Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: in the rural districts, as most payments were made in kind. Having obtained money from Edward Lorrane, now of Harwood, by a wadset or mortgage on his lands of Apudesyde and Tythe- house, and there being no sign of the money being paid, Lorrane seized the lands to square the debt, and having discharged the price stated for reversion, became heritable owner of the above- mentioned lands. Lorrane, who most probably had to borrow money to make the purchase, sold Harwood, together with Apudesyde and Tythehouse, in the year 1637 to Simeon Elliot of the Binks, whose descendants arc still owners of Harwood. On the death of Simeon, his eldest son William succeeded as second of Harwood.

He sold Binks to John Elliot of Burnmouth. William Elliot also succeeded to Baxtonlees or Peel, which had been obtained from Sir Gilbert Elliot, knight. To give some idea of the lawless state of the Borders about this period, I quote an extract from the register of the Privy Council: ' For as muckle as Robert Elliot callit of the Binks brother to Simeon] anne common and notorious theefe and fugitave frome the lawes having latelie for eshewing of apprehension fled fra this kingdom to Flanders, he is returned again and hes begun his old accustomed trade of theft,1 etc. The family of Binks has grown and multiplied, and they are still proud of their thieving ancestors. On the Borders this was considered no great crime. In fact to steal was almost a daily occupation, and was looked upon as a necessity to keep body and soul together. The poverty which existed amongst the lower orders in old feudal times helped to make them the hardy race so famous in Border warfare. After the Union of the Parliaments the moss-troopers' occupation was gone, but there existed a strong party consisting of Elliots, Olivers, and.