"If you live between two hostile neighbours who are
constantly at each others throats, you are not likely to have a quiet
life"
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| Our House in Falcon Street |
When
I was a child we lived in Falcon Street Parnell in Auckland and as a family we
lived not far from my Grandparents who lived close by in Garfield Street. In
the 1940s and 50s my Aunts and Uncles also lived in Garfield street and we had
a wonderful family association, even though times were tough immediately after
the War. My Nana received many letters and other items from the Family in
Selkirk and we all grew up surrounded in the wonderful Scottish culture that
basically enveloped my early childhood. Nana had a lovely Scots accent and we
all enjoyed reading copies of the Sunday Post and the cartoons of Oor Wullie
and The Broons, two famous Border identities. Grandad regaled us with stories
of his time in the two famous Scottish regiments during the War, the 9th Royal
Scots and the HLI and he had brought home many souvenirs of his time in the
Army. He still had his kilt, Glengarry and other bits of uniform and many photos some even from hospitals where he recuperated after being gassed. (I still have many mementos that have been passed on including 1 German Mark inscribed Mons
1917, his hose flashes and buttons and shoulder flashes off his uniform, but that will wait for a future blog)
I
loved my Scottish family and of course my Mother who was proudly born in
Selkirk was regarded as our top promoter of all things Scottish! Occasionally
we would be treated to a school assembly that concluded with a march back to
class with Pipes and Drums music from a loud speaker recording that was set-up
on a small balcony above the Headmasters Office He was a Mr Menzies and I am
sure with a name like that, he enjoyed this music over brass band music too!.
When I was presented with my first kilt as a young teenager, my Nana was just
so proud and couldn't stop telling everyone she knew.
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| Turnbull Crest |
During
my early life I did not have time to research much of my Family genealogy, but
once I realised I was going to be the self elected family Seanachaidh (pron. shan-ah-kee n. (Gaelic):
story-teller, bard, clan historian and genealogist) and started
seriously collating items for my family tree, I just couldn't stop. I tracked
down and contacted lost family members back in Scotland and read as much as I
could about our Turnbull Family history which was my Nana's maiden name. One
day I met a lovely Scot named Ruadh (Ruari) and he was really into his Scottish
family research, He had served on mine sweepers in the North Sea during the War
and had many interesting stories to tell. When he found out that my Turnbull
Family came from the Borders he launched into a wonderful history lesson about
the families who were famous along the Borders and how they were known as
Reivers. From then on, I proudly informed anyone who would listen, that I was a
descendant of famous Border Reivers. (I knew that the word "Souter" is also used to refer to
native of Selkirk, which was once noted for its manufacture of light shoes, but
I hadn't checked on the origins of "Reiver")
Shock horror! I found out that Reivers were basically
bandits and sheep stealers, who raided farms in England and stole anything they could lay their hands on! Apparently"Reive"
is an early English word for "to rob
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| The Reivers at Flodden |
When
I met up with Ruadh again, I explained how loath I was to skite about my
Reivers in case I met up with someone from the English Border area who might
want compensation. He mailed me a wonderful list of "The Reivers Code of
Honour" and I present it here for your enjoyment. I LOVE IT and apologies to the English!
"Live free and prosper!"
1. Don't get caught.
2. If you do get caught, deny everything.
3. If that doesn't work, die well, and take as
many Sassanach with you as possible.
4. If you have a choice between stealing cattle
and stealing weapons, take the weapons.
They don't require feeding and will help you on the next raid.
5. If you have a choice between cattle and
sheep, take the sheep. Fleece grows back
and leather doesn't.
6. Never steal from a blacksmith.
7. Usquebagh loosens a tongue better than steel
and it wags longer.
8. Usquebagh dulls wits and sharpens steel.
9. Woad is your friend. It is a disguise which hides in plain sight
and one size fits all.
10.
You can always trust a Sassanach as long as you're watching him while you're
trusting him.
11.
All Sassanach are the same only some are worse.
12.
The only good Sassanach is one who buys back all the cattle you've reived from
him.
13.
The three best things are a good meal before and a wee drop after.
14.
A good dagger can get you out of places a good sword got you into.
15.
Enough gold can get you out faster.
16.
Enough Usquebagh in the right places works better than oil on squeaky hinges;
lubricate the gaoler and no one will hear you escape.
17.
Even a dull blade can kill.
18.
The Land before Clan, Clan before Country.
19.
A brother's sword is kinder than a Sassanch noose.
20.
Know the length of your enemy's stride as well as that of his sword.
21.
The shorter the road to market the fatter the cow; the fatter the cow the
fatter the purse.
22.
Life is like a haggis; if you hae no tried it, you shouldna knock it.
23.
Coin makes a fair jingle and it will no burn.
24.
Live well enough not to fear your enemies writing your epitaph; live long
enough to write theirs.
25.
Three things worth dying for: Love, Land and Loyalty.
26.
A little bloodshed gives a thing more value.
27.
The two best colours: plaid and Usquebagh.
28.
The King's silver is better than his word. Any King's silver.
29.
Honour the Auld Alliance, but be wary. The Bretons are Celts as we are, and
look what the French have done to them.
30.
You always know who the mother is.
31.
A dead cow has many uses. A dead man has
none.
32.
Never steal anything that can eat you.
33.
Never steal anything you can't afford to feed, unless it can feed you.
34.
The theft of a prize bull should be carefully planned.
35.
Never steal a brown bull in Ireland.
[NOTE:
the reference to bull stealing in Ireland refers to the Ta/in Bo/
Cuailnge", "the Cattleraid of Cooley", an Irish epic written
around the time of Christ. In this case the bull was reived by Maeve and the
men of Connacht from Ulster. It was retrieved by Cuchulain and the Red Branch
"Knights". The route is well known today and you can retrace the trail of Cuchulain today
through Louth. Since this was before the Del Riadians moved
from
Ulster to Scotland with their King Scotti -- even if you are Scots you can
fantasize that your ancestors participated.]
There are a number of very interesting websites dedicated to
the Reivers. Great fun!
OOR WULLIE
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| © D C Thompson & Co Ltd |
Oh Brian this is such a nice read thanks for the memory and I am so proud to be part of the whole. You could write a book. xx
ReplyDeleteHey remember when we used to fight over oor wullie just like yesterday
ReplyDelete