The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border

He chose the Gordons and the Graemes.—­P. 64. v. 2.

The illustrious family of Gordon was originally settled upon the lands of Gordon and Huntly, in the shire of Berwick, and are, therefore, of border extraction.  The steps, by which they removed from thence to the shires of Aberdeen and Inverness, are worthy notice.  In 1300, Adam de Gordon was warden of the marches.—­Rymer, Vol.  II. p. 870.  He obtained, from Robert the Bruce, a grant of the forfeited estate of David de Strathbolgie, Earl of Athol; but no possession followed, the earl having returned to his allegiance.—­John de Gordon, his great-grandson, obtained, from Robert II., a new charter of the lands of Strathbolgie, which had been once more and finally forfeited, by David, Earl of Athol, slaine in the battle of Kilblene.  This grant is dated 13th July, 1376.  John de Gordon who was destined to transfer, from the borders of England to those of the Highlands, a powerful and martial race, was himself a redoubted warrior, and many of his exploits occur in the annals of that turbulent period.  In 1371-2, the English borderers invaded and plundered the lands of Gordon, on the Scottish east march.  Sir John of Gordon retaliated, by an incursion on Northumberland, where he collected much spoil.  But, as he returned with his booty, he was attacked, at unawares, by Sir John Lillburne, a Northumbrian, who, with a superior force, lay near Carham in ambush, to intercept him.  Gordon harangued and cheered his followers, charged the English gallantly, and, after having himself been five times in great peril, gained a complete victory; slaying many southerns, and taking their leader and his brother captive.  According to the prior of Lochlevin, he was desperately wounded; but

  “Thare rays a welle gret renowne,
  “And gretly prysyd wes gud Gordown.”

Shortly after this exploit, Sir John of Gordon encountered and routed Sir Thomas Musgrave, a renowned English marc-hman whom he made prisoner.  The lord of Johnstone had, about the same time, gained a great advantage on the west border; and hence, says Wynton,

  He and the Lord of Gordowne
  Had a soverane gud renown,
  Of ony that war of thare degré,
  For full thai war of gret bounté.

Upon another occasion, John of Gordon is said to have partially succeeded in the surprisal of the town of Berwick, although the superiority of the garrison obliged him to relinquish his enterprise.

The ballad is accurate, in introducing this warrior, with his clan, into the host of Douglas at Otterbourne.  Perhaps, as he was in possession of his extensive northern domains, he brought to the field the northern broad-swords, as well as the lances of his eastern borderers.  With his gallant leader, he lost his life in the deadly conflict.  The English ballad commemorates his valour and prudence;

  “The Erle of Huntley, cawte and kene.”

But the title is a premature designation.  The earldom of Huntly was first conferred on Alexander Seaton, who married the grand-daughter of the hero of Otterbourne, and assumed his title from Huntly, in the north.  Besides his eldest son Adam, who carried on the line of the family, Sir John de Gordon left two sons, known, in tradition, by the familiar names of Jock and Tam.  The former was the ancestor of the Gordons of Pitlurg; the latter of those of Lesmoir, and of Craig-Gordon.  This last family is now represented by James Gordon, Esq. of Craig, being the eleventh, in direct descent, from Sir John de Gordon.

The Graemes.

The clan of Graeme, always numerous and powerful upon the border, were of Scottish origin, and deduce the descent of their chieftain, Graeme of Netherby, from John with the bright sword, a son of Malice Graeme, Earl of Menteith, who flourished in the fourteenth century.  Latterly, they became Englishmen, as the phrase went, and settled upon the Debateable Land, whence they were transported to Ireland, by James VI., with the exception of a very few respectable families; “because,” said his majesty in a proclamation, “they do all (but especially the Graemes) confess themselves to be no meet persons to live in these countries; and also, to the intent their lands may be inhabited by others, of good and honest conversation.”  But, in the reign of Henry IV., the Graemes of the border still adhered to the Scottish allegiance, as appears from the tower of Graeme in Annandale, Graemes Walls in Tweeddale, and other castles within Scotland, to which they have given their name.  The reader is, however, at liberty to suppose, that the Graemes of the Lennox and Menteith, always ready to shed their blood in the cause of their country, on this occasion joined Douglas.

  With them the Lindsays light and gay.—­p. 64. v. 2.

The chief of this ancient family, at the date of the battle of Otterbourne, was David Liudissay, lord of Glenesk, afterwards created Earl of Crawford.  He was, after the manner of the times, a most accomplished knight.  He survived the battle of Otterbourne, and the succeeding carnage of Homildon.  In May, 1390, he went to England, to seek adventures of chivalry; and justed, upon London Bridge, against the lord of Wells, an English knight, with so much skill and success, as to excite, among the spectators, a suspicion that he was tied to his saddle; which he removed, by riding up to the royal chair, vaulting out of his saddle, and resuming his seat without assistance, although loaded with complete armour.  In 1392, Lindsay was nearly slain in a strange manner.  A band of Catterans, or wild Highlanders, had broken down from the Grampian Hills, and were engaged in plundering the county of Angus.  Walter Ogilvy, the sheriff, with Sir Patrick Gray, marched against them, and were joined by Sir David Lindsay.  Their whole retinue did not exceed sixty men, and the Highlanders were above three hundred.  Nevertheless, trusting to the superiority of arms and discipline, the knights rushed on the invaders, at Gasclune, in the Stormont.  The issue was unfortunate.  Ogilvy, his brother, and many of his kindred, were overpowered and slain.  Lindsay, armed at all points, made great slaughter among the naked Catterans; but, as he pinned one of them to the earth with his lance, the dying mountaineer writhed upwards and, collecting his force, fetched a blow with his broad-sword which cut through the knight’s stirrup-leather and steel-boot and nearly severed his leg.  The Highlander expired, and Lindsay was with difficulty borne out of the field by his followers—­Wyntown.  Lindsay is also noted for a retort, made to the famous Hotspur.  At a march-meeting, at Haldane-Stank, he happened to observe, that Percy was sheathed in complete armour.  “It is for fear of the English horsemen,” said Percy, in explanation; for he was already meditating the insurrection, immortalised by Shakespeare.  “Ah!  Sir Harry,” answered Lindsay, “I have seen you more sorely bestad by Scottish footmen than by English horse.”—­Wyntown.  Such was the leader of the “Lindsays light and guy.”

According to Froissard, there were three Lindsays in the battle of Otterbourne, whom he calls Sir William, Sir James, and Sir Alexander.  To Sir James Lindsay there fell “a strange chance of war,” which I give in the words of the old historian.  “I shall shewe you of Sir Mathewe Reedman (an English warrior, and governor of Berwick), who was on horsebacke, to save himselfe, for he alone coude nat remedy the mater.  At his departynge, Sir James Limsay was nere him, and sawe Sir Mathewe departed.  And this Sir James, to wyn honour, followed in chase Sir Mathewe Reedman, and came so nere him, that he myght have stryken hym with hys speare, if he had lyst.  Than he said, ’Ah!  Sir knyght, tourne! it is a shame thus to fly!  I am James of Lindsay.  If ye will nat tourne, I shall strike you on the back with my speare.’  Sir Mathewe spoke no worde, but struke his hors with his spurres sorer than he did before.  In this maner he chased hym more than three myles.  And at last Sir Mathewe Reedman’s hors foundered, and fell under hym.  Than he stept forthe on the erthe, and drewe oute his swerde, and toke corage to defend himselfe.  And the Scotte thoughte to have stryken hym on the brest, but Sir Mathewe Reedman swerved fro the stroke, and the speare point entred into the erthe.  Than Sir Mathewe strake asonder the speare wyth his swerde.  And whan Sir James Limsay sawe howe he had lost his speare, he cast away the tronchon, and lyghted a-fote, and toke a lytell battell-axe, that he carryed at his backe, and handled it with his one hand, quickly and delyverly, in the whyche feate Scottes be well experte.  And than he set at Sir Mathewe, and he defended himselfe properly.  Thus they journeyed toguyder, one with an axe, and the other with a swerde, a longe season, and no man to lette them.  Fynally, Sir James Limsay gave the knyght such strokes, and helde him so shorte, that he was putte out of brethe in such wyse, that he yelded himselfe, and sayde,—­’Sir James Limsay, I yeld me to you.’—­’Well,’ quod he; ’and I receyve you, rescue or no rescue.’—­’I am content,’ quod Reedman, ’so ye dele wyth me like a good companyon.’—­’I shall not fayle that,’ quod Limsay, and so put up his swerde.  ‘Well,’ said Reedman, ’what will ye nowe that I shall do?  I am your prisoner; ye have conquered me; I wolde gladly go agayn to Newcastell, and, within fiftene dayes, I shall come to you into Scotlande, where as ye shall assigne me.’—­’I am content,’ quod Limsay; ’ye shall promyse, by your faythe, to present yourselfe, within these foure wekes, at Edinborowe; and wheresoever ye go, to repute yourselfe my prisoner.’  All this Sir Mathewe sware, and promised to fulfil.”

The warriors parted upon these liberal terms, and Reedman returned to Newcastle.  But Lindsay had scarcely ridden a mile, when he met the bishop of Durham, with 500 horse, whom he rode towards, believing them to be Scottish, until he was too near them to escape.  The bysshoppe stepte to him, and sayde, ’Limsay, ye are taken; yelde ye to me.’—­’Who be you?’ quod Limsay.  ‘I am,’ quod he, ’the bysshoppe of Durham.’—­’And fro whens come you, sir?’ quod Limsay.  ’I come fro the battell,’ quod the bysshoppe, ’but I strucke never a stroke there.  I go backe to Newcastell for this night, and ye shal go with me.’—­’I may not chuse,’ quod Limsay, ’sith ye will have it so.  I have taken, and I am taken; suche is the adventures of armes.’  Lindsay was accordingly conveyed to the bishop’s lodgings in Newcastle, and here he was met by his prisoner, Sir Matthew Reedman; who founde hym in a studye, lying in a windowe, and sayde, ’What!  Sir James Lindsay, what make you here?’ Than Sir James came forth of the study to him, and saydc, ’By my fayth, Sir Mathewe, fortune hath brought me hyder; for, as soon as I was departed fro you, I mete by chaunce the bisshoppe of Durham, to whom I am prisoner, as ye be to me.  I beleve ye shall not nede to come to Edenborowe to me to mak your fynaunce.  I thynk, rather, we shall make an exchange one for another, if the bysshoppe be also contente.’—­’Well, sir,’ quod Reedman, ’we shall accord ryghte well toguyder; ye shall dine this day with me:  the bysshoppe and our men be gone forth to fyght with your men.  I can nat tell what we shall know at their retourne.’—­’I am content to dyne with you,’ quod Limsay.”—­Froissart’s Chronicle, translated by Bourchier, Lord Berners, Vol.  I, chap. 146.

O gran bontà de’ cavalieri antiqui!  Eran rivali, eran di fè diversi; E si sentian, de gli aspri colpi iniqui, Per tutta la persona anco dolersi; E pur per selve oscure, e calle inqui Insieme van senza sospetto aversi. L’Orlando.

But the Jardines wald not with him ride.—­P. 64. v. 2.

The Jardines were a clan of hardy west-border men.  Their chief was Jardine of Applegirth.  Their refusal to ride with Douglas was, probably, the result of one of those perpetual feuds, which usually rent to pieces a Scottish army.

  And he that had a bonny boy,
  Sent out his horse to grass.—­P. 67. v, 4.

Froissard describes a Scottish host, of the same period, as consisting of “IIII.  M. men of armes, knightis, and squires, mounted on good horses; and other X.M. men of warre armed, after their gyse, right hardy and firse, mounted on lytle hackneys, the whiche were never tyed, nor kept at hard meat, but lette go to pasture in the fieldis and bushes.”—­Cronykle of Froissart, translated by Lord Berners, Chap. xvii.

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