A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



are not overdrawn. In spite of all the efforts of statesmen, the inhabitants 

 of these districts were known as ' the bad Borderers.' 



It is to the period under review that the famous episode of Kin- 

 mont Willie belongs. This noted freebooter, whose name is so familiar 

 in the complaints presented to the march courts, had been arrested by 

 the Musgraves in 1596 while in attendance at the court of Kershope, 

 and handed over to Mr. Salkeld, who immured him in the castle of 

 Carlisle. The legality of his arrest seems doubtful, and the explanations 

 of his captors read a little like accusations against themselves. In the 

 opinion of Lord Scrope there could be no question of the legality if the 

 attestation of the witnesses was true. Other reasons for detaining him 

 were his notorious enmity to the warden's office and the many outrages 

 lately done by his followers. 1 In a later despatch he added that men of 

 experience in Border causes regarded him as a lawful prisoner, if a Scots- 

 man ' in time of peace' may be so. 8 The bold Buccleuch, however, 

 took the law into his own hands and made his ' proude attempt ' 

 against her Majesty's castle of Carlisle, ' the chiefest fortresse in these 

 partes.' On 14 April 1596 the Scots, with ' 500 horsemen of Buclughes 

 and Kinmontes frendes, did come armed and appointed with gavlockes 

 and crowes of iron, handpeckes, axes and skailinge lathers, unto an owte- 

 warde corner of the base courte of this castell, and to the posterne dore 

 of the same : which they undermyned speedily and quietlye and made 

 themselves possessores of the base courte, brake into the chamber where 

 Will of Kinmont was, carried him awaye, and in their discoverie by 

 the watch lefte for deade two of the watchmen, hurte a servante of 

 myne, one of Kynmontes keperes, and were issued againe oute of the 

 posterne before they were descried by the watche of the innerwarde, 

 and ere resistance coulde be made.' The guard, Scrope continued, by 

 reason of the stormy night, were either asleep or had taken shelter from 

 the violence of the weather, by which means the Scots achieved the 

 enterprise with little difficulty. 3 Great was the rejoicing of the de- 

 liverers and deep was the annoyance of Lord Scrope. O^ueen Elizabeth 

 was not less incensed at the outrage offered to her representative. Sir 

 William Bowes, her agent at the court of James, was instructed to bring 

 the matter before the king, and to declare that peace could be no longer 

 maintained unless Buccleuch was handed over to answer for his offence. 

 In the end, after long negotiations, he was induced to surrender 

 himself in October 1597 to the queen's commissioner at Berwick, 4 

 where he remained until the beginning of the following year. He 

 was then released, leaving his son, a lad of ten years, to answer for 

 the pledges he had given of good behaviour. 5 In 1599 the queen 

 gave him leave to reside abroad, and it was probably on this occasion 



that she used the words so often quoted that * with ten thousand of 



A 



Border Papers (Scot. Rec. Pub.), ii. 114-5. The attestation of the Musgraves will be found in 

 Cal. of Salisbury MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), vi. 84-5. 



* Border Papers (Scot. Rec. Pub.), ii. 171. a Ibid. ii. 120-2. 



4 Ibid. ii. 416-9. 8 Ibid. ii. 516-7. 



280 



