Border Reivers

In the tumultuous world of the border reivers, they found time to play football

The Border Reivers were families engaged in raiding, feuding and cattle rustling in a lawless and contested frontier region between England and Scotland. The “borders” had seen much conflict over the medieval period, as England and Scotland waged war on eachother. This war ravaged region with its tough terrain and tempestuous climate produced hardy and resourceful people whose allegiance was only to their family name. Notorious Reiver names include Armstrong, Elliot, Maxwell, Scott, Johnson, Bell, Hall, Charlton, Milburn and Croser to name a few. Due to the constant threat of war, raiding and feuds they lived in fortified dwellings known as bastle houses or pele towers (not named after the famous Brazilian footballer, or was that obvious?). The heads of these families could be likened to Mafia bosses and had just as interesting nicknames, such as, Willie “Redcloak” Bell, Nebless Cleme Croser, Fingerless Will Nixon, Archie Fire-the-Braes, Ill drowned Geordie, Gav-yt-hem, Dand the Man, Ower the moss, Mouse, Unhappy Athone, Hob the King, As it Luiks and Sweetmilk. I promise they are not made up. They came to be know collectively as "The Steel Bonnets" due to the burgonet or comb morion helmets they wore. Always ready for trouble, there every day clothing was designed to protect them and they often wore quilted jackets, made from leather or a Jack ( jak of plaite). A Jack was sleeveless and sometimes worn over a shirt of mail. It consisted of two or three layers of quilted cloth with small iron plates overlapping each other stitched between the layers of cloth.

Willie "Redcloak" Bell and Fingerless Will Nixon challenging for the ball

By all accounts they would need to wear armour when playing, the most common injury in medieval football was stabbing

(no seriously, it was)

These heads of families were responsible for extortion, bribery, theft, blackmail, murder and more. In fact, the terms “black mail” and “red handed” were coined in the Scottish/English borders. In the 16th Century, “mail” meant “tax”. When tenants paid rent to their landlords, it was often in silver, which became known as “white mail”. During this time the Reivers began setting up protection rackets, demanding money from tenant farmers in return for not raiding them. If the farmers didn't have money then they could pay in things like animals or grain and in some cases even land. Eventually, this villainous practice became known as “black mail”. “Red handed” comes from a more obvious place,as when a Reiver was caught in the act of stealing livestock or committing murder, it was said that he had been “caught at the rede hand”, which literally meant “with blood on your hands”. If an outlaw was caught, there was often no hearing or reprieve, instead they would simply be executed on the spot. Final one before we get onto the football, “bereaved”. The Reavers were murderers if nothing else and when they murdered a member of your family you were said to have been “be-reaved”.

The “golden age” of the Border Reivers was in the 16th century. While their primary historical legacy is tied to violence, survival and family loyalties, there is an interesting historical association with the game of football in this period.

Mob football as a border tradition

 In the 16th century, football in Scotland and England was not the organised sport we know today, but a chaotic and often violent game played between rival communities. The physical and aggressive nature of the game must have been a draw to the Reivers.

The Border Reivers, living in a region marked by frequent feuds, adopted this combative form of football as part of their cultural expression. For the Reivers, football often mirrored their own turbulent lifestyles, emphasising strength, teamwork and territorial competition. They did not need to practice archery or learn dexterity with the lance or sword. These skills were honed from a young age in the many raids they embarked upon between the months of September to November (Martinmas). These were known as the “dark time” of the year. Due to their lawless nature the Reivers had more time on their hands than most medieval folk, allowing them to indulge in pastimes like football.

Everyone in medieval England and Scotland carried a dagger, hence the "accidental" stabbing during football matches.

Interesting kits, baggy pants versus non baggy pants

Football and family identity

 Family rivalries among the Border Reivers could manifest during football matches re-enforcing bonds within the group while competing against rivals. Football matches were an extension of the Reiver’s spirit of loyalty to their “kin”, akin to their raiding activities. These football matches often coincided with festivals, gatherings or periods of relative peace, offering a structured outlet for inter community competition. “Truce Days” were gatherings where the warring families of the Anglo-Scottish border would come together to conduct trials, negotiate treaties and ensure safe passage for witnesses. There was also partying, drinking and of course football…and fighting.

Violence and football

 Just as the Reivers’ lives were steeped in violence, early football matches were notorious for their lack of restraint. Injuries and deaths during these matches were not uncommon, reflecting the harsh realities of life in the borderlands.

In 1599 a six-a-side football match involving teams made up of borderers, one from the Scottish side versus one from the English side played at Bewcastle (Cumbria, England). What could possibly go wrong? Along with the teams came many spectators, the Scottish, mainly Armstrongs and their followers and the English side, the Ridleys and their followers. There is no record of the score. However, the match was interrupted by a raiding party and all hell broke loose, a member of the Ridley family had his throat cut, a Robson was killed and thirty of the spectators were captured. Imagine those headlines on Sky Sports News.

Carnage at Bewcastle

The meadow that will be forever Scotland

By the River Tweed near the village of Wark, there is a small riverside meadow of approximately 3 acres. This piece of land is known as the "Ba Green" and it is said locally that every year the men of Coldstream (Scotland) would play mob football with the men of Wark (England), and the winning side would claim the Ba Green for their country. As Coldstream grew to have a larger population than Wark, the Coldstream men always defeated the Wark men at the game, and so the land became a permanent part of Scotland. 

In 1790 a less incident-packed match took place between the men of Tynedale and Redesdale at Kielder castle. The final score was Tynedale 3, Redesdale 2. No fatalities, throats cut, stabbings or raids were recorded that day. However, by this time it had been nearly two hundred years since the end of the “golden age” of the reivers, James VI of Scotland (James I of England) put pay to that. Many Reivers were executed without trial, many were forced to join the army to fight in foreign wars or others forced to emigrate.

Tynedale versus Redesdale. A more civilised encounter.

Legacy in modern football

While there is no direct lineage connecting Border Reivers to modern football, the tradition of rough and tumble communal games in the Borders contributed to the development of football as a pastime in the region. Today, the cultural memory of the Reivers and their rough football matches adds a unique historical dimension to the sport’s origins in Scotland and England.