The Steel Bonnets

When Scott says they abhorred and avoided the crime of unnecessary homicide, one can only comment that they seem to have found homicide necessary with appalling frequency.

—George Macdonald Fraser

A classic work by the author George Macdonald Fraser on the Anglo-Scottish border region. Deals with the culture that came to be because the constant warfare made normal life impossible. Describes the various clans and their histories and the relation between them, the customs of the border, and the final ending of the system brought on when England and Scotland were united under one crown.

Tropes used in The Steel Bonnets include:

• Always Gets His Man: A few of the Wardens of the Marches were this, including Robert Carrey. Others not so much.
• An Offer You Can't Refuse: Rent and/or taxes was in the local dialect called mail. Thus collecting protection money was called Blackmail.
• Barbarian Tribe: Pretty much, yeah. Though to be fair both kingdoms went to a lot of work to make sure nobody had time to be civilized on the Border.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Robert Carrey.
• The Clan
• The Cavalier Years: Much of this history takes place then.
• Cycle of Revenge
• Da Chief: The Wardens of the Marches. Three on each side plus one for Liddesdale which was pretty much the nastiest area.
• Deadpan Snarker: The author of the book.
• Ensign Newbie: Robert Carrey.
• Feuding Families: Constantly.
• Forever War: England vs Scotland, though that conflict was pretty much over by the time most of this book covers, and the two kingdoms were mostly busy cleaning up the mess they had made. Also the constant fighting between Clans, which was to a large degree the mess aforesaid two kingdoms had made.
• Noble Savage: Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha.
• Oop North: And yes, it was pretty grim.
• Posse: By law, after a raid, the victim clan had the right of "hot trod" to pursue the raiders for a week after they struck.
• Proud Warrior Race: Or "a martial race of men."
• Plunder
• Rape, Pillage and Burn
• Run for the Border: Regularly done after a raid. Some clans had members on both sides of the border which made it more difficult still for the law.
• The Rustler: Pretty much every clan it seems.
• The Swashbuckler: This is the right time period and some persons represented might actually fit the role. However it is to grim. It is real life after all.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Subverted and Lampshaded in the peculiar custom of leaving one hand unbaptized, so that the owner of the hand could kill and thus take part in blood feud.
• Vigilante Execution: When a posse captures a raider in the process of a crime("red-handed") they were by law allowed to lynch him themselves.
• We ARE Struggling Together!: You Should Know This Already