button to main menu  Clarke's Survey of the Lakes, 1787

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Page 12:-
"a proclamation in the King of England's name, that all manner of men should come in and make an oath to the King's Majesty, every man at his peril. They all came and swore, whereof I made a book, and sent it to the Lord Wharton, and I so continued about ten days. And so making proclamation, that whoso would come in and make oath, and lay in pledges to serve the King's Majesty of England, should have our aid and maintenance; and who would not, we would be on them with fire and sword. Many of the lairds of Nidsdale and Galloway came in and laid in pledges, but the town of Kirkobree, being 24 miles from Dumfries, refused; insomuch that the Lord Wharton moved me, if possible, to give the same town of Kirkobree a preiffe to burn it. And so we rode thither one night, and coming a little after sun-rising, they who saw us coming barred their gates and kept their dykes; for the town is dyked on both sides, with a gate to the wall's-ward, and a gate to the over-end, and to the fellward; there we lited on foot, and gave the town a sharp onset and assault, and slew one honest man in the town with an arrow; in so much, that one wife came to the dyke, and called for one that would take her husband and save his life. Anthony Armstrong being ready, said, "Fetch him to me, and I'll warrant his life." The woman ran into the town and fetched her husband, and brought him through the dyke, and delivered him to the said Armstrong, who brought him into England and ransomed him. The tutor of Bombye, near adjoining the said town, impeached us with a company of men, and so we drew from the town and gave Bombye the onser, where were slain, of our part, Clement Taylor; of theirs three, and divers taken, the rest fled. And so we returned, seized abut 2000 sheep, 200 kye and oxen, 40 or 50 horses, mares, and colts, and brought the same towards Dumfries. The country behind the water of Dee gathered and came to a place called the Forehead-Ford, so we left all our sheep, and put our worst-horsed men before our nowte and naggs, and sent 30 of the best horsed to precke at the Scots if they should come over the water, and I to abide with the standard in their relief; which the Scots perceiving, stayed and came not over, so that we passed that night to Dumfries, leaving the goods in safety with men and a good watch. In the morning we repaired to the goods, a mile beyond Dumfries, of intent to have divided and dealt the booty, and some claimed this cow and that nagg under assurance, and ran through the goods. Above all, one man of the laird of Empesfielde came amongst the goods, and would needs take one cow, and would be stopped by no man, insomuch that one Thomas Taylor, called Tom with the Bow, ___ so that the blood ran down over his shoulders. Going to his master there, and crying out, his master went with him to the master Maxwell; the master Maxwell came with a great rout after him, and brought the man with a bloody head to me, saying with an earnest countenance, "Is this, think ye, well, both to take our goods and thus to shed our blood?" I considering the matter at present to be two for one, thought best to use him and the rest of the Scots with good words and fair speeches, for they were determined to have even there given us an onset, and to have made that their quarrel; so I persuaded him and the rest to stay themselves, and for the man that hurt the other man, he should be punished to the example of all others to commit the like, giving him that gave the stroke sharp words before them, and the goods should all be stayed, and none dealt till the next morrow, and then every man to come that had any claim, and, upon proof, it should be redressed; and thus witted every man quietly for that time to depart. Upon this we all agreed, and so we left the goods in safe keeping to come to Dumfries about one of the clock in the afternoon, giving every one of the garrison secret orders to put on their sacks, and bridle and saddle their horses, and meet me immediately at the bridge, and so they did. I sent 42 men for the goods, and to meet me at a ford a mile above the town where we brought the goods over, and so came by Lochmaben and divided them that night, and brought them to Cannonby, where we remained before; and thus with wiles we beguiled the Scots.
"Considering Cannonby to be far from the enemy, for at that time all Annerdale, Liddisdale, and a great part both of Nidsdale and Galloway were in assurance,
"and
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