Wattie's Spindles (1)
After a night in a hotel in Selkirk, I have returned to the parish of Southdean to look for a few more border peel towers, the first of which will be the curiously named Wattie's Spindles. I have climbed up to the hill fort that crowns Shaw Craigs, from where I hope to be able to find evidence of three peel towers with my drone. Regardless of whether that proves to be successful, it has been worth it just for the view. This part of the country is almost entirely blanketed with forestry plantations, which has preserved the ruins from the depredations of man and his animals, for the last century anyway, however the long and ungrazed grass tends to conceal wall foundations.
The large hill left of centre is Carter Fell, part of The Cheviot Hills. The border with England runs along the skyline. The low point to its left is Carter Bar, where the A68 can just be seen climbing up to cross over it. Carter Bar was the place where the Scottish and English Wardens of the Marches met on truce days to sort out disputes and hand down judgements in order to keep the peace. In July 1575, quite the opposite occurred!
Sir John Carmichael, the Scottish Warden of the Western March, brought with him a small band of pikemen and gunmen, as his counterpart, Sir John Forster was known for double-dealing, and Carmichael half expected trouble. Not long after the meeting got underway, an argument arose over an English thief, who was supposedly in Forster's custody but who could not be produced. Before long insults were exchanged, which was not unusual, following which fighting broke out, during which two Scots were killed. The English are said to have opened fire with a cannon, although quite why you would bring a cannon to a meeting held under a truce, history fails to relate! With the English getting the better of things, the timely arrival of Scottish reinforcements from Jedburgh turned the situation around, and the English were eventually routed. Sir John Forster and a number of other English nobles were captured and 25 Englishmen killed. The prisoners were an embarrassment for both governments and were eventually released.
Wattie's Spindles (1)
After a night in a hotel in Selkirk, I have returned to the parish of Southdean to look for a few more border peel towers, the first of which will be the curiously named Wattie's Spindles. I have climbed up to the hill fort that crowns Shaw Craigs, from where I hope to be able to find evidence of three peel towers with my drone. Regardless of whether that proves to be successful, it has been worth it just for the view. This part of the country is almost entirely blanketed with forestry plantations, which has preserved the ruins from the depredations of man and his animals, for the last century anyway, however the long and ungrazed grass tends to conceal wall foundations.
The large hill left of centre is Carter Fell, part of The Cheviot Hills. The border with England runs along the skyline. The low point to its left is Carter Bar, where the A68 can just be seen climbing up to cross over it. Carter Bar was the place where the Scottish and English Wardens of the Marches met on truce days to sort out disputes and hand down judgements in order to keep the peace. In July 1575, quite the opposite occurred!
Sir John Carmichael, the Scottish Warden of the Western March, brought with him a small band of pikemen and gunmen, as his counterpart, Sir John Forster was known for double-dealing, and Carmichael half expected trouble. Not long after the meeting got underway, an argument arose over an English thief, who was supposedly in Forster's custody but who could not be produced. Before long insults were exchanged, which was not unusual, following which fighting broke out, during which two Scots were killed. The English are said to have opened fire with a cannon, although quite why you would bring a cannon to a meeting held under a truce, history fails to relate! With the English getting the better of things, the timely arrival of Scottish reinforcements from Jedburgh turned the situation around, and the English were eventually routed. Sir John Forster and a number of other English nobles were captured and 25 Englishmen killed. The prisoners were an embarrassment for both governments and were eventually released.