|
Subj: Fwd: Fw: Border Clans, Armstrong, Elliots, Nixon, Graham etc.
Date: 7/19/00 1:50:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: merle@fea.net (Linda Merle)
To: Scotch-Irish-L@rootsweb.com
This is also grand -- the cursing of the border clans by the archbishop of
Glasgow.
Linda Merle (A Beattie, an Armstrong, a Scott, an Irwin, a Watson and a few
others)
>From: "Duncan McIntosh" <duncan@mcintosh1943.freeserve.co.uk>
>To: <merle@mail.fea.net>
>Subject: Fw: Border Clans, Armstrong, Elliots, Nixon, Graham etc.
>Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 21:02:35 -0000
>
>
>Try this for auld scots
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <MarMurr2@aol.com>
>To: <FERMANAGH-L@rootsweb.com>
>Sent: 09 February 2000 20:16
>Subject: Border Clans, Armstrong, Elliots, Nixon, Graham etc.
>
>
>Hello List,
>
>I found this in a book about the Armstrong's several years ago at the Family
>History Library in Salt Lake City. The call number was unfortunatley lost.
>I'm also posting this to the Millenium Present site. I thought it was
>pretty
>interesting.
>THE ARCHBISHOP OF GLASGOW'S (GAVIN DUNBAR)
>"MONITION OF CURSING"
>AGAINST THE BORDER REIVERS
>
>Gude folks, heir at my Archibischop of Glasgwis letters under his
>round sele, direct to me or any uther chapellane, makand mensioun, with
>greit regrait, how hevy he beris the pietous, lamentabill, and dolorous
>complaint that pass over all realme and commis to his eris, be oppin voce
>and fame, how our souverane lordis trew liegis, men, wiffis and barnys,
>bocht and redemit be the precious blude of our Salviour Jhesu Crist, and
>levand [living] in his lawis, are saikleslie [innocently] part murdrist,
>part slayne, brynt, heryit, spulzeit [spoiled] and reft, oppinly on day
>licht and under silens of the nicht, and thair takis [farms] and landis
>laid waist, and thair self banyst therfra, als wele kirklandis as uther-
>
>is, be comnoun tratouris, revaris, theiffis, duelland in the south part
>of this realme, sic as Tevidale, Esdale, Liddisdale, Ewisdale, Nedis-
>dale [Nithsdale] and Annanderdaill; quhilkis hes bene diverse ways
>persewit and punist be the temperale swerd and our Soverane Lordis
>
>auctorite, and dredis nocht the samyn.
>
>And thairfoire my said Lord Archibischop of Glasgw hes thocht ex-
>pedient to strike.thame with the terribill swerd of halykirk, quhilk
>thaie may nocht lang endur and resist; and has chargeit me, or any uther
>chapellane, to denounc, declair and proclame thaim oppinly and generalie
>cursit, at this market-croce, and all utheris public places.
>
>Hairfor throw the auctorite of Almichty God, the Fader of hevin,
>his Son, our Saviour, Jhesu Crist, and of the Halygaist; throw the
>auctorite of the Blissist Virgin Sanct Mary, Sanct Michael, Sanct Gabriell,
>and all the angellis; Sanct John the Baptist, and all the haly patriarkis
>and prophets; Sanct Peter, Sanct Paull, Sanct Andro, and all haly appos-
>tillis; Sanct Stephin, Sanct Laurence, and all haly mertheris [martyrs];
>Sanct Gile, Sanct Martyn, and all haly confessouris; Sanct Anne, Sanct
>Katherin, and all haly virgins and matronis; and of all the sanctis and
>haly company of hevin; be the auctorite of our Haly Fader the Paip and
>his cardinalis, aned of my said Lord Archibischop of Glasgow, be the avise
>and assistance of my lordis, archibischop, bischopis, abbotis, priouris,
>and utheris prelatis and ministeriers of halykirk.
>
> I dennounce, proclamis, and declaris all and sindry the committaris
>of the said saikles murthris, slauchteris, brinying, heirchippes, reiffis,
>thiftis and spulezeis, oppinly aopn day licht and under silence of nicht,
>alswele within temporale landis as kirklandis, togither with thair part
>takaris [partakers], assistaris, supplearis, wittandlie resettaris [knowing
>receivers] of their personis, the gudes reft and stollen be thaim, art or
>
>part thereof, and thair counsalouris and defendouris, of thair evil deides
>generalie CURSIT, waryit [execrated], aggregeite, and reaggregeite, with
>the GREIT CURSING.
>
>I curse thair held and all the haris of their held; I curse.thair
>face, their ene, thair mouth, thair neise, their toung, thair teith,
>thair crag, thair schulderis, thair breist, thair hert, thair stomok,
>thair bak, their wame, the ir armes, their leggis, thair handis, thair
>felt, and everilk part of thair body, free the top of thair heid to the
>Soill of thair feit, befoir and behind, within and without.
>I curse thaim gangand [going], and I curse thaim rydand [ridingl];
>I curse thaim standand, and I curse thaim sittand; I curse thaim etand,
>I curse thaim drinkand; I curse thaim walkand, I curse thaim sleepand;
>I curse thaim rysand, I curse thaim lyand; I curse thaim at hame, I curse
>thaim fra hame; I curse thaim within the house, I cursethaim without
>the house; I curse thair wiffis, thair barnis, and their servandis par-
>ticipand with thaim in thair deides. I wary thair cornys, thair catales
>tharir woll, their scheip, thalr horse, their swyne. their geise [geese],
>thair hennys, and all thair quyk gude [livestock], I wary thair hallis,
>thair chalmeris [rooms], thair kechingis, their stanillis, their barnys,
>thair biris [cowsheds], their bernyardis, thair cailyardis [cabbage-
> patches], thair plewis, thair harrowis, and the
>gudis
>and housis that is
>necessair for thair sustentatioun and weilfair,
>
> All the malesouons and waresouns [curses] that ever gat warldlie
>creatur sen the begynnyng of the warlde to this hour mot lict apon thaim.
>The maledictioun of God, that lichtit apon Lucifer and all his fallowis,
>that strak thaim frae the hie hevin to the deip hell, mot licht apon
>thaim, The fire and the swerd that stoppit Adam far the yettis [gates]
>of Paradise, mot stop thaim free the gloir of Hevin, quhill [until] thai
>forbere and mak amendis. The malesoun that lichtit on sursit Cayein,
>quhen he slew his bruther just Abell saiklessly, mot licht on thaim for
>the saikles slauchter that thae commit dailie. The Maledictioun that
>lichtit apon ail the warlde, man and beist, and all that ever tuk life,
>quhen all was drownit be the flude of Noye, except Noye and his ark, mot
>licht apon theme and droune theme, man and beist, and mak this realm
>cummirless [free] of thame for thair wicket synnys. The thunnour and
>fireflauchtis [lightning] that set doun as rane apon the cities of
>Zodoma and Gomora, with all the landis about, and brynt thame for thair
>vile sunnys, mot rane apon thame, and birne thaim for oppin synnis. The
>malesoun and confusion that lichtit on the Gigantis for thair oppressioun
>and pride, biggand [building] the tour of Babiloun, mot confound thaim
>and all thats werkis, for their oppin reiggs and oppressioun. All the
>plagis that fell apon Pharao and his pepill of Egipt, thair landis,
>corne, and cataill, mot fall apon thaim, their takkis, rowmys [places] and
>stedingis, cornys and beistis. The watter of Tweid and utheris wat-
>teris quhair thai ride mot draun thrim, as the Reid Sey drownit King
> Pharao and his pepil of Egipy, persewing Godis
>pepill
>of Israell. The
>erd [earth] mot oppin, riffe and cleiff [cleave], and swelly[swallow]
>thaim quyk to hell, as it swellyit cursit Dathan and Abiron, that
>ganestude [withstood] Moeses, and the command of God. The wyld fyre
>that byrnt Thore and his fallowis to the nowmer of two hundredth and
>fyty, and utheris 14,000 and 700 at anys, usurpand agais Moyses and
>Aaron, servandis of God, not dsuddenly birne and consume thain dalie
>anestandand the comandis of God and halykirk. The malediction that
>lichtit suddanely apon fair Absolon, rydant contrair his fader, King
>David, servand of God, throw the wed, quhen the branchis of ane tre fred
>[parted] him of his horse and hangit him be the hair, mot licht apon
>thaim, rydand again trew Scottis men, and hang thaim siclike that all
>the warld may se. The maledicitioun that lichtit apon Olifernus, lieu-
>tenant to Babogodonoser, makand weair [war] and heirchippis apon trew
>cristin [Christian] men, the malediction that lichtit apon Judas, Pylot,
>Herod and the Jowis that chucifyit [crucified] Our Lord, and all the
>plagis and trublis that lichtit on ·the citte of Jherusalem thairfor,
>and apon Symon Magus for his symony, bludy Nero, cursit Ditius Makcensius,
>Olibruis, Julianus Apostita and the laiff [rest] of the cruell tirrannis
>that slew and murthirit Critis haly servandis, mot licht apon thame for
>their cruel tiranny and murthirdome of cristin pepill.
>
> And all the vengeance that evir was takin sen the warlde began for
>oppin synnys, and all the plagis and pestilence that ever fell on man or
>beist, mot fall on thaim for thair oppin reiff, saiklesse slauchter and
>schedding of innocent blude. I dissever and pairtis thaim fra the kirk
>of God, and deliveris thaim quyk to the devill of hell, as the Apostill
>Sanct Paull deliverit Corinthion. I interdite the places they cum in fra
>divine service, ministracioun of the sacramentis of halykirk, excpet the
>sacrament of baptissing allanerlie [only]; and forbiddis all kirkmen to
> schriffe [shrive] or absolve thaim of their synnys,
>quhill they be first
>absolyeit of this cursing.
>
>I forbid all cristin man or woman till have ony company with
>thaime, etand, drynkand, spekand, prayand, lyand, gangand, standand, or
>in any uther deid doand, uner the paine of deidly syn. I discharge all
>bandis, actis, contractis, athis [oaths] and obligatiounis made to thaim
>be oby persounis, other of lawte Ceither of loyaltyl, kyndenes or manrent
>[personal] fealtyl, salang as thai susteine this cursing, sue that na man
>be bundin [bound] to thaim, and that thai be bundin till all men. I tak
>fraw thame and cryis doune all the gude dedis that ever thai did or sail
>do, quhill thai ryse frae this cursing. I declare thaim parties [ex-
>cludedl of all matynys, messis, evinsangis, dirigeis or utheris prayeris,
>on buke or beid; of all pilgrimagis and almouse dedis done or to be done
>in halykirk or be cristin pepili, enduring this cursing.
>
>And, finally, I condemn thaim perpetualie to the deip pit of hell,
>the remain with Lucifer and all his fallowis, and their bodeis to the
>gallows of the Burrow Mure, frist to be hangit, syne revin and ruggit
>[then ripped and torn] with doggis, swyne, and utheris wyld heists, ah-
>hominable to all the warld. And their candillSs gangis frae your sicht,
>as mot their saulis gang fra the visgae of God, and thai rgude faim fra
>the warld, quhill thair forbeir thair oppin synnys foirsaidis and ryse
>free this terribill cursing, and mak satisfaction and pennance."
>Mary Murray
>MarMurr 2@aol.com
>
>
"Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 18:38:42 -0500
From: "Richard Bradley" <richardbrabazon@email.msn.com>
To: Scotch-Irish-L@rootsweb.com
Message-ID: <003101be4985$186060c0$32d6fcd0@default>
Subject: In defense of Reivers
The border between Scotland and England was a disputed and lawless area back
to Roman times hence Hadrian's wall. The warfare back & forth created
animosities on both sides of the border, and even when warfare was not in
progress between the two groups, raiding constantly occurred. You could
raid into England & then return to your own country, with sheep, horses,
etc. and be proclaimed patriotic. Vice versa, so could the English. Add to
this clannishness and the inability of both countries to control the border
areas, and families had to fend for themselves in these areas.
My defense for them is that they were just protecting their own turf by
making defensive forays into the territory of active or potential enemies.
(If the Prez cab get away with such legalisms, why can't I?)
A good book on the subject is "The Border Reivers" by Keith Durham and Angus
McBride, Osprey Publishing, London, 1995. This is a part of the
Men-At-Arms Series 279 regarding Military history.
To Quote, " this narrow stretch of land was a medieval frontier of great
military importance and has a savage and turbulent history, For, as the
buffer zone between two of history's most fractious neighbors, this land
became their battleground and the effect of their constant warring was to
leave an indelible mark on the Border folk, creating a society that, by the
beginning of the 16th century, had become a dangerous thorn in the side of
both nations.
For those men belonged to the great riding families; and with 'lang spear'
and 'steill bonnet' , they 'rode with the moonlight', and plundered the
Borderland. Sporting such names as Nebless Clem, Ill Drooned Geordie, Jok
Pott the Bastard, Frye-the-Braes, Pikehood, Wynking Will and Buggerback
[There's one to keep your eye on] . they were Armstrongs, Grahams, Bells,
Charltons, Robsons, Nixons, Maxwells, Scotts, Milburns, and others - history
remembers them as the Border Reivers."
The book names other families on both sides of the borders:
The book primarily focuses on the border reiver as a military identity,
describing their armor and arms, their techniques, their defensive homes,
etc. The Scottish border reivers participated in the major battles and he
participated as a light horseman, skirmisher and scout, and raider. "by
carefully selecting his weapons, equipment and horse, he had developed the
ability to harass the enemy and outstrip his pursuers, moving across both
battlefiels and dangerous terrain with alarming speed."
Richard Bradley"
To the top
----------------------- Headers --------------------------------
|
