Jon Tait – who has a book out early next year entitled ‘Raiders Along The Anglo-Scottish Border – looks at the north’s connection to the Gunpowder Plot.

Jason Davidson is a former Cumberland and Westmorland world champion, as was his father, Ken, before him.

It comes as no real surprise to the head of the Rothbury wrestling academy that his ancestors may have been rogues involved in one of the most infamous incidents in history - so notorious, in fact, that we remember it with firework displays every fifth of November.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Davidsons were tenants and followers of the catholic Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, and on friendly terms with his second cousin Thomas Percy, who he had appointed the constable of Alnwick castle.

“You hear stories about reivers in the auld days, and I was always thinking that us Davidson’s were in the mix,” said Jason, a popular and well-known figure around the North’s country shows in Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland.

The Davidson's have been in upper Coquetdale for a long time. Davidson's Linn waterfall up in the Cheviots near the border was obviously named after a member of the family, who were similarly numerous and dangerous on the other side of the hills in East Teviotdale. Stephen Davison was named the most notorious by English officials in 1542.

If his forebears were anything like Jason (and you can bet that they were) they'll have been big, grappling, bruising fellas with an affable sense of humour who enjoyed a bit of sport; countrymen, yeoman farmers with calloused hands and weather-beaten faces. A good laugh. The kind of men that Percy would need to have on-side in the area during a time of corruption, nepotism, violent crime and raiding, not only cross border into or from Scotland, but in all directions.

“I’ve never heard any stories about the reivers when I’ve been working on the farm – maybe it was too long ago,” he continued.

A couple of miles from the Farmer’s Rest pub, sitting on the lonely Alnwick moors between Corby Crags and the A1, by the ominously-named Cut Throat Letch burn, Saint Margaret’s farm was once home to another family of border reivers who were friends with the Davidsons and Thomas Percy.

On the 2nd February 1603 Archibald and Thomas Armstrong of Saint Margaret’s and Thomas and Percival Davidson of Alnham broke into and burgled William Tyndall’s house at Newton-by-the-sea and stole seventeen sheep from him. Just two months earlier, Thomas Davidson of Alnham had broken into and burgled Thomas Pott at Little Tosson with Michael Davidson of Biddlestone, stealing sixteen sheep.

Another Michael Davidson, of nearby Scrainwood, had broken into the widow Jane Gallard's home at Wreighill and stolen four cows in 1597. Mungo Davidson of Biddlestone also burgled the house of Thomas Smith at Yetlington and stole a cow and in 1599 Thomas Davidson of Alnham and Robert Davidson of Alnwick stole a grey horse from George Alder of Alnwick. Robert Davidson of Alnwick was implicated in more serious charges in 1601 when he was an accessory to William Tailbois of Alnwick when he murdered the merchant Robert Smith in the town by stabbing him in the stomach with a sword.

By June 1605, the farm labourers Thomas and Robert Davidson of Alnham, along with a gang that included Thomas and Christopher Oliver, Edward Howey, John Huntley, John Feache, Andrew Pallace and Christopher Alder, all from Alnham, who went armed with ‘staves, swords, knives, daggers, lances, bows and arrows and other offensive and defensive weapons’ with around 40 other men that insulted and attacked Henry Guevarra’s servants Edward Bell, Cuthbert Johnson, and Isaac Firth ‘with intent to kill them.’

While the Davidsons were involved in the theft of livestock that plagued the area at that time, and had been for an age - William Davyson, an English 'thief, traitor, highwayman, and depopulator of fields'  was at a Northumberland gaol delivery as far back as 1411 for numerous offences, including trying to sell Roxburgh castle back to the Scots -  it was the family ties with the powerful Percys that would lead them into real trouble and hot water during the gunpowder plot to assassinate the Scottish King James after his ascension to the English throne.

The same Thomas, Archibald and John Davidson and Archie, Edward and Thomas Armstrong were executed at Newcastle castle in January 1606 by the Border Commissioners responsible for ‘Pacifying the Border’ and in the wake of the gunpowder plot they came down heavily on Percy’s men. Guy Fawkes himself reputedly spent time at Dilston Hall near Hexham with the catholic Radcliffe family.

“We’re always innocent, us lot,” laughed Jason.

“With no real evidence it seems a bit unfair that they were hanged.”

Michael Davidson of Biddlestone had avoided the rope despite being on the goal delivery with his relations and seeing his cousin John roped up. He and John had been accused of resisting arrest by the Rothbury Justice of the Peace Henry Guevara when he came to search their house for Percy.

But Michael bided his time and took his revenge, in true reiver-style, in October 1609. He and Robert Davidson broke into and burgled the house of James Guevarra of Alnham between 11 and 12 at night and assaulted him ‘with intent to kill’ as they stole a money bag from a box containing several pounds.

Another descendent, Ralph Davidson of Alnham, was with Michael, William and Edward Reed of Alnham and John ‘the better’ Snowdon of Farneylaw when they stole three cattle from Robert Horsley in 1615 as the lawlessness continued.

“I think bonfire night will be celebrated with great gusto in the future,” said Jason, with a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

Jon Tait

Jon Tait’s new book on the reivers ‘Raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border: A history of those pacified by King James’ is due out from Pen & Sword books in February 2026.