When not serving as light cavalry for their perspective warring kingdoms, the border reiver clans were a notorious mafia of blackmailers and cattle thieves. The worst were hanged in 1603 when King James became monarch of both kingdoms. The rest were offered a second chance to live by accepting transportation to Northern Ireland to "convert", by influence or by force, the remaining Catholic Ulstermen who had survived the last war of 1598-1607 with the English. I would highly recommend anyone of Scotch-Irish heritage to read George MacDonald Frazier's "The Steel Bonnets" and "Albion's Seed" by David Hackett Fischer.

With my personal copy of Steel Bonnets on my computer desk, I disagree with works like "mafia"... very strongly!!! Helen Gant Donald with ancestors from BOTH sides of Hadrian's Wall ----- Original Message ----- From: <ALEXLONGRN@cs.com> To: <ncorange@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:46 PM Subject: Re: [NCORANGE] PORTER, N. Ireland Scots > When not serving as light cavalry for their perspective warring kingdoms, > the > border reiver clans were a notorious mafia of blackmailers and cattle > thieves. The worst were hanged in 1603 when King James became monarch of > both > kingdoms. The rest were offered a second chance to live by accepting > transportation > to Northern Ireland to "convert", by influence or by force, the remaining > Catholic Ulstermen who had survived the last war of 1598-1607 with the > English. I > would highly recommend anyone of Scotch-Irish heritage to read George > MacDonald > Frazier's "The Steel Bonnets" and "Albion's Seed" by David Hackett > Fischer. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NCORANGE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >