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There was no convenient ‘border’ between England and Scotland drawn on the map, just a region of wild country that neither side could claim as their own, or hold against the other. Armies marched back and forth, demanding or appropriating provisions, so that the local population found itself reduced to poverty and starvation. They responded as desperate people always do, by going out and taking whatever they needed, from wherever they could find it.

The Borders were essentially lawless, but certain codes of conduct were observed, and the most enduring allegiances of all were bonds of blood between close family members. About one hundred surnames are recognised as ‘reiver’ family names, spanning the alphabet from Ainslie to Young.

The decayed drum towers flanking the entrance to Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland coast (Day 9)

Despite England and Scotland being locked in a state of permanent warfare for over three centuries, both nations had to tackle border lawlessness, so the region was divided into three ‘marches’. In Northumberland the problem was not simply English versus Scots across a fluid border, but reivers from Tynedale and Redesdale frequently raiding the fertile plains of Northumberland. Each march had two wardens – one English and one Scottish – to oversee rudimentary law and order. Scottish wardens were generally appointed from the local gentry, so had a good understanding of local issues, but were prone to corruption. English wardens were generally appointed from outside the area, so were less prone to corruption, but more inclined to misunderstand situations.