Welcome to the Border Reivers Online. This site has been developed to offer an insight into the world of the Border Reiver. For those who are not aware of the term, Border Reiver applies to various inhabitants of the English-Scottish border between the c13th and the early c17th century.

The Border Reivers lived in a time of great upheaval within the area of the English-Scottish border. Past centuries had witnessed constant destruction brought on through devastating warfare and the ruinous ‘slash and burn’ policy of the era.

This left a harsh land whereby many of the inhabitants could no-longer find sustinance within the land they lived. Within this world the laws of the country were no longer adhered to and crime became the norm. Many took to the saddle and sought their livelihood at the expense of others. This took the form of cattle rustling, black-mail and kidnapping, where the strong ruled through fear and daring.

By the 16th century raids between feuding families and settlements were common place. The borders had now deteriated into a lawless anarchical buffer zone between England and Scotland.

For a full overview of the reivers and the land they lived in see this article here