Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Excavated dusagge from near Culloden site

urbanspaceman · 4th August 2025, 10:37 PM

Border Reivers' swords???
Peter and I have been positing this explanation for a long time now:
One of the solutions to Border Reiving was to encourage the leaders to remove the problem.
In 1603 Walter Scott of Buccleuch took 2,000 Reivers to fight “The Belgic Wars” and to become mercenaries in Europe’s religious and political conflicts.
In the 30 Years War the great Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus ascribed much of his military success to the “steadfastness and grit of his Scottish mercenaries”. He made their leader Alexander Leslie a field-marshal in the Swedish army.
n.b.
Walter Scott of Buccleuch – ‘The Bold Buccleuch’. Leader of Kinmont Willie’s raid.
Alexander Leslie 1st Earl of Leven.
Too much to post here; look up these Guys on Wikipedia.

4th August 2025, 10:37 PM	#2
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 697	Reivers Border Reivers' swords??? Peter and I have been positing this explanation for a long time now: One of the solutions to Border Reiving was to encourage the leaders to remove the problem. In 1603 Walter Scott of Buccleuch took 2,000 Reivers to fight “The Belgic Wars” and to become mercenaries in Europe’s religious and political conflicts. In the 30 Years War the great Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus ascribed much of his military success to the “steadfastness and grit of his Scottish mercenaries”. He made their leader Alexander Leslie a field-marshal in the Swedish army. n.b. Walter Scott of Buccleuch – ‘The Bold Buccleuch’. Leader of Kinmont Willie’s raid. Alexander Leslie 1st Earl of Leven. Too much to post here; look up these Guys on Wikipedia.