By Jon Tait Hutcheon Graham of Gards The Bishop of Carlisle was watching from the ramparts of Carlisle castle whenHutcheon Graham and his crew of border reivers started riding out to plunder theCumbrian countryside following the death of Queen Elizabeth 1 in March 1603.Hutcheon and his fellow horsemen – around 140 of his ‘kinsmen andContinue reading “Meet The Medieval Mafia #4”
Tag Archives: Reivers
Meet The Medieval Mafia #3
By Jon Tait Ellen Charlton of the Bower It should come as no real surprise that Ellen Charlton of the Bower was jailed inNewcastle alongside her son John junior for cattle theft in 1629.Ellen was the wife of a notorious border reiver called John Charlton of the Bower andthe daughter of one of the mostContinue reading “Meet The Medieval Mafia #3”