English and Scottish Ballads Volume VI Part 18

Three, on they laid weel at the last. 140 Except the hors.e.m.e.n of the guard, If I could put men to availe, None stoutlier stood out for their laird, Nor did the lads of Liddisdail.

But little harness had we there; 145 But auld Badreule had on a jack,[L146]

And did right weel, I you declare, With all his Trumbills at his back.

Gude Edderstane was not to lack,[L149]

Nor Kirktoun, Newton, n.o.ble men![L150] 150 Thir's all the specials I of speake, By others that I could not ken.

Who did invent that day of play, We need not fear to find him soon; For Sir John Forster, I dare well say, 155 Made us this noisome afternoon.

Not that I speak preceislie out, That he supposed it would be perril; But pride, and breaking out of feuid, Garr'd Tindaill lads begin the quarrel. 160

2. _Swire_ signifies the descent of a hill, and the epithet _Red_ is derived from the color of the heath, or perhaps, from the Reid-water, which rises at no great distance.--S.

11. The Laird's Wat is perhaps the young Buccleuch, who, about twenty years after this _raid_, performed the great exploit of rescuing Kinmont Willie from Carlisle Castle.--S.

14. This clan are here mentioned as not being hail, or whole, because they were outlawed or broken men. Indeed, many of them had become Englishmen, as the phrase then went. There was an old alliance betwixt the Elliots and Armstrongs, here alluded to.--S.

18. Douglas of Cavers, hereditary Sheriff of Teviotdale, descended from Black Archibald, who carried the standard of his father, the Earl of Douglas, at the battle of Otterbourne.--See the ballad of that name.--S.

24. These were ancient and powerful clans, residing chiefly upon the river Jed. Hence, they naturally convoyed the town of Jedburgh out. The following fragment of an old ballad is quoted in a letter from an aged gentleman of this name, residing at New York, to a friend in Scotland:--

"Bauld Rutherfurd, he was fou stout, Wi' a' his nine sons him round about; He led the town o' Jedburgh out, All bravely fought that day."--S.

31. Sir John Forster, or, more properly, Forrester, of Balmbrough Abbey, Warden of the Middle Marches in 1561, was deputy-governor of Berwick, and governor of Balmborough Castle.--S.

34. George Heron Miles of Chipchase Castle, probably the same who was slain at the Reidswire, was Sheriff of Northumberland, 13th Elizabeth.--S.

46. These are districts, or dales, on the English Border.

48. Mr. George Ellis suggests, with great probability, that this is a mistake, not for Hebburne, as the Editor stated in an earlier edition, but for Hexham, which, with its territory, formed a county independent of Northumberland, with which it is here ranked.--S.

56. The Fenwicks; a powerful and numerous Northumberland clan.--S.

98. The gathering word peculiar to a certain name, or set of people, was termed _slogan_ or _slughorn_, and was always repeated at an onset, as well as on many other occasions. It was usually the name of the clan, or place of rendezvous, or leader. In 1335, the English, led by Thomas of Rosslyne, and William Moubray, a.s.saulted Aberdeen. The former was mortally wounded in the onset; and, as his followers were pressing forward, shouting "_Rosslyne! Rosslyne!_" "Cry _Moubray_," said the expiring chieftain; "_Rosslyne_ is gone!"--S.

115. The ballad-maker here ascribes the victory to the real cause; for the English Borderers dispersing to plunder the merchandise, gave the opposite party time to recover from their surprise. It seems to have been usual for travelling merchants to attend Border meetings, although one would have thought the kind of company usually a.s.sembled there might have deterred them.--S.

121. This gentleman was son to the Earl of Bedford, and Warden of the East Marches. He was, at this time, chamberlain of Berwick.--S.

123. Fenwick of Wallington, a powerful Northumbrian chief.--S.

128. Sir Cuthbert Collingwood of Esslington, Sheriff of Northumberland, the 10th and 20th of Elizabeth.--S.

129. The Shaftoes are an ancient family settled at Bavington, in Northumberland, since the time of Edward I.--S.

132. An ancient family on the Borders. The Laird of Mowe here mentioned was the only gentleman of note killed in the skirmish on the Scottish side.--S.

136. Graden, a family of Kers.--S.

139. Douglas of Beanjeddart, an ancient branch of the house of Cavers, possessing property near the junction of the Jed and Teviot.

_Hundlie._--Rutherford of Hundlie, or Hundalee, situated on the Jed above Jedburgh. _Hunthill._--The old tower of Hunthill was situated about a mile above Jedburgh. It was the patrimony of an ancient family of Rutherfords. I suppose the person, here meant, to be the same who is renowned in tradition by the name of the _c.o.c.k of Hunthill_.--S.

146. Sir Andrew Turnbull of Bedrule, upon Rule Water.--S.

149. An ancient family of Rutherfords; I believe, indeed, the most ancient now extant.--S.

150. The parish of Kirktoun belonged, I believe, about this time, to a branch of the Cavers family; but Kirkton of Stewartfield is mentioned in the list of Border clans in 1597. _Newton._--This is probably Grinyslaw of Little Newton, mentioned in the said roll of Border clans.--S.

THE DEATH OF PARCY REED.

Taken down from the recitation of an old woman, and first published (certainly not without what are called "improvements") in Richardson's _Borderer's Table Book_, vol. vii. p. 364, with an introduction by Mr.

Robert White, which we here abridge.

Percival or Parcy Reed, was proprietor of Troughend, a tract of land in Redesdale, Northumberland, a man of courage and devoted to the chase.

Having been appointed warden of the district, he had the misfortune in the discharge of his duties, to offend a family of the name of Hall, who were owners of the farm of Girsonsfield, and also to incur the enmity of a band of moss-troopers, Crosier by name, some of whom had been brought to justice by his hands. The Halls concealed their resentment until they were able to contrive an opportunity for taking a safe revenge. In pursuance of this design, they requested Reed to join them on a hunting party. Their invitation was unsuspiciously accepted, and after a day of sport the company retired to a solitary hut in the lonely glen of Batinghope. Here Reed was attacked in the evening by the Crosiers, and as the Halls not only refused their a.s.sistance, but had treacherously deprived him of the means of defence by rendering his sword and gun unserviceable, he fell an easy victim to his savage foes.

It is probable that we cannot a.s.sign to the event on which this piece is founded, a date later than the sixteenth century.

The story of Parcy Reed is alluded to in _Rokeby_, canto first, XX.; Sir Walter Scott has also taken the death of his dog Keeldar as the subject of a poem contributed to Hood's annual, _The Gem_, for 1829.

G.o.d send the land deliverance Frae every reaving, riding Scot; We'll sune hae neither cow nor ewe, We'll sune hae neither staig nor stot.

The outlaws come frae Liddesdale, 5 They herry Redesdale far and near; The rich man's gelding it maun gang, They canna pa.s.s the puir man's mear.

Sure it were weel, had ilka thief Around his neck a halter strang; 10 And curses heavy may they light On traitors vile oursels amang.

Now Parcy Reed has Crosier ta'en, He has delivered him to the law; But Crosier says he'll do waur than that, 15 He'll make the tower o' Troughend fa'.

And Crosier says he will do waur-- He will do waur if waur can be; He'll make the bairns a' fatherless; And then, the land it may lie lee. 20

"To the hunting, ho!" cried Parcy Reed, "The morning sun is on the dew; The cauler breeze frae off the fells Will lead the dogs to the quarry true.

"To the hunting, ho!" cried Parcy Reed, 25 And to the hunting he has gane; And the three fause Ha's o' Girsonsfield Alang wi' him he has them ta'en.

They hunted high, they hunted low, By heathery hill and birken shaw; 30 They raised a buck on Rooken Edge, And blew the mort at fair Ealylawe.

They hunted high, they hunted low, They made the echoes ring amain; With music sweet o' horn and hound, 35 They merry made fair Redesdale glen.

They hunted high, they hunted low, They hunted up, they hunted down, Until the day was past the prime, And it grew late in the afternoon. 40

They hunted high in Batinghope, When as the sun was sinking low, Says Parcy then, "Ca' off the dogs, We'll bait our steeds and homeward go."

They lighted high in Batinghope, 45 Atween the brown and benty ground; They had but rested a little while, Till Parcy Reed was sleeping sound.

There's nane may lean on a rotten staff, But him that risks to get a fa'; 50 There's nane may in a traitor trust, And traitors black were every Ha'.