KICKING OFF WITH THE POTTS

 

When people talk about the footballers that Northumberland has produced, it’s the infamous Tynedale reiver names that tend to come up in the conversation – Charlton, Robson, Milburn - but there’s a lad from a less well celebrated Redesdale riding family that’s making his mark in the game at the minute.

And to give him even more of a local connection, he’s related to Rothbury skipper Tom Macpherson. Brad Potts was born in Hexham and got started out in youth football at Wark. He signed junior forms at Carlisle United and broke into the Cumbrian’s first team in 2012, the year that also saw him selected for an England u19s game.

Potts made 103 appearances and scored 9 goals in his three years at Carlisle before making the move to Blackpool. His time at the Tangerines saw him clock up 87 starts with 16 goals. The midfielder then moved on to Barnsley in the Championship, where he impressed with 9 goals in 59 games. He is currently playing at Preston North End in the Championship where he has turned out 58 times and scored 7 goals so far.

The Potts, along with the Halls, were probably the most troublesome of the families in the Coquetdale vicinity during the time of the Border Reivers. In fact while most histories of the reivers tend to end shortly after 1603 when King James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne and set about ‘pacifying’ the area, the Potts were still involved long after, such as when Thomas Pott of Little Tosson rode up to Upperton in September 1629 and stole 16 ewes from Ralph Arleson.

His namesake, another Thomas Pott, was executed at Harbottle Castle in 1518 after the locals had rioted in an attempt to break him free. Pott was described as ‘the principal man, for whom the insurrection was made’ by Lord Dacre.

Ten of the ‘principal thieves among the highlandsmen of Redesdale’ were captured and sent with 80 of Dacre’s tenants guarding them to the Rothbury gate – possibly Forestburngate now – to be met by the Morpeth jailer. The thieves’ friends and relatives met the party, killed the bailiff of Morpeth and took five hostages as they freed the men and fled off across the border into Scotland for sanctuary among the thieves there. William Pott, another ‘principal thief of the great surnames of Redesdale’ was hanged at Newcastle in 1528 along with 11 others.

Life in Coquetdale had been tough for a couple of hundred years at that point due to the constant conflict with Scotland. In 1333 the King had to order the delivery of a quantity of wheat to the prioy and convent at Brinkburn as their lands and goods had been utterly destroyed in a Scottish invasion. Seven years later a note from Westminster listed John de Fenwyk, Gilbert de Boroughdon (Burradon), Thomas de Heppescotes (Hepscot) and John de Burton, the parson of the church of Rothbury, as commissioners of Northumberland. Fenwick was excused his position ten days later as he was ‘appointed as arrayer and leader of men-at-arms, hobelers (horses) and archers, in the county of Northumberland, against the Scots now in rebellion.’  Nicholas de Punchardon (Puncherton) took his place in the commission.

The destruction wreaked by the Wars was devastating and the following year Richard de Horsley, the sheriff of Northumberland, was unable to collect any taxes as ‘the lands in that county are so wasted by frequent inroads of the Scots lately coming in warlike manner that he may not levy the said rents, farms and profits,’ and he wanted some relief from the treasury.

However, it wasn’t just the Scots that were a menace and in 1256, in something like an early episode of Vera, John de Plessetis and Robert de Insula had to lead an enquiry in Northumberland as to whether Thomas Carbonel had killed Nicholas de Rothbury ‘by misadventure or by malice.’

There were of course attempts to control the countryside by the March Laws particular to the border area, though the officials that got to do the job were so ingrained with the local villains, or more often than not related through blood or marriage, that a nepotistic, corrupt system ensued. There was plenty of cash involved in both being the law and to turning a blind eye on occasions that suited.

In 1525 the Earl of Northumberland, Sir Henry Percy, as captain of Berwick, earned 2,000 marks in war time and 1,000 in peace. Vice-warden and lieutenant of the East and Middle Marches Sir Roger Heron ‘had the accustomed fees and money from the King’s coffers for aid as often as he required,’ while Sir Edward Radcliffe and Sir Roger Fenwick, as keepers of Redesdale and Tynedale respectively, were earning 1,000 marks a year plus the other fees ‘accustomed with their roles.’

Sir William Eure was paying out the following in wages at the time: £40 to his four deputies for the marches. Sir John at Tynedale was getting £40 and John Ogle £5. Hugh Ridley received £3 6s 8d and Thomas Errington the same. In Coquetdale, Percival Selby, George Ogle and Edward Gallon were getting 4 marks; as was John Beadnell. The four un-named warden-sergeants for the Marches were getting £8, a porter at Harbottle got £4 and the constable at Harbottle received £10.

The highest ranking official to bring border justice into Rothbury was Sir Cuthbert Radcliffe of Cartington, who was no doubt feeling quite powerful and influential in 1541 when he was penning letters to the Scottish King James V as the deputy warden for the Middle March.

In the January Radcliffe had met Kerr of Ferniehurst, the Scotish Middle March warden, at Alwinton church and handed over a number of Fosters from Cumberland who had been sent over by Sir Thomas Wharton, the deputy of the English West March, for a great raid ‘amounting to £80 sterling.’ That led to the redress of two ‘attempts by Liddesdale’ and the warden of Scotland ‘promised to answer for both Liddesdale and Teviotdale’ as they attempted to bring the rule of law.

But Radcliffe wrote from Alnwick castle to the Scots’ monarch in the July complaining that there had been no justice on bills from Liddesdale (no surprise there) and ‘no redress.’ He said he countrymen were complaining to him and that a ‘heinous attempt’ by the Liddesdalers – Armstrongs, Elliots, Nixons and Crosers in the main – had gone unpunished, as well as 'robberies, murders, spoilings, and breaking of Haughton castle, scaling it with ladders, riding in great numbers,’ and asked the King ‘to give straight commandment for redress.’

Later that month he was telling Sir Anthony Brown that he had attended a Day of Truce at Jedburgh and that on Tuesday 9^th August he would make the officers of Scotland ‘come to Rothbury, where (he will) make them like answer.’ So Ratcliffe was holding a Day of Truce at Rothbury in August 1541, the only example that I have been able to find of this happening.

The Scottish officers that he was demanding come to the village were something of Border heavyweights, being Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, for the Scottish East March, Andrew Kerr of Ferniehurst for the Middle and Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell, for the West March.

Whereabouts they met to do their business in Rothbury is unrecorded and I have been unable so far to track down the list of charges that were brought. What is for sure is that the Potts will have rode into the village to be there and hear what was going on, either in claims they had in for losses or charges of cattle theft laid on them by the Scots. Drinking in a local tavern and setting down their helmets and swords with a clank at the door, laughing and raucous around the tables as the ale flowed in pewter mugs. They maybe even got a ball out and had a kick around on the village green, because the reivers were notable early exponents of the sport.

Perhaps that fighting spirit lives on today in battling Brad.

Jon Tait 1346 words Ends

Get the full story of the Border Reivers here: Dick the Devil's Bairns: Breaking the Border Mafia: Amazon.co.uk: Tait, Jon: 9798700768566: Books