Editing Hodgson (section)

==Border Reivers and Hodgson clans==
For centuries before [[James VI and I|James VI]]'s assentation to the throne of England ([[Union of the Crowns]]), the remote Anglo-Scottish borderland region had been the lair of unruly clans and gangs of robbers that were largely beyond the reach of the law. A peculiar form of clan organisation grew up in this area. This was the land of the [[Border Reivers]]. These clans had a legal system distinct from that of the majority of England and Scotland (Robb 2018). The suppression of this legal system led to a generalised breakdown of [[Border reivers|Reiver]] society (Robb 2018). They would steal goods, cattle and women from across the nominal border.

Some Hodgsons in [[Cumberland]] were themselves a clan organisation (Fraser 1971). The border clans were eventually subjected by state authorities. Many were forced or obliged to emigrate to [[North America]] in the 18th century (Fischer 1989). Many Hodgsons emigrated in this period.