Scott vs. Eliott

The clan of Elliot, occupied a considerable portion of Upper Liddesdale, and also lands in Ewesdale and Teviotdale. In early 1564 a member of the Scott’s Clan of Teviodale, David Scott, was murdered by a band of Eliott men. The group was led by William Eliott, the illegitimate nephew of Robert Elliot of Redbeuch, chief of the clan.  This event sparked a bloody feud between the two clans.  The Scott’s and Eliott’s feuded daily until the Lords of the Council in Scotland decided to step in.  On October 21st, 1564, five clansmen, four of clan Eliott and one of Clan Scott, where tried by the courts in Edinburgh. Three of the accused were sentenced to death, while William Elliot was banished from Teviotdale.  The three convicted clansmen were beheaded by torchlight on the Castle Hill of Edinburgh that same evening.

The Council was hoping that the trial and execution would end the feud between these two clans but the opposite happened and it increased the ferocity.  In the Spring of 1565 The Elliot’s invaded the Scott’s lands, carried off goods, burnt houses and killed some of their clansmen.  The Scotts appealed to the court asking permission to seek revenge.  It is unclear if the Court gave permission but as a result the Elliot’s requested the protection of Lord Scrope, Warden of the West March of England, offering to pledge allegiance to Queen Elizabeth of England in return. While the Elliot’s were waiting word from Lord Scrope, they went on the offensive and in Early may, a band of 300 Elliot’s entered Scott territory, burnt and spoiled ten miles of farm land and killed many men and their families.

In response to this attack, Laird Scott of Buccleuch, and his men made a raid on the Elliot’s land in Liddesdale, where they killed seven vassals and carried off cattle.  The Elliot’s then responded by making a foray into the Scott’s neighbourhood of Hawick, where they killed a man and took the Scott’s livestock.  These raids continued back and forth until Queen Mary of Scotland got word of these disturbances, and directed the Master of Maxwell, Warden of her West March, to gather up local nobles and “suppress the disobedient people of Liddesdale”.  One account from the time states that “the slaughters, burnings, and wastes done between these two clans had been such as never was greater in any realm between any persons.”

On August 5th, 1564, the Elliots, numbering four hundred, followed a group of Scott’s to a location named Ewis Dores, and slaughtered nine of their clansmen.  After that incident The Eliott’s, under the protection of the nearby English Wardens, were able to negotiate an assurance of peace with the Scotts and the neighbouring Scottish Nobles.  The peace generally lasted, except for one incident, that occurred the following year when the Elliots were accused of killing two of Scott of Buccleuch’s men.  The Elliot’s were again able to quell tensions by announcing that they would no longer work with the English Wardens and would be aligning with the boarder Scottish Clans.