The Fray of Hautwessel
The square is the ancient heart of the town, with the 14th century Centre of Britain Hotel to the east, the 13th century Holy Cross Church to the south and the Market Place itself which has been the venue of fairs, hiring, bull-baiting and hanging in years gone by. It was also the scene of a major raid in 1598 by the notorious ‘Reiver’ gang – the Armstrongs of Liddesdale. They entered Haltwhistle in daylight, burnt houses, killed or captured many residents and drove off cattle. Satisfaction for this raid was demanded from King James VI of Scotland, who replied that the Armstrongs from Liddesdale were no subjects of his and the Warden, Sir Robert Carey, could take his own revenge. This he did by a retaliation raid into Liddesdale, during which Sim Armstrong of the Cathill was slain by one of the Ridleys of Haltwhistle. This led to yet another raid on Haltwhistle by the Armstrongs, during which Wat Armstrong, a Clan Leader, was shot through the eye with a longbow arrow by Alec Ridley.
A final solution was found by Sir Robert Carey, warden in 1601, when he laid siege to the Tarras Moss stronghold of the Armstrongs. By skilful strategy, the leaders were captured, but released on condition they never again raided into his Wardenry. This was a huge success and, in 1603, there was a Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland. The ballad penned by Sir Walter Scott commemorates the raid, called “The Fray of Hautwessel”.
| The Ballad of Hautwessel (Haltwhistle) deals with only the first raid.
This Border Ballad was based on an earlier oral tradition. It was written down in the nineteenth century using the local dialect of that time. To help you understand the language, a glossary of the dialect words has been provided alongside the ballad. |
|
|
The limmer thieves o'Liddesdale Wadna leave a kye in the hail countrie. But an' we gie them the caud steel Our gear they'll reive it a'awaye; Sae pert they stealis I you say: O'late they came to Hautwessel, And thowt they there wad drive a fray, But Alec Ridley shot too well. |
Outline of story, to remind listeners of the basic outline
of the story |
|
Twas some time gane, they took our naigs, And left us eke an empty byre: I wd the deil had had their craigs, And a'things in a bleeze o'fire; Eh! But it was raised the warden's ire, Sir Robert Carey was his name; But an John Ridley thrust his spear Right through Sim o' the Cathill's wame. |
Describing Armstrong raid on Haltwhistle, followed by cold trod led by
warden, Sir Robert Carey, to Liddesdale to recover the goods. John Ridley ran
his spear through Sim o' the Cathill naigs = horses deil = devil craigs = necks wame = belly |
|
For he cam riding o'er the brae, As gin he could na steal a cow; And when we'd got our gear awa' Says - 'Wha this day's work will avow?' I wot he got reply enow, As ken the Armstrongs to their grief. For to tine the gear and Simmy too, The ane to the tither's nae relief |
Describing how Sim attacked the warden's party, and how the
Armstrongs would regret the loss of Sim and the stolen goods. |
|
Then cam Wat Armstrong to the town, Wi' some three hundred chiels or mair, An' swore that they wad burn it down; A' clad in jack, wi' bow and spear. Harnessed right weel, I trow they were; But we were aye prepared at need, And dropt ere lang upon the rear Amangst them, like an angry gleed. |
Describing second raid on Haltwhistle when the Armstrongs set fire
to it. chiels = friends Describes reivers clothing. jack = jacket Describes how Haltwhistle people attacked the Armstrongs. gleed = kite |
|
Then Alec Ridley he let flee A clothyard shaft, ahint the wa'; It struck Wat Armstrong in the ee', Went through his steel cap, heid and a'. I wot it made him quickly fa', He could na rise, thourgh he essayed; The best at thief-craft or the ba' He ne'er again shall ride a raid. |
Describes how Alec Ridley shot Wat Armstrong through the head with
an arrow, killing him. Wat was a well known reiver, good at raids. heid = head ba' = football |
|
Gin
should the Armstrongs promise keep And seek our gear to do us wrang; Or rob us of our kye or sheep, I trow but some o' them will hang; Sharp is the sturdy sleuth dog's fang, At Craweragge watchers will be set, At Linthaugh ford too, a' neet lang, Wow! But the meeting will be het. |
The Armstrongs have promised more revenge. This verse outlines what will
be done if they raid again, and measures to protect sleuth dogs, watching at
fords. Last line looks forward to another fight! |
From Sir Robert Carey's memoirs:
I had very good justice with Sir Robert Car and the Laird of Fenhest, that had charge over the East part of the Middle March; but the West part, which was Liddesdale, and the West March, kept me a great while incumber. The first thing they did was the taking of Hartwesell, and carrying away of prisoners and all their goods. I sent to seek for justice for so great a wrong. The opposite officer sent me word, it was not in his power, for that they were all fugitives, and not answerable to the King's laws. I acquainted the King of Scots with his answer. He signified to me that it was true, and that of I could take my own revenge without hurting his honest subjects, he would be glad of it. I took no long time to resolve what to do, but sent some two hundred horse to the place where the principal outliers lived, and took and brought away all the goods they had. The outlaws themselves were in strongholds, and could no way be got hold of. But one of the chief of them, being of more courage than the rest, got to horse and came pricking after them, crying out and asking, 'What he was that durst avow that mighty work?' On of the company came to him with a spear and ran him through the body, leaving his spear broke in him, of which wound he died. The goods were divided to poor men from whom they were taken before.
This act so irritated the outlaws that they vowed cruel revenge, and that before the next winter was ended they would leave the whole country waste, that there should be none to resist them. His name was Sim of the Cathill, that was killed (an Armstrong), and it was a Ridley of Hartwesell that killed him. They presently took a resolution to be revenged on that town.
Thither they came, and set many houses of the town on fire, and took away all their goods; and as they were running up and down the streets with lights in their hands to set more houses on fire, there was one other of the Ridleys that was in a strong stone house that made a shot out amongst them, and it was his good hap to kill an Armstrong, one of the sons of the chiefest outlaw. The death of this young man wrought so deep an impression amongst them, as many vows were made that before the end of next winter they would lay the whole border waste. This [the murder] was done about the end of May. The chief of all these outlaws was old Sim of Whittram. He had five or six sons as able men as the borders had. This old man and his sons 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 March towards Scotland were put in a mighty fear, and the chief of them, for themselves and the rest, petitioned to me, and did assure me, 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 fly the country, and leave their houses and lands to the fury of the outlaws. Upon this complaint I called the gentlemen of the country together, and acquainted them with the misery that the highest parts of the March towards Scotland were likely to endure if there were not timely prevention to avoid it, and desired them to give me their best advice what course were fit to be taken. They all showed themselves willing to give me their best councils, and most of them were of the opinion that I was not well advised to refuse the hundred horse that my Lord Euers had, and that now my best way was speedily to acquaint the Queen and Council with the necessity of having more soldiers, and that there could not be less than a hundred horse sent down for the defence of the country, besides the forty that I had already in pay, and that there was nothing but force of soldiers could keep them in awe; and to let the Council plainly understand, that the March 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 to see if they could find out any other means to prevent their mischievous intentions without putting the Queen or country to any further charge. They all resolved there was no second means. Then I told them my intention what I meant to do, which was, 'That myself with my 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 we would entrench ourselves, and lie as near as we could to the outlaws; and if there were any brave spirits among them that would go with us, they should be very welcome, and fare and lie as well as myself; and I did not doubt before the summer ended, to do something that should abate the pride of these outlaws. 'Those that were unwilling to hazard themselves liked not this motion. They said that in so doing I might keep the country in quiet the time I lay there, but when the winter approached I could stay there no longer, and that was the thieves' time to do all their mischief. But there were divers young gentlemen that offered to go with me, some with three, some with four horses, and to stay with me so long as I would there continue. I took a list of all those that offered to go with me, and found that with myself, my officers, the gentlemen and our servants, we 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 Liddesdale and Risdale, we had soon built a pretty fort, and within it we had all cabins to lie in, and every one brought beds or mattresses to lie on. There we stayed from the middle of June till almost the end of August. We were between fifty and sixty gentlemen, besides their servants, and my horsemen; so that we were not so few as two hundred horse. We wanted no provision for ourselves nor our horses; for the country people were well paid for anything they brought us, so that we had a good market every day before our fort, to buy what we lacked.
The chief outlaws at our coming fled their houses, where they dwelt, and betook themselves to a large and great forest (with all their goods), which was called the Tarras. It was of that strength, and so surrounded by bogs and marshy grounds, and thick bushes and shrubs, as they feared not the force nor power of England nor Scotland so long as they were there. They sent me word that I was like the first puff of a haggis, hottest at the first, and bade me stay there as long as the weather would give me leave; they would stay in the Tarras-wood, until 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 me were of the same mind, for they knew (or thought at least) that my force was not sufficient to withstand the fury of the outlaws. The time I stayed 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 means to send a hundred and fifty horsemen into Scotland (conveyed by a muffled man not known to any of the company) thirty miles within Scotland, and the business was so carried that none in the country took any alarm at this passage.
They were quietly brought to the back side of the Tarras to Scotland-ward. There they divided themselves into three parts, and took up three passages which the outlaws made themselves secure of, if from England side they should at any time be put at. They had their scouts 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 falsely 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 scouts lay. They gave the alarum: our men brake down as fast as they could into the wood. The outlaws 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 goods and to betake themselves to their passages towards Scotland. There were presently five taken of the principal of them. The rest, seeing themselves (as they thought) betrayed, retired into the thick woods and bogs, that our men durst not follow them, for fear of losing themselves. The principal of the five that were taken were two of the eldest sons of Sim of Whitram. These five they brought to me to the fort, and a number of goods both of sheep and kine, which satisfied most part of the country that they had stolen them from.
The five that were taken 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 bonds, to enter to me, in fifteen days warning, any offender, that they durst not for their lives break any covenant that I made with them; and so upon these donditions 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, and we brake up our fort, and every man retired to his own home.