The Last Raid

In April 1596, an audacious raid was led by Sir Walter Scott, the Bold Buccleuch, to free a hostage from the previously impregnable Carlisle Castle. This prisoner, unlawfully taken on a Truce Day by the English march warden Lord Scrope, was none other than the notorious bandit and killer Kinmont William Armstrong, one of the infamous Border Reivers.

A name known well throughout the Debatable Lands, the area along the border of Scotland and England, Kinmont Willie would find his way into song and legend following the daring escape, as would Buccleuch, himself no stranger to violence, robbery and bloodshed.

As Scrope and Buccleuch locked horns, the ramifications of the incident widened. With the Union of the Crowns just seven years in the future, an incident alongside the River Esk which started out of little consequence would impact the future of two nations.