Border country

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The Border country is the hilly area, the Southern Uplands, of Lowland Scotland on both sides of the border between Scotland and England, comprising the modern council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders, and the English county of Northumberland.

Before the two kingdoms were united, the Lowland clans would switch allegiance between the Scottish and English thrones depending on what was most favourable for the members of the clan.

This made the Borders into a hive of thieves, outlaws, robbers, cattle plunderers, and the like. Lowland clans should not be confused with the Highland clan; the Lowland clan was a much looser structure, with far less in the way of clan culture or a recognition of clan history.

Well-known Border clans include the following: Armstrong, Beattie, Bell, Carr, Douglas, Elliot, Graham, Kerr, Ogilvie, Robson and Scott. In addition, there were Lowland families associated with these clans, including the Ballantyne, Fraser, Jamieson, Henderson, Irvine, Jardine, Moffat, Porteous, Tweedie, and Veitch families, amongst many others.