THE STORY OF A BALLAD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2984, 24 May 1911, Page 88

THE STORY OF A BALLAD.

A BORDER INCIDENT. The ballad of “Kinmont Willie,” as to the genuineness of which we are not among those w r ho entertain doubts that reflect on the good faith of Sir Walter Scott, is not only one of the most spirited to be found in all the Border minstrelsy, it is also noteworthy as being in the number of the comparatively few popular poems that have a real historical event as theh foundation. And a further interest attaches to it from the .circumstance that the incident which it sets forth avbs of sufficient importance to give rise to a diplomatic correspondence between the Ministers of James VI .and those of Elizabeth, and, indeed, to be the subject of am indignant letter from the Queen herself. The actual facts ox the capture and rescue of William Armstrong, commonly known as Kinmont Willie, are in the main such as they are related in the ballad. —A Broken. Truce. — In 1596, on one of these customary ‘‘days of truce” agreed upon by the officials on both sides of the Border for the purpose of discussing and, if it were possible, of settling in a friendly manner any quarrels that might have arisen between th-e turbulent inhabitants of the respective marches, Thomas Salkeld, the ‘‘fause Sakelde” of the ballad, as deputy for the English Warden, Lord Scroope, bad met Robert Scott of Hailing, the representative of Sir Walter Scott, the Bauld Buccleuch,”’ keeper of Lid.disdale. The conference had taken plaoe at a spot where the Kershope, a small tributary of the Liddel, formed the boundary line between the two countries. Nothing untoward bad happened. The two officials had parted on friendly terms, and the Scots Borderers, of whom Robert Scott’s escort consisted, had set out for their respective homes. One of these happened to be William Armstrong of Kinmont. He was well known to the Englishmen as a ‘‘bauld reiver” against whom they bad many a complaint of long standing^ It was well understood that the ‘‘days of truce’ ’ lasted until sunrise on the morning after the breaking up of the meeting, so that all who had been present at it might have ample time, to perform the return journey homewards without being exposed to molestation. Trusting to this, Armstrong, whose way lay in the same direction as that of the English Borderers, rode on unconcernedly on his own side of the Liddel and in full sight of them. Their sense of honour was not proof against the temptation, of availing themselves of so favourable an opportunity. Making it an excuse for their violation of Border law that .at one point Armstrong was obliged to pass out of the territory included in Buocleuch’s jurisdiction, they crossed the stream, thus committing an act of invasion, fell upon him at such odds as made resistance vain, took him prisoner, and carried him off to Carlisle, where he was. lodged in the castle. The indignation aroused by this unwarrantable breach of faith was all the greater from the fact that Willie was popular amongst his kinsmen and neighbours for the daring and’ resourcefulness which had often ensured the success of the raids on which they bad ridden out together. Buccleuch protested against the violation of the truce and demanded Kinmont’s liberation; but his remonstrances produced no result. Neither was the Scottish Government itself more successful with Scroope when the general outcry obliged it to interfere. —Buccleuch to the Rescue.— Buccleuch then resolved to take the law into his own hands. As a first step toAvards the execution of the bold plan which he had conceived, be got his signet ring conveyed to the prisoner. This he contrived to do through the agency of one of the Gramee, who, though English Borderers themselves, appear from Scroo lie’s repeated complaints against them to have been in league with the Scottish Warden. A horse race promoted by him afforded him an opportunity of communicating with Kinmont’s kinsmen and friends without exciting suspicion. He had no difficulty in enlisting recruits, mainly .from amongst the iSootts, the Elliots, the Bells, and, as a matter of course, the Armstrongs, including Willie's sons. Before Kinmont, Avbose capture had been effected on March 17, had been a month in Carlisle Castle, where, after promising that he Avon Id make no attempt to escape, he appears to have been treated with some consideration, everything was ready for a dash into England. On the evening of April 13 a troop of horsemen numbering 500, according to Scroope’s estimate of them, crossed the Border in a storm of wind and rain. They Avere led by Buccleuch, Avho, before passing into English territory, left one detachment under the Laird of Johnston, and another with the Goodman of BonshaAve, to lie in ambush close to the frontier line in order to check pursuit if, as might well happen, the raiders should return Avith the English at their heels. Those that rode on toAvards Carlisle Avere provided Avith gavelocks, crowbars, pickaxes, axes, and scaling ladders. They reached the castle at dead of night, and, making for the postern, set about undermining it. The guards bad either fallen asleep or got under cover to protect themselves from th . 3 violence of the Aveather; moreover, the howling of the storm covered the noise unavofdably made by the sappers, quietly as they tried to Avork, and nothing happened to give either Scroope or Salkeld, both of whom were Avithin the walls, the least

warning of what was going on. In a short Lime the Scots had penetrated into the courtyard. Buccleuob, was the fifth to pass througr the trench. When he had the rescuing party about him. he encou raged them to "Stand to it," as he had ■rowed to God and his Prince to fetcn Kinmont out of England dead or alive, and assured them that, when it was done, ho would maintain his action "with fire and sword against all registers." With this he led them to the room where Will Armstrong was confined. Here one of Scroope's servants, who had been stationed as a guard, had to be overpowered, and sustained some slight injuries. The door was broken open, and Armstrong was carried off. As the rescuers were retiring they encountered two men of the outer watch. These were promptly pre--\ented from giving the alarm, but escaped with their lives, Buccleuch having given strict orders that no unnecessary violence should be used and no wanton damage done lest their enterprise should aopear to have had other objects in view than the rescue for which it was solely planned. Then the whole party galloped back to Scotland with their prize. —Virtuous Indignation.—

Even in those days news of so startling an occurrence spread fast. Within a few weeks the daring exploit had aroused the keenest excitement in both North and South Britain. In Scotland Buccleuch’s action “was greatly commended by the great people.” In England there was a feeling of intense indignation at the “outrageous fact.” Robert Bowes, the Ambassador at the Court of King James, gave expression to it at a Convention of the Estates. He had been charged to “aggravate the heinousness” of the aggression, and did so in a long oration, “concluding that peace could no longer - continue betwixt the two realms unless B'uccleuch was delivered into England, to be punished at the Queen’s pleasure.” The Keeper of Liddisdaie was present, and spoke in his own defence. He maintained that, in rescuing a Scottish subject who had been wrongfully captured, he had done nothing but what honour dictated and duty required. He declared, however, that he was willing to submit the case to commissioners appointed by the English Queen on the one hand and by the Scottish King on the other, and to abide by their decision. —The Scottish Solomon’s Quandary Of all those who were variously affected by Buccleuch’s raid, it was James who "found himself in the most difficult position. For whilst he hesitated to condemn an action of which his subjects were proud as of a triumph over England, in view of the pension which he drew from England and of his hopes of succeeding to the English throne he was no less unwilling to offend Eli /.abet 1 1 . But all his attempts at compromise were useless, and only brought down upon him a sharp reprimand from the masterful Queen, together with a plain hint as to the stoppage of his annuity. James understood that he would have to yield; but, before doing so, he retaliated in a characteristically petty manner by bringing a coun-ter-charge against one of her Majesty s own subjects. As Elizabeth insisted that Buocleuch should be delivered over to her for punishment because of his attack on Carlisle” Castle, so- James demanded that Edmund Spenser should be called to account for his reflections in the “Faery Queen” on the character of Mary Stuart! After many negotiations and inquiries and much correspondence, the whole incident was brought to a close by Buccleuch’s surrendering himself to English custody at Berwick. His captivity lasted from October 6, 1567, till March 21 following. On his release his 10-year-old child °took his place as a hostage. It is noteworthy that the redoubtable Borderer not only ceased to give trouble but also co-operated with the English Wardens in maintaining peace in the Marches. There is said to be a tradition in the Bucclouch family that he was presented to Elizabeth, who admired him for his daring, in spite of the annoyance which it had caused her.—Louis A. Barbe, in the Glasgow Herald.