The
Millenium Subway
What is it? The Millenium Subway is an underpass that opened in 2001, linking Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery with Carlisle Castle. It features a steal wall set (by Russel Coleman), including numerous historical artifacts from Carlisle.
In 2002 Her Majesty The Queen unveiled a plaque to commeorate the occasion of her Golden Jubilee.
There is also a granite floor inscribed with The Border Reivers’ family names and the ‘Bishop’s Stone’, a 2.5 metre boulder (by Gordon Young) inscribed with part of the Archbishop of Glasgow’s curse upon the reivers. (See below)
Artifacts include the Botchergate clock (seen on the left), a Fordson Tractor wheel, modern sporting icon Jimmy Glass’s boot, a World War 2 Enfield revolver, a bourbon biscuit revolver and many more items.
Wall of historical artifacts
Tullie House Museum
‘Cursing Stone’, containing part of the Archbsop of Glasgow’s curse upon the Reivers.
Granite pavement inscribed with Border Reiver family names
What’s There?
Scotland
Scottish East March Hume Selby
Scottish Middle March
Gray Heron
Croser Johnstone
Davison Pringle
Oliver
Rutherford Scott
Armstrong Douglas Crichton
Bell Carlisle Maxwell
Irving
Scottish West March Johnstone
Little
Elliot
Douglas Turnbull Lsidlaw Scott Croser Henderson Nixon
Kerr Hall
English East March
Young
Burns Robson Hall
Milburn
Forster Potts Dunne Hedley
Collingwood
Charlton Storey Milburn Armstrong Dodd Reade Carruthers Nixon Forster Yarrow Armstrong Graham Routledge Noble Heron Croser Irvine Storey Shaftoe Ogle Hetherington Ridley Fenwick Dacre Woodrington Bell Forster Carnaby Carlisle Carleton Beattie
Elliot
English West March
Robson
Salkeld Lowther
English Middle March
England
How To Spot a Reiver Ruff: not essential wear but if you had to ruin someone’s life you should do them the courtesy of dressing well. Sword: Rapiers, broad-swords, back-swords and short swords were used together with bows and cross bows (known as ‘latches’)
Horse: Reivers travelled on horses in order to get across the country and cause mayhem with a quick getaway.
Helmet: This is a comb movion but burgonets or ‘shed bonets’ were also popular. Armour: A ‘back and breast’ and sometimes thigh armour might be worn over everyday dress of doublet and hose.
What Did They Do? The 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 families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims nationality. Causing a great deal of havoc along the way. They were split into 6 groups: the west, east and middle Scottish march, and the west, east and middle English march. Both English and Scottish reivers raided both sides of the border if the people they raided had no powerful allies and no connection to their own family. The Scottish raids were known as far south as Yorkshire.
My love he built me a bonny bower, And clad it all wi’ lilly flower A brawer bower why ye ne’er did see Than my true love he built for me. There came a man by middle day He spied his sport and went away And browt the kin that very night, Who broke my bower and slew my knight. He slew my knight te me sae dear, He slew my Knight and stole his yield, My servants all for life did flee, And left me in extremity. I sewed his sheet marking my name I washed the corpse my self alane, I watched his body night and day, Nae living creature came that way. I took his body on my back, And whiles I pray and whiles I sat I digged a grave and I laid him in, And covered him with grass sae green. But think nae ye my heart was sair, When I laid the clay on his yellow hair Oh think nae ye my heart was wae, When I turned about and went away
I curse their head and all the hairs on their head; I curse their face, their brain, their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their forehead, their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their stomach, their back, their womb, their arms, their legs, their hands, their feet and every part of their body.
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.
I curse their crops, their cattle, their wool, their sheep, their horses, their swine, their geese, their hens, and all their livestock. I curse their halls, their chambers, their kitchens, their stanchions, their barns, their cowsheds, their barnyards, their cabbage patches, their plows, their harrows, and the goods and houses that are necessary for their sustenance and welfare
May all the malevolent wishes and curses ever known, since the beginning of the world, to this hour, light on them. May the malediction of God, that fell upon Lucifer and all his fellows, that cast them from the high Heaven to the deep hell, light upon them.
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.