Scottish Border Legends..Kinmont Willie

A man searches for the lost grave of notorious Border Reiver Kinmont Willie Armstrong. And also re-lives some of Kinmonts great escapades.

[@charlesarmstrong5292]

Hi Mark, very much enjoyed your unique and entertaining account of "Kinmont Willie" William Armstrong. Fascinating how his influence cast so wide. I loved the commemorative Tree and Plaque. Thanks for your care in doing that, John Armstrong.

[@pamelapoore8759]

You captured the true spirit of the Scottish people in this story!!!

[@MarkNicol123]

Pamela Poore cheers Pamela😁😁

[@brianmavity737]

Always enjoy your videos. My ancestor was Kinmont Willies writer or attorney named Robt Makillwitty (MacVitie)

[@jackharrison4249]

you teaching more about my home land than our bloody teachers taught us in school thank you

[@maipenraionyourthai1943]

Well played by The Bold Buccleuch! You don't give him enough credit!

[@kevinbell2782]

Great video. Kinmont Willie now has a drink named in his honour. Take a mug of tea (I use Earl Grey), mix in a generous helping of Scotch. No milk, no sugar. There you have what I have dubbed a "Black Willie." You can use Rooibos tea instead and it is called a "Red Willie." I first learnt about Willie while doing family history research, it seems that some family in that dim and distant past rode with Scott to get Willie out. Thus the drink named in his honour.

[@MarkNicol123]

Kevin Bell never heard of that, will need to give it a try! Thanks for watching

[@jeepdickbirgade4979]

Lovely what type of scotch do you use

[@29091947]

Hi Mark I enjoyed your post According to the book "The Steel Bonnets" By George MacDonald Fraser He was not "broken oot". The castle guard under command of an English Lord ( Musgrave I believe and who also wanted the wardenship of The Western March) who had dealings with The Armstrongs opened a small postern gate to allow him to escape which you can still see. There was no violence on the day or capture of the castle. That was just Scrope's excuse for his escape when it was probably just the return of a favour which also nearly started a war A lot of clan leaders (including English ones) had their feet in both camps But that is only one book's opinion The Scottish kings seem to have done more harm to the Armstrong clan than the English ever did it was a Scottish king who hung Johnny Armstrong on another "day of truce" and yet another who perpetrated the clearances of The Armstrongs's and other Border clan's to Ireland and,in due course took their lands and gave them to the Scott clan and others who still own them to this day "I want my country back" . Hmm, where have I heard that before ? Do not forget that the riding clans lived and operated on BOTH sides of the Border and were probably equally hated on both sides due to the fact that they prolonged violence on The Border for hundreds of years after the Anglo/ Scottish wars ended and peaceful folk could not just get on with their lives They turned to reiving in the first place because it was a waste of time farming due to both English and Scottish armies laying waste to their lands while invading either country If you visit the Armstrong Museum at Langholme you will also find that the Armstrongs were descended from King Canute (English/Danish ?) David the First resided in Carlisle Castle for over 20 years and died there after building the magnificent gatehouse Best regards

[@MarkNicol123]

Yes there are a few different versions of events, from different books, and there was without doubt inside help from the castle, but it was still a daring raid nonetheless. But you are right when King James VI of Scotland became King of all Britain it was him more than anyone who murdered and persecuted the Armstrong's, Graham's and Elliot's almost out of existence. Have you seen my Johnie Armstrong video?

[@jacktanner4948]

​@@MarkNicol123 Just a question, do you have any thoughts about the non reiving folk who lived on both sides of the border who were persecuted by these families? I don't think many people had cause to mourn the loss of the reivers both in Scotland and England.

[@stanleytipsword9560]

Ahh the keen Lord Scrope

[@theresearmstrong357]

I have visited this castle in 2007, during a wonderful visit to the lands of my ancestors.

[@fordrenton6640]

Well done Mark, my favourite of all Border legends

[@MarkNicol123]

Cheers Ford!! Aye it's a great tale, especially when looking up at the walls of Carlisle castle from below.

[@fordrenton6640]

Ye'll hae read this? If not its a great read. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009RVT6OE/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

[@MarkNicol123]

Thought I'd read all there was to read on this subject, but I've never even heard of that book will need to order it. Cheers Ford!!

[@fordrenton6640]

Its a good yarn. Spilt in two halves. First half is the story based on facts and probabilities with claim and counter claim. The second half is the story written as a historical novel. As you commented, there are many versions supposedly based on facts, including G MacDonald Fraser's, but since nane o' oo were there whae's tae say for sure. If it wusnae a brek oot then why was Bold Buccleuch summoned to London? I know which version I prefer.

[@eric8381]

I heard Kinmont Willie was carried out of Carlisle Castle on William "Redcloak" Bell's back, alongside fellow Bell brothers. It is believed William Bell was Kinmont Willie's brother-in-law.

[@watspoon1837]

I know Redcloak's aunt was a Graham who was Kinmont Willie's wife as well

[@sunshinesilverarrow5292]

Thank you! 🌻

[@dreggman898]

Never forget the scores of ledgendary Armstrongs throughout history!

[@grootjnr]

Nice one. was on holiday last week, visited Hexam Jail, lots of border Reiver stuff there but from the English perspective I think. the earliest jail in the country and was full of border Reivers in its time.

[@MarkNicol123]

Aye a lot went on down in that area. The Hawick flag from their common riding was taken from Hexham men raiding into Scotland. Apparently there's a replica of it in the abbey in Hexham.

[@jeepdickbirgade4979]

Thanks for that , i wish i lived thered there id find a way to build a monument for my great grandfather hes up there with his grandfathers son johnnie gilnockie

[@RandyRazUllon]

Really been enjoying your history talks and walks in the Borders. (FYI: An American here, just kind of obsessed with all thing Reiver.) Any chance you'd do a viewer request from just the other side of Liddesdale? Wondering what you know about Dicky Kingswood. Keep up the fun vid. It's nice to see someone over there who cares about history beyond Roman or "Viking" related. ;)

[@MarkNicol123]

Thanks Randy! Heard of Dicky Kingswood ...... Will do a bit of digging see if I can get a story out of his exploits. Mark Nicol

[@RandyRazUllon]

That would be awesome. :)

[@oldman9843]

I really enjoy your videos they are very interesting . Could you make one sometime on my ancestors , the Clan Johnstone ?

[@grootjnr]

yea visited the Abbey too, never noticed the flag though! lots of interesting stuff in Hexam

[@davidlambie5276]

Another great video been binge watching for bout an hour now lol crackin 👍

[@wulltaylor]

On passing a haystack willie said "if that had legs I'd be away with it" pmsl wit a guy

[@sports872]

All this should be taught in our schools. We never got any Scottish history!

[@kathyarmstrong8739]

my ancestor......

[@thebroaderreiver9051]

och i.. a ken man... thaa greet... "Wor Willie"... ya ken...

[@livormesher8754]

my ancestor

[@jeepdickbirgade4979]

Which line I have the pedigree

[@hamlet2554]

William ‘Kinmont Willie’ (d.c.1605), from Kinmont Tower (near Canonby), he was a renowned rieving leader of his day. He was said to be descended from ‘Ill Will’ and was proba- bly son of ‘Ill Will’s Sandy’. In 1569 he was ‘of Morton Tower’ when he pledged to obey the Wardens, with Lord Maxwell as surety. In 1579 he appeared before the Privy Council related to a feud with Thomas Turnbull of Bedrule. Also in 1579 he and 400 Armstrong followers are said to have killed Uswold Dod, and stolen 800 cattle and 1,000 sheep. In 1583 Lord Scrope demanded un- successfully that the Laird of Johnstone (Scottish Warden) hand him over; he was said to be respon- sible for 600 murders and the stealing of 400 cat- tle, 400 sheep and 30 horses. He is listed in 1585 among a huge number of men in the lands that had Lord Maxwell as superior, who had remission for their former crimes; he is recorded there as ‘William Armestrang callit Kynmont’. His sons ‘Johne, Geordie, Francie, Thome, Sandie, Jhonn and Ringane’ are also listed, as well as his brother ‘Serge’ and Martin MacVitie, his ‘writer’ (i.e. le- gal clerk, suggesting he held a position of some importance). This is probably related to hav- ing been on the expedition to Stirling against the Earl of Arran, when he and his sons ransacked the town. In 1587 he was imprisoned, but es- caped. In 1590 he appears on the Privy Council’s list of men allowed to rent land in the ‘debateable land’. Lord Maxwell again acted as surety for his good behaviour in 1591. He is surely the same ‘Will of Kinmouth’ listed among Border chiefs by Monipennie sometime before 1594; the head- ing is ‘Sandeis Barnes Armestrangs’, which prob- ably means ‘Alexander’s bairns’. In 1594 he had an agreement with Thomas, Lord Scrope, where he assumed responsibility for 300 men. How- ever, in 1596 he was captured by an English party (led by Thomas Salkeld) who crossed the Liddel to grab him on a Day of Truce. When complaints by Lord Buccleuch (then Keeper of Liddesdale) were ignored Buccleuch gathered a group of 80 men (probably including some En- glish spies, as well as many Scotts, among them said to be 4 of his sons), and led them on a dar- ing of him from Carlisle Castle. This was pop- ularised in a ballad, which was first published in the ‘Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border’. The raid probably heightened tensions between Scot- land and England, but sealed the reputation of ‘the Bold Buccleuch’. Later in 1596 he abducted the English Captain Sir Thomas Musgrave and held him for ransom, which led him to be impris- oned by the Scottish King. In 1600 he caused another international incident by buying a mare that had been stolen from England, leading to a raid by 200 English horsemen and 80 on foot, with a skirmish at Kinmont Tower. He is last recorded in 1603 when Scrope complained that he had raided the towns of High and Low Hes- kett in Cumberland. Before 1583 he married a daughter of ‘Hotchane Graham’ and sister of ‘Hotchans Ritche’ and ‘Huchens Androwe’; his sons at that time included Jock, George and Fran- cis. His sons Francis and Alexander are recorded in 1609, by which time he appears to have been deceased. He also had a daughter who mar- ried Thomas Carleton, constable to Lord Henry Scrope. He is said to have died of old age and is buried at Sark. It is possible that he is the ‘umquhile Young Will of Kinmont in Mortontour’ whose widow ‘Blench Irwing’ is listed in 1607, along with many Armstrongs and others charged with preventing the King’s appointees from tak- ing possession of the Debatable Lands. Courtesy of the Hawick Word Book by Professor Douglas Scott

[@MarkNicol123]

Aye he was extremely productive!

[@elieshasteffanson5758]

My 11th great-grandfather.

[@elytillidie1]

Good

[@MicrowavePing]

Music is really annoying