The End of the Border Reivers

James I takes control
Reiving continued unbounded until the early 1600's. The death of Elizabeth I in 1603, however, allowed James VI of Scotland to also become James I of England and the reivers' days were numbered.

In the week following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Graham, Armstrong and Elliot clans, celebrated with one last, almighty rampage lifting over four thousand cattle. This is known as 'Ill Week' and much of the English/Scots border was left ruined.

After this the political and social climate in which the reivers had thrived became untenable. The Union of the Crowns created a 'Great Britain' and James I set out to eradicate the reivers and the turbulent life of the border by establishing a far-reaching campaign, known as "pacifying the borders".

James I

"the borders became the last part of Great Britain to be brought under central law and order"

There was now to be only one realm. The marches would cease to exist and the border region would be 'rechristened' the Middle Shires. The reivers were no longer able to avoid prosecution and take sanctuary in the limbo of the debatable lands. Suddenly, there was nowhere left to hide.

Harsh punishments
Courts were set up in the Border towns and known reivers were arrested. The more troublesome and lower classes were executed, without trial, known as Jeddart (Jedburgh) Justice and mass hanging soon became a common occurrence. It took James I ten years, but he succeeded and the borders became the last part of Great Britain to be brought under central law and order.

The Border Laws, which both crowns and the reivers had frequently used for their own ends, were abolished and the law of the land was to be obeyed by one and all. Some nationalist Scottish historians describe this campaign as tantamount to 'ethnic cleansing'.

The land on either side of the England-Scotland border was each divided in to three areas, giving rise to six separate Marches.

On each side of the border there was a West March, a Middle March and an East March. Each of these Marches were administered by a government appointed official - he was known as the Warden of the March.

The warden's duties were to defend the frontier against invasion from the opposite realm in wartime, and in peace to put down crime and co-operate with the wardens across the border for the maintenance of law and order.

The wardens tended to be either locals or too far from home to be accountable and the majority were susceptible to corruption.