Raid on Hollows Tower, painting by Pete Armstrong
Hollows Tower stands on the right bank of the river Esk two miles north of Canonbie. A house was built at Hollows about 1518 by an Armstrong and burnt by Lord Dacre in 1528. The…
The Dawn Raid, Painting by Pete Armstrong
The Dawn Raid: a painting illustrating the capture of a Border tower in 1547. Sir Thomas Carleton in his report on the capture of Lochwood Tower in Annandale in 1547 left an interesting account. “We…
The Church in Cumbria hammered by the Scots
The Church in Cumbria hammered by the Scots! From the time of the early church to the time of the union between England and Scotland in 1603, there was trouble from Scottish invaders. Until 1157…
Beacons Bells and Watchers
Watching the Border Beacons, Bells and Watchers England and Scotland were afraid of invasion from each other. Both countries were also troubled by raiding Reivers who would steal goods, kill or abduct people and destroy…
Reiver Weapons
Reiver demonstrating how a Main Gauche Dagger can be used in defence The Reivers were rural workers who occasionally committed acts of great violence. They were not wealthy nor were they well-educated. Their weapons had…
Battle of Solway Moss 1542
Solway Moss, The Battle Of, 1542 The Battle of Solway Moss, 1542; Thomas Wharton's “prickers” rout the Scots Painting of The Battle of Solway Moss, by Rick Scollins, c.1986. The illustrator Richard Scollins specialised in…
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…
Battle of Flodden Field 1513 “False Borderers”
Flodden Field, 1513 “False Borderers” Flodden Field, Battlefield 1513, Branxton, Northumberland and the behaviour of the borderers Flodden was fought on 9th September 1513 and was a disaster for Scotland. As night fell over the…
Battle of Dryfe Sands
The Battle Of Dryfe Sands The Battle of Dryfe Sands, 1593, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire The Battle of Dryfe Sands, fought on 6 December 1593, was the culmination of the famous and long standing deadly feud between…
Battle of Ancrum Moor
Ancrum Moor Battlefield The Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought on the 17th February 1545 between a motley English force under Sir Ralph Eure and Sir Brian Layton and a smaller but well-led Scottish force…
