THE FRAY OF HAUTWESSELL. AN ANCIENT BORDER BALLAD. HE occurrence to which the following lines allude is more clear than the time when they were written. We have already mentioned the fracas at Haltwhistle in the Historical Division of this work, vol. i. p. 232, as having occurred. in 1598, during the time Carey, earl of Monmouth, was warden of the middle marches. The Armstrongs had plundered Haltwhistle in one of their predatory incursions, and upon this, satisfaction was demanded from the king of Scotland. The king replied that the offenders were no subjects of his and the English warden might take his own revenge. Accordingly the English entered Liddesdale and ravaged the lands of the outlaws, on which occasion Sim of the Cathill (an Armstrong) was killed by one of the Ridley's of Haltwhistle. This incident procured another visit from the Armstrongs, in which they burnt great part of the town, but not without losing one of their leaders by a shot from a window. The Armstrongs appear to have been at an early period in possession of great part of Liddesdale, and of the Debateable Land. Their immediate neighbourhood to England rendered them the most lawless of the Border depredators; and as much of the country possessed by them was claimed by both kingdoms, the inhabitants, protected from justice by the one nation, in opposition to the other, securely preyed upon both. The rapacity of this clan, and of their allies, the Elliots, occasioned the popular saying, "Elliots and Armstrongs ride thieves all." But to what Border family of note, in former days, would not such an adage have been equally applicable? All along the river Liddel may still be discovered the ruins of towers, possessed by this numerous clan. They did not, however, entirely trust to these fastnesses; but, when attacked by a superior force, abandoned entirely their dwellings, and retired into morasses, accessible by paths known to themselves alone. One of their most noted places of refuge was the Tarras Moss, a desolate and horrible marsh, through which a small river takes its course. Upon its banks are found some dry spots, which were occupied by these outlaws, and their families in cases of emergency. The stream runs furiously among huge rocks, which has occasioned a popular saying "Was ne'er ane drown'd in Tarras, nor yet in doubt, For ere the head can win down, the harns [brains] are out." The morass itself is so deep, that, according to an old historian, two spears tied together would not reach the bottom. In this retreat, the Armstrongs, anno 1588, baffled the Earl of Angus, when lieutenant on the Border, although he reckoned himself so skilful in winding a thief, that he declared, "he had the same pleasure in it, as others in hunting a hare." On that occasion he was totally unsuccessful, and nearly lost his relation, Douglas of Ively, whom the freebooters made prisoner.* But the Armstrongs were less fortunate ten years afterwards, on the occasion referred to in the ballad: the death of Sim of the Cathill rankled in their minds, and so deep was the impression upon them that "many vows were made" according to Sir Robert Carey, "that before the end of next winter they would lay the whole border waste." At this period "the chiefe of all these outlaws, was old Sim of Whitram. He had five or six sonnes, as able men as the Borders had. This old man and his sonnes had not so few as two hundred at their commands, that were ever ready to ride with them to all actions at their beck. "The high parts of the marsh [march] towards Scotlande were put in a mighty fear, and the chiefe of them, for themselves and the rest, petitioned to mee, and did assure mee, that unless I did take some course with them by the end of that summer, there was none of the inhabitants durst, or would, stay in their dwellings the next winter, but they would fley the countrey, and leave their houses and lands to the fury of the outlawes. Upon this complaint, I called the gentlemen of the countrey together, and acquainted them with the misery that the highest parts of the marsh towards Scotland were likely to endure, if there were not timely prevention to avoid it, and desired them to give mee their best advice what course were fitt to be taken. They all showed themselves willing to give mee their best counsailes, and most of them were of opinion, that I was not well advised to refuse the hundred horse that my Lord Euerst had; and that now my best way was speedily to acquaint the Quene and counsaille with the necessity of having more soldiers, and that there should not be less than a hundred horse sent down for the defence of the countrey, besides the forty I had already in pay, and that there was nothing but force of soldiers could keep them in awe; and to let the counsaile Border Minstrelsy. Whitram is a place in Liddesdale plainly understand, that the marsh, of themselves, were not able to subsist, whenever the winter and long nights came in, unless present cure and remedy were provided for them. I desired them to advise better of it, and see if they could find out any other means to prevent their mischievous intentions, without putting the Quene and countrey to any further charge. They all resolved that there was no second meanes. Then I told them my intention what I meant to do, which was, that myself, with two deputies, and the forty horse that I was allowed, would, with what speed we could, make ourselves ready to go up to the Wastes, and there wee would entrench ourselves, and lye as near as we could to the outlawes: and if there were any brave spirits among them that would go with us, they should be very wellcome, and fare and lye as well as myselfe and I did not doubt, before the summer ended, to do something that should abate the pride of these outlawes. Those that were unwilling to hazard themselves, liked not this motion. They said, that, in so doing, I might keep the country quiet the time I lay there, but, when the winter approached, I could stay there no longer, and that was the theeves' time to do all their mischiefe. But there were divers young gentlemen that offered to go with mee, some with three, some with four horses, and to stay with mee as long as I would there continue. I took a list of those that offered to go with mee, and found, that, with myself, my officers, the gentlemen, and our servants, wee should be about two hundred good men and horse; a competent number, as I thought, for such a service. "The day and place was appointed for our meeting in the Wastes, and, by the help of the Foot of Liddisdale† and Risdale, wee had soone built a pretty fort, and within it we had all cabines made to lye in, and every one brought beds or matresses to lye on. There wee stayed from the middest of June, till almost the end of August. Wee were betweene fifty and sixty gentlemen, besides their servants and my horsemen; so that we were not so few as two hundred horse. Wee wanted no provisions for ourselves nor our horses, for the countrey people were well paid for any thing they brought us; so that wee had a good market every day, before our fort, to buy what we lacked. The chiefe outlawes, at our coming, fled their houses where they dwelt, and betooke themselves to a large and great forest (with all their goodes,) which was called the Tarras. It was of that strength, and so surrounded with bogges and marish grounds, and thicke bushes and shrubbes, as they feared not the force nor power of The Foot of Liddesdale was the garrison of King James in the Castle of Hermitage, who assisted Carey on this occasion, as the Armstrongs were outlaws to both nations. England nor Scotland, so long as they were there. They sent me hottest at the word, that I was like the first puffe of a haggasse, first, and bade me stay there as long as the weather would give me leave. They would stay in the Tarras Wood till I was weary of lying in the Waste: and when I had had my time, and they no whit the worse, they would play their parts, which should keep me waking the next winter. Those gentlemen of the country that came not with mee, were of the same minde; for they knew (or thought at least) that my force was not sufficient to withstand the furey of the outlawes. The time I staid at the fort I was not idle, but cast, by all means I could, how to take them in the great strength they were in. I found a meanes to send a hundred and fifty horsemen into Scotland (conveighed by a muffled man,† not known to one of the company,) thirty miles within Scotland, and the businesse was carried so, that none in the countrey tooke any alarm at this passage. They were quietly brought to the backside of the Tarras to Scotland-ward. There they divided themselves into three parts, and took up three passages which the outlawes made themselves secure of, if from England side they should at any time be put at. They had their scoutes on the tops of hills, on the English side, to give them warning if at any time any power of men should come to surprise them. The three ambushes were safely laid. without being discovered, and, about four o'clock in the morning, there were three hundred horse, and a thousand foot, that came directly to the place where the scoutes lay. They gave the alarm; our men brake down as fast as they could into the wood. The outlawes thought themselves safe, assuring themselves at any time to escape; but they were so strongly set upon, on the English side, as they were forced to leave their goodes, and betake themselves to their passages towards Scotland. There was presently five taken of the principal of them. The rest, seeing themselves, as they thought, betrayed, retired into the thicke woodes and bogges, || * A haggis (according to Burns, "the chieftain of the pudding race ") is an olio, composed of the liver, heart, &c. of a sheep, minced down with oatmeal, onions, and spices, and boiled in the stomach of the animal, by way of bag. When this bag is cut, the contents (if this savoury dish be well made) should spout out with the heated air. This will explain the allusion. + A Muffled Man means a person in disguise; a very necessary precaution for the guide's safety; for, could the outlaws have learned who played them this trick, beyond all doubt it must have cost him dear. From this it would appear, that Carey, although his constant attendants, in his fort consisted only of 200 horse, had upon this occasion, by the assistance, probably, of the English and Scottish royal garrisons, collected a much greater force. There are now no trees in Liddesdale, except on the banks of the rivers, where they are protected from the sheep. But the stumps and fallen timber, which are every that our men durst not follow them, for fear of loosing themselves. The principall of the five that were taken, were two of the eldest sonnes of Sim-of Whitram. These five they brought to mee to the fort, and a number of goodes, both of sheep and kine, which satisfied most part of the country that they had stolen them from.* "The five, that were taken, were of great worth and value amongst them; insomuch, that for their liberty, I should have what conditions I should demand or desire. First, all English prisoners were set at liberty. Then had I themselves, and most part of the gentlemen of the Scottish side, so strictly bound in bondes to enter to mee, in fifteen dayes warning, any offendour, that they durst not for their lives break any covenant that I made with them; and so, upon these conditions, I set them at liberty, and was never after troubled with these kind of people. Thus God blessed me in bringing this great trouble to so quiet an end; wee brake up our fort, and every man retired to his own house." THE FRAY O' HAUTWESSELL, T HE limmer thieves o' Liddesdale Wad nae leave a kye in the hail countrie; Our gear they'll reive it a' awaye; Sae pert they stealis I you say : O' late they came to Hawtwessyll, And thowt they there wad drive a fray, But Alec Rydly shotte tae well. 'Twas sometime gane, they tuik our naigs, And left us eke an empty Byre; where found in the morasses, attest how well the country must have been wooded in former days. * The people of Liddesdale have retained, by tradition, the remembrance of Carey's Raid, as they call it. They tell, that while he was besieging the outlaws in the Tarras, they contrived, by ways known only to themselves, to send a party into England, who plundered the Warden's lands. On their return, they sent Carey one of his own cows, telling him, that, fearing he might fall short of provision during his visit to Scotland, they had taken the precaution of sending him some English beef. The anecdote is too characteristic to be suppressed —Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. |