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The
Ballad of Kinmont Willie
How they hae ta’en
bauld Kinmont William On Hairbee to hang him
up?
Hairbee - Harraby Had Willie had but
twenty men, But twenty men as stout
as he, Fause Salkelde had
never the Kinmont ta’en, Wi’ eight score in
his companie. They band his legs
beneath the steed, They tied his hands
behind his back; They guarded him
fivesome on each side And brought him ower
the Liddle-rack. They led him through
the Liddle-rack And also thro’ the
Carlisle sands; They brought him to
Carlisle castell To be at my Lord
Scrope’s commands. My hands are tied, but
my tongue is free, Ands whae will dare
this deed avow? Or answer by the Border
law? Or answer to the bauld
Buccleuch? “Now haud thy tongue,
thou rank reiver! There’s never a Scot
shall set ye free; Before ye cross my
castle-yett,
castle gate I trow ye shall take
farewell o’ me. “’Fear na ye
that,” quo Willie “By thy faith o’ my
bodie, Lord Scrope,” he said, ‘I never yet lodged
in a hostelrie But I paid my lawing
before I daed.’
Lawing - reckoning Now word is gane to the
bauld Keeper, In Branksome Ha’
where that he lay, That Lord Scrope has
ta’en the Kinmont Willie, Between the hours of
night and day. “He has ta’en the
table wi’ his hand, He garr’d the red
wind spring on hie; Now Christ’s curse on
my head,’ he said, ‘But avenge of Lord
Scrope I’ll be! “Is my basnet a
widow’s curch?
basnet - helmut Or my lance a wand of
the willow-tree? Or my arm a lady’s
lilye hand? That an English lord
should lightly me. “And have they
ta’en him Kinmont Willie, Against the truce of
Border tide And forgotten that the
bauld Buccleuch Is keeper here on the
Scottish Side? “And have they e’en
ta’en Kinmont Willie, Withouten either dread
or fear, And forgotten that the
bauld Buccleuch Can back a steed, or
shake a spear? “Oh were there war
between the lands, As well I wot there is
none, I would slight Carlisle
castell high, Though it were builded
of marble-stone. I would set that
castell in a lowe,
lowe - flame And sloken it with
English blood; There’s nevir a man
in Cumberland Should ken where
Carlisle castell stood. “But since nae war
between the lands, And there is peace, and
peace should be, I’ll neither harm
English lad of lass And yet the Kinmont
freed shall be! “He has call’d him
forty marchmen, I trow they were of his
ain name, Except Sir Gilbert
Elliot, call’d The laird of Stobs, I
mean the same. “He has call’d him
forty marchmen bauld, Were kinsmen to the
bauld Buccleuch With spur on heel, and
splent on spauld, spauld –
shoulderarmour And Gleuves of green,
and feathers blue. “There were five and
five before them a’ Wi’ hunting-horns and
bugles bright And five and five came
wi’ Buccleuch Like warden’s men,
arrayed for fight. And five and five like
a mason gang, That carried the
ladders lang and hie; And five and five,
like broken men; And so they reached the
Woodhouselee. And as we cross’d the
Bateable Land,
Debatable Land When to the English
side we held, The first o’ men that
we met wi’ Whae sould it be bu
fause Salk elde! “Where be ye gaun, ye
hunters keen?” Quo fause Salkelde,
”come tell to me!” “We go to hunt an
English stag, Has trespass’d on the
Scots countrie.” “Where be ye gaun, ye
marshall-men?” Quo fause Salkede,
“come tell me true!” ‘We go to catch a rank reiver, Has broken faith wi’
the bauld Buccleuch.” “Where are ye gaun,
ye mason-lads, Wi a’ your ladders
lang and hie?” “We gang to herry a
corbie’s nest, That wons not far frae
Woodhouselee.’ “Where be ye gaun, ye
broken men?” Quo fause Sakelde,
“come tell me!” Now Dickie of Dryhope led that band, And nevir a word of
lear had he.
Lear - lore “Why trespass ye on
the English side? Row-footed outlaws,
stand!” quo he; The nevir a word Dickie
to say, Sae he thrust the lance
thro’ his fause bodie.
And at Staneshawbank
the Eden we crossed; The water was great,
and mickle of spait,
in flood But the nevir a horse
no man we lost. And when we reached the
Staeshawbank, The wind was rising
loud and hie; And there the laird
garr’d leave our steeds, For fear that they
should stamp and nie. And when we left the
Staneshawbank The wind began full
loud to blaw, But ‘twas wind and
weet, and fire and sleet, When we came beneath
the castell-wa’. We crept on knees, and
held our breath, Till we placed the
ladders against the wa’ And sae ready was
Buccleuch himself To mount the first
before us a’. He has ta’en the
watchman by the throat He flung him down upon
the lead; Had there not peace
between our lands, Upon the other side
thou hast gaed! “Now sound out,
trumpets!’ quo Buccleuch; ‘Let’s waken Lord
Scrope right merrily!” Then loud the
Warden’s trumpet blew “O whae dare meddle
wi’ me?” Then speedilie to wark
we gaed And raised the slogan
ane and a’ And cut a hole thro’
a sheet of lead And so we wan to the
castle-ha’. They thought King James
and a’ his men Had won the house
wi’ bow and
speir It was but twenty Scots
and ten That put a thousand in
sic a stead.
stear - stir “Wi’ coulters and
wi’ forehammers, We garr’d the bars
bang merrilie, Until we came to the
inner prison, Where Willie Kinmont he
did lie. And when they came to
the lower prison Where Willie o’
Kinmont he did lie. ‘O sleep ye, wake ye,
Kinmont Willie, Upon the morn that
thou’s to die?’ “O I sleep saft, and
I wake aft It’s lang since
sleeping was fley’d frae me;
frightened Gie my service back to
my wife and bairns, And a’ guide fellows
that speir for me.’
speir - enquire “Then Red Rowan has
hent him up, The starkest man in
Teviotdale: Abide, abide now, Red
Rowan, Till of my Lord Scrope
I take farewell. “Farewell, farewell,
my good Lord Scrope! My gude Lord Scrope,
farewell!’ he cried ‘I’ll pay for my
lodging maill
maill - rent When first we meet on
the border-side.” Then shoulder high,
with shout and cry, We bore him down the
ladder lang; At every stride Red
Rowan made, I wot the Kinmont’s
airns play’d clang. “O mony a time,
“quo Kinmont Willie, “I have ridden horse
baith wild and wud; But a rougher beast the
Red Rown I ween my legs have
ne’er bestrode. “And mony a time,
”quo Kinmont Willie, ‘I’ve prick’d a
horse out oure the furs;
furs - furrows But since the day I
backed a steed, I nevir wore sic
cumbrous spurs!” We scarce had won the
Staneshawbank, When a’ the Carlisle
bells were rung, And a thousand men, in
horse and foot, Cam wi’ the keen Lord
Scrope along. “Buccleuch has
turn’d to Eden water, Even where it flowed
frae bank to brim, And he has plunged in
wi’ a’ his band, And safely swam then
thro’ the stream. He turn’d him on the
other side, And at Lord Scrope his
glove flung he; “If ye like na my
visit in merry England, In fair Scotland come
visit me!” All sore astonish’d
stood Lord Scrope He stood as still as
rock of stane; He scarcely dared to
trew his eyes
trew - believe When through the water
they had gane. “He is either himself
a devil frae hell, Or else his mother a
witch maun be
maun - must I wadna have ridden
that wan water For a’ the gowd in Chistentie.”
gowd - gold
THE END
Harraby
is Carlisle's hanging place.
Woodhouselee
Lee passed by Willie on his way home.
Can
be found map ref: 73 37 74
For
more about the Debatable Land, see Border Features.
Buccleuch
was Keeper of Liddesdale. Pronounced Buck-loo with the
emphasis
on the loo.
Lord
Scrope was the English Warden of the West March, based at Carlisle Castle.
Salkeld
was his deputy.
Dickie of Dryhope was another notorious reiver. |
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