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The Reivers and Kinmont Willie:
The Dances and the Stories Behind Them

By Geoffrey Selling, May 2003

I first began Scottish country dancing soon after The Reivers (Bk. 23) had been published. It was a popular dance here the Delaware Valley, with its sprightly reel and choreographic story. Our teacher, Robert Hunn, explained to us that reivers were cattle thieves, and so we fell into the habit of mooing loudly as we danced. It was all quite hilarious, and even now, when we dance The Reivers, there will be an occasional moo from somewhere on the dance floor.

For many years, I imagined that Scottish reivers were something like the American Wild West cattle rustlers: renegade cowboys who did a bit of thieving on the side. Then, Robert taught us John Drewry's brilliant dance Kinmont Willie (Rondel Book), which acts out the story of Scotland's most notorious (and beloved!) reiver. My curiosity was piqued. Who were the reivers really? Was Border cattle thieving really similar to the American West? And what did Kinmont Willie really do? Here is what I found out.

The English-Scottish frontier was a rugged country, inhabited by tough, hardy folk, who spent much of their time plundering and raiding. Armed bands of riders up to 1000 strong would cross into England to pillage and rob. Far from the cowboy image I'd imagined, they were armored in leather jackets and steel bonnets. And their prize was large herds of stolen cattle. They were a tough crew with names like Davie Bangtail, Curst Eckie, Archie Fire the Braes, and more.

Their work was motivated by self-interest, not nationalism. Thus, it wasn't a strictly Scot against English business. Sometimes, the reivers helped the English raid into Scotland, and at other times the reivers preyed on their fellow Scots. Nor were the raids limited to cattle poaching. Blood feuds, armed robbery, blackmail, kidnapping and terrorism were all freely practiced under the guise of "reiving." Common folk and chiefs alike partook of such activity.

The Borders had their own rules; loyalty was to clan, not country. Yet there was a curious respect for the unwritten code of the Borders. For six days after a raid, a "Hot Trod," or pursuit, could be lawfully carried out, without fear of reprisal.

Both the English and Scottish governments of the l6th century tried to bring some order to these lawless Borders. Each side divided its portion into Marches, theoretically managed by a Warden. The Warden had to be diplomat, judge, soldier, administrator, and above all, a fighting man who understood the curious ways of the Border country. Some of the Wardens were counted as the most egregious reivers in the Borders. The Scottish Middle March was the most dangerous, inhabited as it was by the fierce Kerrs and Scotts, as well as lesser clans such as Johnson, Elliot, and Armstrong.

Here and there in the stark landscape could be seen the stone towers of the reiver families. Of these, the tower of William Armstrong (better known as Kinmont Willie) was a mere 10 miles from the English city of Carlisle. In the l580's and 90's, Armstrong and his crew of hundreds of reivers raided into England on numerous occasions, making off with such prizes as 1300 cattle at one time, 2000 at another, as well as money, horses and other goods.

In the spring of 1596, a truce day was held near Kershopefoot, attended by 200 riders from each of the English Marches as well the Scots. The two sides settled outstanding matters and compensation was paid for those robbed. Nevertheless, the rough warlike crowd seemed unlikely to disband without incident. Kinmont Willie, who accompanied Scott of Haining, the Scottish Deputy Keeper of Liddesdale, headed for home once the business was finished. The Scots tell that 200 English riders suddenly crossed the Liddell Water and attacked Kinmont Willie's party, while the English version suggests that William Armstrong's band had provoked the English was taunts and obscene gestures. In either case, Kinmont Willie's band was attacked and chased for over four miles until they captured him. He was imprisoned in mighty Carlisle Castle, under the care of English Deputy Warden Salkeld. The notorious Kinmont Willie was a prize catch, but this capture was also an embarrassment, since Salkeld had been the presiding English officer at the truce meeting earlier that day.

Kinmont Willie's friend and fellow Borderer, Scott of Buccleuch, the Keeper of Liddesdale, was enraged at this capture. The "Bauld Buccleuch," as he is sometimes known, was just 30, and a most daring and reckless young Scottish chieftain. Of course, he was also a renowned reiver himself, and had plenty of grievance with Lord Scrope, the Warden of the English Middle March. Upon hearing of Willie's capture, he is supposed to have exclaimed, "Now Christ's curse upon my head, but avenged of Lord Scrope I'll be."

To his credit, the Bauld Buccleuch first tried to free his fellow reiver through official channels, but was denied until damages were paid. Scott even tried writing to the English ambassador, who urged Scrope to sort the matter out, but all was denied. Scott of Buccleuch then decided to take matters into his own hands and free Kinmont Willie from Carlisle Castle through a daring "commando" raid. There was no way that even this fiery and clever leader could take Carlisle Castle by force.

Scott sent agents to spy out the castle's defenses and learned that there was a small postern gate which might be overpowered. He also knew he would need English complicity in this raid, and managed to secure it. Given the constantly shifting loyalties of the Border countries, English cohorts were easy to find. One of his agents was actually a distant relative of Willie Armstrong. The raid was organized for Sunday, April 13th.

Scott and his 80 handpicked armed followers met at Kinmont Willie's tower, Morton Castle. Willie's sons were among them. With the way guarded by scouts, they rode in the moonlight in total silence, crossing the River Esk, and completing the 10 mile journey to Carlisle. In addition to arms, they carried ropes, ladders and grappling irons. The need for silence meant the party moved slowly, not arriving until dawn. They overpowered the castle guards, broke through the postern gate, opened Willie's cell and rushed him out and to horse. Scott had left the main part of his cavalcade outside the city gates, in case of a fight, and had planted the Johnsons and Irvines in ambush, ready to head off any pursuit. But speed and brilliant planning had done their work and the raiding party was back on Scottish soil by sunrise.

The English were left looking inept and Lord Scrope wrote to London, exaggerating the raiding party's size up to 500 men. Queen Elizabeth was furious and wrote to James VI of Scotland demanding that Scott of Buccleugh be handed over. But James, who approved of the raid, managed to reply with diplomatic vagueness.

Lord Scrope raided repeatedly into Scotland in reprisal while Buccleugh and his comrades raided back just as regularly. The situation got so out of control that the Queen demanded of Edinburgh that Buccleugh turn himself in, which he eventually did. He was held in the Tower of London for six months, until his young son was exchanged for him as a hostage. Some years later, when the Bauld Buccleugh traveled to London and into the Queen's presence, she demanded of him how he had dared to break into her Carlisle stronghold. Buccleugh is said to have replied, " What is there a man will not dare?" which seems to have mollified the Queen, because she had a soft spot for such roguish daredevils.

Kinmont Willie continued his reiving raids, though none was so dramatic or notorious as the earlier ones. When Queen Elizabeth died, James VI of Scotland became king of the United Kingdom. James introduced harsh rule on the lawless border regions, especially on the reivers who had so successfully played one side off against the other. Iron gates were melted, towers demolished and horses forbidden to carry saddles. The ways of the Border country died hard and large numbers of Armstrongs, Grahams, Elliots, and others were deported or even hanged.

All of which brings us back to The Reivers of Bk. 23 and John Drewry's Kinmont Willie.

These were not the minor robberies that America's Wild West was subject to. The reivers were violent, lawless men, with a fierce sense of pride and shifting loyalties. When first and second men dance their figure of eight around the ladies in The Reivers, they represent an armed band of hundreds. And when the two ladies set twice or "jump for joy" as people often say, it was probably with relief that their men had returned alive from the "wars."

Drewry's Kinmont Willie is a clever dance that reenacts the entire raid. It makes a superb demonstration dance, especially if the story of the raid is explained to the audience before the dance is performed.

As far as I know, there is no recorded music for Kinmont Willie. The Delaware Valley Branch has found that the old 45 RPM recording of the Marchioness of Blandford's Reel (4 x 48 J) by Peter White not only fits the dance, but has the kind of energy and dynamism that such a dance requires. Other dances that celebrate Kinmont Willie's story are Drewry's Carlisle Castle (also in the Rondel Book) and Jean Attwood's Bauld Buccleugh, a leaflet.