Editing Border reivers (section)

==== Overlapping powers: judicial, religious, and secular authority ====
[[File:Northern England in Late Medieval Period.png|thumb|Map of the complex overlying secular and religious powers in the late medieval period Northumberland]]
The Anglo-Scottish Borders were marked by overlapping systems of administration and law, creating a patchwork of competing jurisdictions.<ref>Neville, Cynthia J. ''Violence, Custom and Law: The Anglo-Scottish Border Lands in the Later Middle Ages''. Edinburgh University Press, 1998, p. 174-175.</ref> On the English side, noble families, ecclesiastical authorities, and state officials held varying degrees of power, often clashing over jurisdiction. Secular [[liberty (division)|liberties]] like [[Tynedale]] and [[Redesdale]] operated semi-independently, granting local lords significant autonomy to enforce laws and defend their territories. Robert de [[Umfraville]], also known as "Robert-with-the-Beard," was granted the newly established Liberty of Redesdale in [[1075]], replacing the former [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglian]] lord, Mildraed.<ref>Robson, Ralph. The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem. Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers, 1989., pp4</ref> The Liberty of Tynedale, created in [[1157]],<ref>Robson, Ralph. The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem. Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers, 1989., pp5</ref> was governed by the [[monarch of Scotland]] as a [[fief]] of England<ref>Robson, Ralph. The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem. Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers, 1989., pp6</ref> until death of [[Alexander III of Scotland|Alexander III]], when it reverted to English rule.<ref>Robson, Ralph. The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem. Edinburgh: John Donald, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-85976-246-5}}. pp17</ref> The liberties were first incorporated into the shire of [[Northumberland]] during the reign of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] and were later abolished entirely under [[Henry VIII]].<ref>"The Destruction of the Liberties: Some Further Evidence." Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research, vol. 54, no. 130, Nov. 1981, pp. 150</ref>

To note, [[Liddesdale]], established in the late 12th century,<ref>Scott, J.G. "The Partition of a Kingdom: Strathclyde 1092–1153." Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Series III, Vol. 72, 1997, pp.33</ref> was a rarity on the Scottish side, functioning effectively as a secular liberty, with its own keeper who, ''ex officio'', also held the position of Captain of [[Hermitage Castle]].<ref>Robson, Ralph. The English Highland Clans: Tudor Responses to a Mediaeval Problem. Edinburgh: John Donald, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-85976-246-5}}. pp72-73</ref>

Religious influence was prominent in the liberty of [[Hexhamshire]], governed by the [[Archbishops of York]],<ref>Ellis, Steven G. "Region and Frontier in the English State: The English Far North, 1296–1603." In Frontiers, Regions and Identities in Europe, edited by Steven G. Ellis and Raingard Esser, 84. Pisa: Pisa University Press, 2009.</ref> and in the [[County Palatine of Durham]] (which included the exclaves of [[Norhamshire]] and [[Islandshire]] on the frontier), ruled by the [[Prince Bishops]], who held powers comparable to those of a king,<ref>Stringer, Keith. (2008). "States, Liberties and Communities in Medieval Britain and Ireland (c.1100–1400)." In Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles, edited by Michael C. Prestwich, 14-15. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.</ref> including raising armies and collecting taxes. The religious liberties fiercely resisted the encroachment of secular lawmen into their jurisdictions.<ref>Neville, Cynthia J. ''Violence, Custom and Law: The Anglo-Scottish Border Lands in the Later Middle Ages''. Edinburgh University Press, 1998, p. 175.</ref>

[[File:Anglo-Scottish Marches v1.png|thumb|Anglo-Scottish Marches]]
The [[Earls of Northumberland]], based in [[Alnwick]], were another major force, holding substantial military and administrative influence over northern England.<ref name="auto24">Armstrong, Jackson W. Local Society and the Defence of the English Frontier in Fifteenth-Century Scotland: The War Measures of 1482. ''The Scottish Historical Review'', Volume 87, Issue 2, October 2008, pp. 153–176.</ref> The legal framework of the region was equally fragmented, with [[March law]] addressing cross-border disputes and raids,{{sfn|Neville|1998|p=5}} while state law and ecclesiastical law functioned in parallel. The Liberties, both religious and secular, were repeatedly accused of being havens for outlaws.<ref>Neville, C. J. "The Law of Treason in the English Border Counties in the Later Middle Ages." Law and History Review, vol. 9, no. 1, 1991, pp. 1–30. {{doi|10.2307/743658}} pp. 1–2</ref> Disputes often arose between [[Lord Warden of the Marches|Wardens of the Marches]], Keepers of the liberties, and local sheriffs, reflecting the constant struggle to impose order in this turbulent region.{{sfn|Neville|1998}}

While both England and Scotland had overlapping jurisdictions, Scottish regalities generally lacked the level of autonomy seen in English liberties.<ref>Armstrong, Jackson W. Local Society and the Defence of the English Frontier in Fifteenth-Century Scotland: The War Measures of 1482. The Scottish Historical Review, Volume 87, Issue 2, October 2008, pp. 153–176</ref> This difference arose because England had a more centralised system of governance, whereas Scotland's rule was more fragmented, with local polities retaining greater independence.<ref>Stringer, Keith. (2008). "States, Liberties and Communities in Medieval Britain and Ireland (c.1100–1400)." In Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles, edited by Michael C. Prestwich, 16. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.</ref> Despite these differences, both nations faced persistent challenges in governing the borderlands, where local power dynamics frequently overruled central authority.<ref name="auto8"/>