart below is the Border name, its tartan and registration date, its clan crest and the arms of their Chief or last Chief, if armigerous. If a Chief is recognised, they are listed below.
NB the Carruthers tartan represented here is officially recognised as the clan/family tartan of our name. The inaccurate use of the Bruce tartan on our artwork, denotes the family of Bruce and has never belonged to Carruthers, which has always been a stand alone name in its own right, with a chiefly line going back to the 11th century.
The Reivers, which included many names in the English Marches, were a law unto themselves. Their loyalty was to family and their allegiance to the Crown, in some case fluctuated with the politics of the day or simplistically, the need to feed their families. They rode that dangerous road covering the Anglo-Scottish borders, where cattle rustling, raping, kidnapping, arson and in many cases murder, was the order of the day.
Although, not as well known in their activities over the 300 years or so that the reivers existed nor as large as Armstrong, Elliot, Graham, Johnston, Maxwell and Scott, Carruthers played their part. These names were also very much known for their defence of their lands and in fact, when necessary their country against the English invaders from the south.
The families/clans and many more are listed on the pavement which houses the infamous ‘cursing stone’ in the walkway under the underpass near Tulle House Museum and Carlisle Castle.
Tulle House itself has an excellant display regarding the Rievers lifestyle, while the stone itself is inscribed with the Moniton Cursing, is placed over a pavement inscribed with the names of the known reiving families from both sides of the border. This curse was a malediction issued by Archbishop Gavin Dunbar, Bishop of Glasgow originating in 1525, it was read from every pulpit throughout the debatable lands in a bid to excommunicate the Reiver families of the region. It was given in great anger and frustration, which is reflected in the 1000 and so harsh and venemous words it contains.
However, it would seem that the church may not have played such a large role in the lives of some reiver families, at least other than paying lip service to it. One week they would raid across the border, the next their neighbour and the next conjoin with their neighbour to ride in another border raid against some other family. Life and allegiances were cheap and could be fluid as said previously, with only the family and its name remaining paramount.
These tit for tat raids and the violence incurred, led to one of the longest feuds in history, where the Hatfield – McCoy feud in the US pailed into simple insignificance. The Johnston-Maxwell feud lasted over 100 years and epitomised the eye for an eye rule of law that the Reivers followed. This approach to that law led to many feuds, some as previously mentioned, some lasting for many years.
But these feuds were the daily life for the Reivers, it was the norm. Food was scarce, lands were devastated by war and in some ages famine. Taking from your neighbour or even more enticing, from the English was part of the Rievers existence and was shared by the most lowly farmhand to the highest noble in the area.
Feuds however, also had a tendency to act as a vortex, pulling other families that supported one side or the other directly into the frame. As Carruthers, at least for the chiefly line of Holmains, they were great supporters of Maxwell with George 6th of Holmains, Captain of Threave Castle and his son a Cornet there. As such, there is no doubt that we played our part. However, although they were involved in quite a few skirmishes and forays at the side of Maxwell, there is no evidence that they were at the disastrous Battle of Dryfe Sands in 1573.
The feuds the Carruthers were involved in were against the Grahams, who inhabited the debatable lands, also against the Johnstons in support of the Maxwells and on a personal basis, against the Kirkpatricks of Closeburn in their own feud, that began in 1563.
