The Rievers Are Raiding Again
“John, John, they are coming again…… the Rievers are raiding again”
My wife screamed at me as she ran to gather a precious few belongings.
I can see my son, Thomas, buckling his sword to his side as he shouts at the farm workers to run and hide.
This part of England has always been a perilous place to live, let alone raise a family, but the land is good, so here I am.
The Scots raiders and, more recently the Rievers have always plundered what is not theirs, from the scattered and small communities that lie here in Northumberland. This region struggles as there are not enough of us to defend ourselves and the kings armies are to the South.
Gerold, was the first farmer to build himself a tower, on the next hill over the valley….. others followed, as did I. Our fortification is called Preston Tower.
And it is the tower to which we shall run. Climbing into it we can pull up the ladder and they will not be able to get to us.
I see a pall of smoke rising above the forest….. our neighbours are being attacked. I hope they had time enough to climb into their haven as well.
“Elizabeth, leave that and run” I shout.
I quickly follow suit.
For many hundreds of years, people had raided the fertile farmlands of England. Sweeping down out of the highland areas, regularly, they wrought havoc on areas that we still call ‘the Marches’. Eventually, James Vl of Scotland, who was James l of England, placed garrisons all over the Highlands of Scotland to pacify the areas. Building roads in an attempt to improve their economy, he was successful in bringing peace to these savaged areas of his realm.
Before him Elizabeth 1 had sent inspectors to Hadrians Wall, to ascertain whether it could be used again, to house troops and militias…. She didn’t follow through on this programme and so local communities had to live with the terrors from the North.