Clan Bell

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I inherited a book of Scottish tartans, and for each one it tells you some info and there's a drawing of some some hard case wearing it and waving his claymore about.
I once looked up my weedy mate's clan, and instead of a hard jock bastard about to kill some sassenachs, his fella was lying in a pool of blood as the red coats came round the corner to finish him off. The only one in the entire book not looking heroic.

Clan Brodie :lol::lol:
 
I inherited a book of Scottish tartans, and for each one it tells you some info and there's a drawing of some some hard case wearing it and waving his claymore about.
I once looked up my weedy mate's clan, and instead of a hard jock bastard about to kill some sassenachs, his fella was lying in a pool of blood as the red coats came round the corner to finish him off. The only one in the entire book not looking heroic.

Clan Brodie :lol::lol:
Harsh :lol:

I never knew I was a bell

I'm sure everyone else had worked it out
 

Aye that famous sept of Clan Bell.

Clan Bell was classed as an unruly clan by James I of England when he cleared the borders of the reivers and they suffered the consequences along with their friends the Armstrongs who had been the law on the Scottish side as Wardens of the Western March. Many fled to the North of Ireland and Cumbria then the NE. The Kerrs (or Carrs) were the law on the Eastern March. That was some accusation to level at the Bells by reiver standards considering the Armstrongs and Kerrs were only the law by day as by night they were reivers themselves. I'm descended from Hall, Carr, Simpson and Watson reiver clans mainly.
 
Aye that famous sept of Clan Bell.

Clan Bell was classed as an unruly clan by James I of England when he cleared the borders of the reivers and they suffered the consequences along with their friends the Armstrongs who had been the law on the Scottish side as Wardens of the Western March. Many fled to the North of Ireland and Cumbria then the NE. The Kerrs (or Carrs) were the law on the Eastern March. That was some accusation to level at the Bells by reiver standards considering the Armstrongs and Kerrs were only the law by day as by night they were reivers themselves. I'm descended from Hall, Carr, Simpson and Watson reiver clans mainly.
Was the the end of the bells?
 
Was the the end of the bells?

It was the end of most of the reiver presence in the borders both Scottish and English. The Kerrs (Carrs) however remained in favour with James. Most of the clansmen fled south to the North of England which is why so many people in Northumberland and Durham have reiver surnames. The reivers were not highland clans who were Gaelic and wore the the tartan kilt. Most reiver tartans today were adopted in the 1800s. In the early 1600s they were cavalry and rode ponies that could work their way through marshland. Handy if you are being chased. They wore leggings and steel helmets. They were ferocious fighters but only when they wanted to be. Their loyalty was to neither the Scottish or English crown but whichever was to their advantage and they would often switch sides in the middle of the battle. Their valleys ran north to south while the border was west to east and often cut through their land. They had their own Border Law and their border economy was based on banditry. They introduced the word blackmail into the English language. The Steel Bonnets is an interesting read on the reivers or riding clans.
 
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Nee wonder I enjoy bog trotting and wearing skirts

And knicking horses no doubt. The reiver clans would meet up annually I think at Carlisle races where their would be horse trading. This was when they would back their own horses from each other. You can imagine the way it went:

Alex Kerr: Hey that's my horse that was stolen!
William Bell: Oh no laddie. It must have broken free and I found it lost on my land. Finders keepers as they say. I've fed it well since and looked after it, as you can see. I think I am entitled to some recompense don't you laddie? The going rate for a horse of this quality is.......
Alex Kerr: Aye all right then.

That was how the economy worked. It kept the cash flow going.
 
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And knicking horses no doubt. The reiver clans would meet up annually I think at Carlisle races where their would be horse trading. This was when they would back their own horses from each other. You can imagine the way it went:

Alex Kerr: Hey that's my horse that was stolen!
William Bell: Oh no laddie. It must have broken free and I found it lost on my land. Finders keepers as they say. I've fed it well since and looked after it, as you can see. I think I am entitled to some recompense don't you laddie? The going rate for a horse of this quality is.......
Alex Kerr: Aye all right then.

That was how the economy worked. It kept the cash flow going.
He sounds like a reet bell!
 
He sounds like a reet bell!

It was the civilised way of doing business for a reiver. They all danced to the same tune that the bells rang out. Besides Alex Kerr probably had something of interest to William Bell if he took a look at what he was selling.

The alternative if Kerr had suspected Bell when the horse went missing would be to lead a hew and a cry by riding in the daylight and make as much noise as possible to let people know you were not reiving. Everyone Kerr met on the way to Bell's place would be asked if they were for you and most would join the hew and a cry. When they arrived I expect business was conducted as usual and an agreement met. Violence was dangerous as it could lead to a feud between those clans. Most of the time it was a hew and a cry about nothing in the end but the bloke got his horse back. They could be very brutal though so best not to cross the line. If you really pissed them off they would wrap you in lead and melt you in a pot as the Armstrongs once did to some English who came while they were away and raped the Armstrong women.
 
It was the civilised way of doing business for a reiver. They all danced to the same tune that the bells rang out. Besides Alex Kerr probably had something of interest to William Bell if he took a look at what he was selling.

The alternative if Kerr had suspected Bell when the horse went missing would be to lead a hew and a cry by riding in the daylight and make as much noise as possible to let people know you were not reiving. Everyone Kerr met on the way to Bell's place would be asked if they were for you and most would join the hew and a cry. When they arrived I expect business was conducted as usual and an agreement met. Violence was dangerous as it could lead to a feud between those clans. Most of the time it was a hew and a cry about nothing in the end but the bloke got his horse back. They could be very brutal though so best not to cross the line. If you really pissed them off they would wrap you in lead and melt you in a pot as the Armstrongs once did to some English who came while they were away and raped the Armstrong women.
It really was a labour of love!
 
It was the civilised way of doing business for a reiver. They all danced to the same tune that the bells rang out. Besides Alex Kerr probably had something of interest to William Bell if he took a look at what he was selling.

The alternative if Kerr had suspected Bell when the horse went missing would be to lead a hew and a cry by riding in the daylight and make as much noise as possible to let people know you were not reiving. Everyone Kerr met on the way to Bell's place would be asked if they were for you and most would join the hew and a cry. When they arrived I expect business was conducted as usual and an agreement met. Violence was dangerous as it could lead to a feud between those clans. Most of the time it was a hew and a cry about nothing in the end but the bloke got his horse back. They could be very brutal though so best not to cross the line. If you really pissed them off they would wrap you in lead and melt you in a pot as the Armstrongs once did to some English who came while they were away and raped the Armstrong women.
Old man Reiver.
 
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