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Reiver Truce Days and Locations

Reiver Days of Truce and Locations The Wardens of opposing Marches agreed upon a day and place of meeting usually on the frontier but sometimes elsewhere. In the west, Dumfries and Carlisle were convenient venues,…

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Reiver Routes

Reiving Routes The following text is from text in the Callendar of Border Papers and dates from the 16th century. It gives an impression of the routes that Reivers may have taken on their raids…

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Battle of Otterburn with Harry Hotspur

Harry Hotspur At The Battle of Otterburn Harry Hotspur or Henry Percy at The Battle of Otterburn Henry Percy or “Hotspur” played a prominent part in Border warfare in the late 14th and early 15th…

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Wardens Meeting Place At Wark Castle

Wardens Meeting Place At Wark Castle Wardens Meeting Place and Ford over the River Tweed below Wark Castle in Northumberland The remains of Wark Castle overlook the River Tweed and one of the main fording…

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The East March of England

The East March of England Map of the East March of England; boundaries and generalities. The English East March is the northern part of Northumberland. It borders the Scots East March to the north where…

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The Middle March of England

Map of the Middle March of England; boundaries and generalities. The English Middle March was that part of Northumberland not included in the East March. The Cheviots formed most of the frontier line and though…

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Thirlwall Castle, Greenhead, Northumberland

Thirlwall Castle, Greenhead, Northumberland Thirlwall Castle stands on high ground above the Tipalt Burn near Greenhead in Northumberland. The building is entirely constructed from Roman stone which demonstrates why the Roman Wall has disappeared in…

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Shittleheugh Pele, Redesdale, Northumberland

Shittleheugh Pele, Pele-House or Bastle, Redesdale, Northumberland The shattered remains of Shittleheugh stand high above the river Rede and are a conspicuous landmark in Redesdale. The side walls have fallen but the gable ends still…

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Hole Bastle, Bellingham, Northumberland

Hole Bastle, Bellingham, Northumberland Hole Bastle stands between Woodburn and Bellingham and is a most interesting example of a fortified farmhouse of a type once common on the Border. In times past the ground floor…

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Harbottle Castle, Coquetdale, Northumberland

Harbottle Castle, Coquetdale, Northumberland Harbottle Castle, at the western end of a line of strongholds in Coquetdale, was in a position of importance in the defence of the Border. The castle is sited about eight…

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Great Tosson Tower, Coquetdale, Northumberland

Great Tosson Tower, Coquetdale, Northumberland Great Tosson Tower stands close under the Simonside Hills in Coquetdale a mile or so above Rothbury. The tower was one of a series of fortifications guarding Coquetdale where its…

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Ford Castle, Ford, Northumberland

Ford Castle, Ford, Northumberland Ford Castle stands about six miles below the Border in the valley of the river Till, a tributary of the Tweed. William Heron was given a licence to crenellate or fortify…

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