It sits at the end of a 80-meter long path that lists the names of the families  associated with the Border Reiver. I bar the entrance of all places they come to, for divine service and ministration of the sacraments of holy church, except the sacrament of infant baptism, only; and I forbid all churchmen to hear their confession or to absolve them of their sins, until they are first humbled / subjugated by this curse. Carlisle Castle was the headquarters of the Western Marches, and was used on a number of occasions to imprison captured Reivers, so the link between the Curse stone and the castle of Carlisle and the Reivers is a long a violent one. We hear how that men, wiffis and bairs, redeamed by the precious blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and living in his laws, are innocently part murdered, part slain, burned, hurt, spoiled and ripped, openly by daylight and under silence of the night, and their farms and lands laid waste, and their self banished therefor, … as well as others be common traitors, reivers, theives, dwelling in the south part of this realm, such as Tevidale (Teviotdale) Esdale, Liddisdale, Ewisdale, Nedisdale (Nithsdale), and Annanderdaill; which people have been in various ways pursued and punished by the tempered sword and our sovereign lord’s authority and does not fear the same. Robbery and blackmail were everyday professions, raiding, arson, kidnapping, murder and extortion an acceptable part of the social system. I bow before You and recognise You as the one and true Lord and God and Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as my Saviour. and everilk part of thair body, frae top of thair heid to the soill of thair feit, The Great Border city is justly proud of its association with the Border Reivers. The “Border Reivers” were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border primarily from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. In 2005, local politician made a motion to have it destroyed, or removed from the city, but for not it still is on display. The maledictioun that lichtit apon all the warlde, man and beist, and all that ever tuk life, quhen all was drownit be the flude of Noye, except Noye and his ark, mot licht apon thame and drouned thame, man and beist, and mak this realm cummirless (free) of thame for thair wicked synnyes. THE CURSE OF THE BORDER CLANS . Amen and Amen! If you are of Scottish or English descent, ask the Lord to break this curse over you. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ my Saviour, I repent of all and any involvement of my ancestors and or their extended families, or hirelings, or employees, in the ungodly practices of the Border Reivers and others of that kind, in Scotland, England and elsewhere; including the shedding of innocent blood and the taking of innocent lives. 3)  A formal order from a bishop or an ecclesiastical court to refrain from a specified offence. Neither filled a stomach and the present was hell on earth anyway. Although their heyday is said to have been during the last century of that period. ", "I declare them excluded from all matins, masses, evening prayers, funerals or other prayers, on book or bead (rosary); of all pigrimages and alms deeds done, or to be done in holy church or be christian people, while this curse is in effect. ", "I discharge all bonds, acts, contracts, oaths, made to them by any persons, out of loyalty, kindness, or personal duty, so long as they sustain this cursing, by which no man will be bound to them, and this will be binding on all men. In 1525, Gavin Dunbar, Archbishop of Glasgow, wrote a curse on the Border Reivers which was read out in all the parishes on either side of the Border, originally in beautiful Scots. ", "I curse them going and I curse them riding; I curse them standing and I curse them sitting; I curse them eating and I curse them drinking; I curse them rising, and I curse them lying; I curse them at home, I curse them away from home; I curse them within the house, I curse them outside of the house; I curse their wives, their children, and their servants who participate in their deeds. They wrought havoc on both sides of the border, against English and Scottish victims, and poured scorn and ridicule on the rule of the Wardens of the Marches. While the monarchs of Scotland and England ruled the comparatively secure heartlands of their kingdoms, the narrow hilly uplands between were dominated by the lance and the sword. mot fall on thaim for thair oppin reiff, saiklesse slauchter and schedding of innocent blude. ), Walter Scott (Auld Wat) of Haren. I curse thair wiffis, thair barnis, and thair servandis I interdite the places thay cum in fra divine service, ministracioun of the sacramentis of halykirk, Not that the Reivers would be present to hear the condemnations levelled against them! Some date back to Roman and Celtic times. If anything between the year of the Monition, 1525, and the close of the 16th century the crime accelerated out of any control. At Easter in that year Hector Charlton of the Bower raided Bellingham church, broke into the tabernacle and stole the Communion hosts. The fire and the sword which stopped Adam from the gates of Paradise (Eden) may they stop them from the glory of Heaven, until they forebear and make amends. All the plagues which fell upon Pharaoh and his people of Egypt, their lands, crops and animals must fall upon them, their farmlands, homes, steadings and milk-sheds. I sever, excommunicate and part them from the Church of God and deliver them vigorously to the devil of hell, as the Apostle Saint John delivered the Corinthians. and thair bodeis to the gallowis of the Burrow Mure, Houses were swamped to their upper floors as the river Eden burst its banks and engulfed everything in its path and there were many people, both locally and nationally, who blamed the erection of the Cursing Stone for this momentous misfortune. In 1525 they had become such a nuisance that the then Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar, put a curse up all the reivers of the borderlands. The frustrated Archbishop of Glasgow ordered the excommunication of the Reivers to be narrated from every market cross and other public meeting place in the land. And their candillis gangis frae your sicht, ast mot their saulis gang fra the visage of God, and thair gude faim fra the warld, quhill thai forbeir thair oppin synnys foirsaidis and ryse frae this terribill cursing, and mak satisfaction and pennance.”, Your email address will not be published. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. thair armes, thair leggis, thair handis, thair feit, pulpits of churches throughout the border … The erd mot oppin, riffe and cleiff (cleave), and swelly (swallow) thaim quyk to hell, as it swellyt cursit Dathan and Abiron, that genestude (withstood) Moeses and the command of God. Although these fierce people were sometimes seen as a first line of defense against invasion, they often did not actually ally themselves with either kingdom, but were loyal to family and kin. I curse thaim etand, I curse thaim drinkand; Please contact us first to be sure someone will be here to help you. Each of these family names was hated and loathed by Archbishop Dunbar when he uttered his curse. The maliciousness that alighted upon and cursed Cain when he slew his brother Abel with guilt, may alight on those who are guilty of slaughter which they commit daily. The post of Bishop was for sale with a supposed illiterate boasting he had the post. The Border Laws, initially formulated in 1249, had been amended and added to many times down the centuries yet had achieved little in curtailing the robbery, murder and deadly feud which by the 16th century was completely out of control. BORDER REIVERS HERITAGE AND FAMILY HISTORY, ANCIENT AND HONORABLE CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS – SINCE 1983, CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS                               PROMPTUS ET FIDELIS. ", "May all the plagues that fell upon Pharoah and his people of Egypt, their lands, crops and cattle, fall upon them, their equipment, their places, their lands, their crops and livestock. Brooklyn Park, MN 55444. adroll_adv_id = "HLLRV7SPE5DV3PH46IZEMN"; Marriages were delayed until the infrequent visit of a priest and a special relationship of “handfasting” developed where a couple lived as husband and wife until the priest visited. ", "May the fire and the sword that stopped Adam from the gates of Paradise, stop them from the glory of Heaven, until they forebear, and make amends. This cursing was read in every pulpit and at every mercat post within the Borderlands. In 1525 the Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar issued a curse over the Border Reivers and all their descendants. It was not the first time that a Curse had been put upon the Reivers. I curse them eating and I curse them drinking The Archbishop of Glasgow’s “Monition of Cursing” against the Border Reivers of Scotland was preached in the border churches of Scotland around March of 1524, excommunicating them from the Church. I humbly ask Lord, that You will now release me and all my ancestors and their descendents, their extended families, or hirelings, or employees, and all generations, from the consequences of the curses. In 1525, the Reivers had become such a nuisance that the then Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar, put a curse upon all the reivers of the borderlands. And all the vengeance that ever has been taken since the beginning of the world for open sins and all the plagues and pestilence that ever befell man or beast might fall on them and on them for their open plundering and theft, senseless slaughter shedding of innocent blood. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ my Saviour, I repent of all and any involvement of my ancestors and or their extended families, or hirelings, or employees, in the ungodly practices of the Border Reivers and others of that kind, in Scotland, England and elsewhere; including the shedding of innocent blood and the taking of innocent lives. to remain with Lucifer and all his fallowis, And their candle (light of their life) goes from your sight, as may their souls go from the face of God, and their good reputation from the world, until they forebear their open sins, aforesaid, and rise from this terrible cursing and make satisfaction and penance.”. ", "May all the malevolent wishes and curses ever known, since the beginning of the world, to this hour, light on them. This is not a 501c3 ministry. The Elliots were one of the great border clans, also known as reivers. This diatribe may be biblically viewed as sheer nonsense, but a curse is a curse for those under it and it must be broken. Monday—Friday: 9:00AM–5:00PM In fact their raids and violence only seemed to increase through the end of the 1500’s until the unification of the crowns under James I of England & VI of Scotland. The maliciousness, the malediction which fell suddenly upon fair Absalom, when riding through the wood to confront his father, King David, servant of God, the branches of one tree lifted him from his horse and hanged the heir, just as it lies upon true Scottish men to hang them in the same manner, for all the world to see.