Johnnie Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Johnnie Armstrong or Johnie Armstrong is a Child ballad number 169 and relates to the story of Scottish raider and folk-hero Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie, who was captured and hanged by King James V in 1530.
and Staplegorton, called Johnnie of Gilnockie
, was a notorious Scottish Border reiver of the powerful Armstrong family
. A plunderer and raider, he operated along the lawless Anglo-Scottish Border
in the early 16th century, when England
and Scotland
were separate countries. Like his fellow reivers, he raided into England when Scotland was in the ascendancy, and would change allegiances as power shifted. He led a band of a hundred and sixty men, despite having no income from rents.
The romanticised picture of Armstrong was promoted by the nineteenth-century writings of Sir Walter Scott
and Herbert Maxwell. Armstrong operated with impunity for some years under the protection of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
, as a leader of a gang of raiders. He burnt Netherby in Cumberland
in 1527, in return for which William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre
burnt him out at Canonbie
in 1528; and Gavin Dunbar, the Archbishop of Glasgow
as well as Chancellor of Scotland, intervened with an excommunication
for Armstrong, whose activities made the central authority look weak and were a hindrance to diplomacy with England. When King James V
took personal control of the situation, Armstrong and his men were dealt with severely, as rebels. In 1530, Armstrong was captured. The king had promised him safe conduct, but he was hanged with 36 of his men at Caerlanrig
chapel. A memorial to Armstrong and his men stands in the chapel graveyard.
s dealing with the reivers, relates that the king sends him a letter, requesting his presence at court and promising him safety. Johnnie is fooled by this honour and orders his men to dress richly, as befits the court. On their arrival, the king tries to arrest them, and Armstrong orders them to fight. They are all killed, although Johnnie is brought down only by a treacherous attack from behind. As is common in many such Scottish ballads, his son, still "on his nurse's knee", vows revenge.
The variants sometimes open with a lament that it is not safe to appear before the king, or end with a lament that as a reiver, Johnnie Armstrong had kept the English out of Scotland.
History
John Armstrong of LangholmLangholm
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the River Esk and the A7 road.- History:...
and Staplegorton, called Johnnie of Gilnockie
Gilnockie Tower
Gilnockie Tower is a 16th-century tower house, located at the hamlet of Hollows, 2.3 km north of Canonbie, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The tower is situated on the west bank of the River Esk. It was originally known as Hollows Tower...
, was a notorious Scottish Border reiver of the powerful Armstrong family
Clan Armstrong
Clan Armstrong is an armigerous clan whose origins lie in Cumberland, south of the frontier between Scotland and England which was officially established in 1237....
. A plunderer and raider, he operated along the lawless Anglo-Scottish Border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
in the early 16th century, when England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
were separate countries. Like his fellow reivers, he raided into England when Scotland was in the ascendancy, and would change allegiances as power shifted. He led a band of a hundred and sixty men, despite having no income from rents.
The romanticised picture of Armstrong was promoted by the nineteenth-century writings of Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
and Herbert Maxwell. Armstrong operated with impunity for some years under the protection of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell , A member of the council of Regency of the Kingdom of Scotland. Regent of the Isle of Arran and like his father before head of the clan Maxwell. A distinguished Scottish nobleman, politician, soldier and in 1513 Lord High Admiral...
, as a leader of a gang of raiders. He burnt Netherby in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
in 1527, in return for which William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre
William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre
William Dacre, 7th Baron Greystock, later 3rd Baron Dacre of Gilsland was an English peer, a Cumberland landowner, and the holder of important offices under the Crown, including many years' service as Warden of the West Marches....
burnt him out at Canonbie
Canonbie
Canonbie is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland, six miles south of Langholm and two miles north of the Anglo-Scottish border. It is on the A7 road from Carlisle to Edinburgh, and the River Esk flows through it...
in 1528; and Gavin Dunbar, the Archbishop of Glasgow
Archbishop of Glasgow
The Bishop of Glasgow, from 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...
as well as Chancellor of Scotland, intervened with an excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
for Armstrong, whose activities made the central authority look weak and were a hindrance to diplomacy with England. When King James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
took personal control of the situation, Armstrong and his men were dealt with severely, as rebels. In 1530, Armstrong was captured. The king had promised him safe conduct, but he was hanged with 36 of his men at Caerlanrig
Caerlanrig
Caerlanrig - also spelled 'Carlenrig' - is a hamlet in the parish of Cavers, Borders, Scotland, lying on the River Teviot, 6 miles north east of that river's source, and 10 miles south west of Hawick.-Etymology:...
chapel. A memorial to Armstrong and his men stands in the chapel graveyard.
The ballad
The Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong, one of many Border balladBorder ballad
The English/Scottish border has a long and bloody history of conquest and reconquest, raid and counter-raid . It also has a stellar tradition of balladry, such that a whole group of songs exists that are often called "border ballads", because they were collected in that region.Border ballads, like...
s dealing with the reivers, relates that the king sends him a letter, requesting his presence at court and promising him safety. Johnnie is fooled by this honour and orders his men to dress richly, as befits the court. On their arrival, the king tries to arrest them, and Armstrong orders them to fight. They are all killed, although Johnnie is brought down only by a treacherous attack from behind. As is common in many such Scottish ballads, his son, still "on his nurse's knee", vows revenge.
The variants sometimes open with a lament that it is not safe to appear before the king, or end with a lament that as a reiver, Johnnie Armstrong had kept the English out of Scotland.
External links
- Johnie Armstrong
- History of Johnie Armstrong
- Commentary by Sir Walter Scott
- Clan Armstrong