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Glam Journal

What did Border Reivers steal?

Author

David Craig

Updated on March 20, 2026

What did Border Reivers steal?

Whenever a Reiver was caught in the act of stealing livestock or committing murder, it was said that he had been ‘caught at the rede hand’, which literally meant ‘with blood on your hands’. If an outlaw was caught, there was often no hearing or reprieve — instead, they would simply be executed on the spot.

What did the Border Reivers do?

Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire Border country without regard to their victims’ nationality.

Why did the Border Reivers happen?

The Reivers were the product of the constant English-Scottish wars that would often reduce the Border area to a wasteland. The continuing threat of renewed conflict offered little incentive to arable farming. Why bother planting crops if they may be burned before they could be harvested?

What religion were the Border Reivers?

Catholic
Borderers were nominally Catholic in practice and many reiving families considered themselves godless.

When did the Border Reivers end?

War, physical hardship and repeated devastation had shaped the border people and their country, and left the legacy of gang warfare and organised crime. Reiv – means to steal. The Reiver period is roughly categorised as 1450 – 1610. The movement came to its height in the late 1500’s and ended around 1610.

Where did the Border Reivers live?

In Tudor and Elizabethan times the Anglo-Scottish Border counties, including Northumberland, were the home to the notorious Border Reivers, the lawless clans of the border valleys, where a lifestyle of raiding and marauding was the only way to survive.

What does the word Reivers mean?

to rob; plunder.

How do you spell Reiver?

verb (used with or without object), reived, reiv·ing. Chiefly Scot. to rob; plunder.

What does the Reivers mean?

William Faulkner: The Reivers. Reivers, by the way, comes from an old Scottish word meaning robbers, though it is not clear why Faulkner chose this as the title for his novel.

What is the meaning of Reaver?

(riːv ) verb. (intransitive) Scottish and Northern England dialect. to go on a plundering raid. Collins English Dictionary.

Is Reaver a Scrabble word?

Yes, reaver is in the scrabble dictionary.

Are reavers hostile Kenshi?

Hostile towards Reavers are a faction of slavers who believe that they deserve to be in charge instead of the United Cities. They have the same trade culture as the Swampers.

Who were the Border Reivers and what did they do?

Border Reivers. Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire Border country without regard to their victims’ nationality.

What did the Reiver wear on his head?

On his head the Reiver would typically wear a steel bonnet and a quilted jacket of stout leather sewn with plates of metal or horn to protect his body. Although the Reiver carried a variety of weapons including sword, dagger and axe, his preferred weapon was the ‘lang spear’ or Border lance.

What kind of weapons did the Reiver carry?

Although the Reiver carried a variety of weapons including sword, dagger and axe, his preferred weapon was the ‘lang spear’ or Border lance.

What was the role of a border Borderer?

Borderers as soldiers. Border reivers were sometimes in demand as mercenary soldiers, owing to their recognized skills as light cavalry. Reivers sometimes served in English or Scottish armies in the Low Countries and in Ireland, often to avoid having harsher penalties enacted upon themselves and their families.