REPORT ON THE MARCH 2007 MEETING

The Rise and Fall of the English Riding Surnames

The speaker at the March meeting of the Alston Moor Historical Society was Chris Robson of Lancaster, whose subject was ‘The Rise and Fall of the English Riding Surnames’ – otherwise known as the Reivers. Mr Robson gave a detailed and graphic account of the tyrannical activities of this group of people. Any vaguely romantic ideas about them were quickly dispelled.

They can be traced back to Anglo Germanic roots in the 5 th century and operated mainly in the area north of the Tyne and across country to approximately Morecambe Bay, although there were incursions beyond this area. Their structure comprised 3 Marches i.e. West, Middle and East. The enemy, the Scots, had a mirror structure to the north of the border and went as far as Edwinsborough (now known as Edinburgh). From time to time the border changed as land was taken by conflict but the benchmark was the border as we now know it.

The English reiving community was strongest in the Tynedale and Redesdale. Bellingham was known as the Highlands. There were very strong family ties and there existed a code of honour, breaches of which caused most of the strife. The dominant family names included Robson, Charlton, Dodd, Milburn, Hedley, Potts, Nixon and Armstrong. The clans were governed by a ‘heidsman’ who seemed to be equivalent of the mafia Godfathers of more recent times. These positions tended to be hereditary within a family but there was an element of democracy in that the eldest heir did not necessarily take the title and elections could appoint a younger family member, no doubt based on his fighting qualities. Most heidsman had a price on their head.

Over the centuries the clans fought raided and killed their enemies, the Scots, who reciprocated in like manner. There was no atrocity which they did not commit and neither side had any scruples and respected no one. Like conflicts before and since the real reason of the conflict was probably forgotten or irrelevant and fighting was a way of life. From the 12 th century horses were used on raids and a violent seizure of property whilst on horseback was known as a reif – hence the introduction of the word ‘reivers’. The word bereft also is derived from this source.

Whilst there were men without crimes attributed to them, known as ‘true men’, these were extremely lawless times and Tynedale and Redesdale were virtually ‘no-go’ areas. The rebels largely escaped any form of punishment and were left to go their way. The authorities probably felt that any effort to discipline them would require a disproportionate amount of their limited and stretched resources. The Kings men were occupied wars with the Scots. On occasions when reivers were captured, justice was often evaded by intimidating juries or even by jailbreaks. Such breaks from Hexham and Newcastle goals are well documented.

The golden age of the reivers was in the 1520’s. By then they had their own legal system which was regarded as legally enforceable and the Crown was increasingly concerned at the lawless conditions which existed in the Border regions. The reivers had previously been inconsistent in their loyalties but at this time they rallied around the Golden Lion of Percy and by virtue of this became King’s Men. In 1545 the retreating Scots army was ambushed at Solway Moss and 1000 men were slaughtered. As the Scots were gradually discouraged and hostilities declined, so did the fortunes of the reivers. In 1547 there was not enough money to pay the soldiers and, coupled with lack of demand for the rather harsh highland wool of the Marches, economic ruin was inevitable. Enclosure restricted activities and the collapse of the economy in the 1590’s was the final straw. The reivers were destitute and became latterday asylum seekers. It is recorded that the Robsons became vagrants.

The families in the highlands in the northern part of the Marches were left with poor quality land and had no option but to become sheep farmers and destined to have a hard life making a living for themselves and their families. However, to the south the land was much richer and the one-time dissidents became landed gentry and prospered. To the north of the border the land was also good and the erstwhile combatants enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle in the newfound peace.

The next meeting of the Society will be on Wednesday, April the 4 th. At 7.00 pm the AGM will be held (members only), followed at 7.30 pm by a talk entitled ‘The changing plant life of the Northern Pennines’ by Dr. Margaret Bradshaw.