on the Borough Moor; which sentence was executed, 14th November, 1601.  “This Pecket, (saith Birrel in his Diary), was ane of the maist notalrie thieftes that ever raid:”  he calls his name Steill, which appears, from the record, to be a mistake.  Four years afterwards, an Armstrong, called Sandy of Rowanburn, and several others of that tribe, were executed for this and other excesses.—­Books of Adjournal of these dates.

  And the Laird’s Wat, that worthie man.—­P. 157. v. 2.

The chief, who led out the sirname of Scott upon this occasion, was (saith Satchells) Walter Scott of Ancrum, a natural son of Walter of Buccleuch.  The laird of Buccleuch was then a minor.  The ballad seems to have been popular in Satchells’ days, for he quotes it literally.  He must, however, have been mistaken in this particular; for the family of Scott of Ancrum, in all our books of genealogy, deduce their descent from the Scotts of Balwearie in Fife, whom they represent.  The first of this family, settled in Roxburghshire, is stated in Douglas’ Baronage to have been Patrick Scott, who purchased the lands of Ancrum, in the reign of James VI.  He therefore could not be the Laird’s Wat of the ballad; indeed, from the list of border families in 1597, Ker appears to have been proprietor of Ancrum at the date of the ballad.  It is plainly written in the MS. the Laird’s Wat, i.e., the Laird’s son Wat; notwithstanding which, it has always hitherto been printed the Laird Wat.  If Douglas be accurate in his genealogy, the person meant must be the young laird of Buccleuch, afterwards distinguished for his surprise of Carlisle Castle.—­See Kinmont Willie.  I am the more confirmed in this opinion, because Kerr of Ancrum was at this time a fugitive, for slaying one of the Rutherfords, and the tower of Ancrum given in keeping to the Turnbulls, his hereditary enemies.  His mother, however, a daughter of Home of Wedderburn, contrived to turn out the Turnbulls, and possess herself of the place by surprise.—­Godscroft, Vol.  II. p. 250.

  The Armestranges, that aye hae been.—­P. 158. v. 1.

This clan are here mentioned as not being hail, or whole, because they were outlawed or broken men.  Indeed, many of them had become Englishmen, as the phrase then went.  Accordingly, we find, from Paton, that forty of them, under the laird of Mangertoun, joined Somerset upon his expedition into Scotland.—­Paton, in Dalyell’s Fragments, p. 1.  There was an old alliance betwixt the Elliots and Armstrongs, here alluded to.  For the enterprises of the Armstrongs, against their native country, when under English assurance, see Murdin’s State Papers, Vol.  I. p. 43.  From which it appears, that, by command of Sir Ralph Evers, this clan ravaged almost the whole west border of Scotland.

  The sheriffe brought the Douglas down.—­P. 158. v. 2,