turns to relax or guard the cattle. For me it was good to lay down on a broad smooth boulder and slumber in as
For almost 400 years from the early 14th century the ‘riding families’ - the Reivers - of the English and Scottish borders far as it was possible to do so.
conducted a seemingly unending series of raids, cattle-
Thoughts of Jane came back to me. There had
rustling and bloody reprisals. Simply to survive, they
been talk of her meeting up with a southerner from the
murdered, stole, burned and kidnapped. They even ran
protection rackets.
Warden’s office in Carlisle. At first I had thought them Reiver territory ranged from Carlisle to Berwick-on-Tweed only rumours, but I had heard more mention of it recent-and the wild, beautiful country up to 20 miles either side of ly and had felt fit to talk with her. For her part she had a line joining those two towns.
been upset at my lack of understanding.