The Reiver came from every social class from labourer to peer of the realm. The reiving (raiding or plundering) of livestock was however a totally different matter, and so it became the principal business of the Border families. Why bother planting crops if they may be burned before they could be harvested? The continuing threat of renewed conflict offered little incentive to arable farming. The Reivers were the product of the constant English-Scottish wars that would often reduce the Border area to a wasteland. And it was common for these families to straddle the Border. It was a time when people owed their tribal or clan loyalty to their blood relatives or families. Cattle rustling, feuding, murder, arson and pillaging were all common occurrences. In those days, this Border displayed all of the characteristics of a frontier, lacking law and order. It concerns the border between the two sovereign countries of England and Scotland. The story of the Reivers dates from the 14th century and continued through into the late 17th century. And, if you do share one of these surnames, you may be advised not to read on… If your surname is Armstrong, Maxwell, Johnston, Graham, Bell, Scott, Nixon, Kerr, Crozier or Robson then your family history, just like the astronaut Neil Armstrong’s, may very well be intertwined with the Border Reivers.
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