The Ballad of Irving of Bonshaw

To some, mere outlaws on horseback –
Reivers of the border wild,
Mounted thieves, the gossips claimed,
Lawless, fierce, and undefiled.

Yet bound in iron to kith and kin,
To clan above all earthly call,
For blood outran both crown and creed –
Kinship stood above them all.

One of the seventeen border clans,
Unruly, fierce, and battle-tried,
So the old fireside tales declare,
With equal fear and equal pride.

Seven holly leaves upon the crest,
Evergreen through frost and flame,
Worn upon the bonnet’s brow –
A silent oath, a living name.

Through hardship grim and bitter strife
They kept their watch without a boast,
A prickly kindred, sharp and sure,
Guarding hearth and border post.

No braver line that marches knew,
Resilient hearts, unbent, unbroke,
Bold in deed and constant still—
As every elder’s telling spoke.

So if you pass through Scotland’s borders
At dusk, when shadows claim the land,
And hear the thunder of wild hooves –
Be swift to turn, and understand:

It may be one of Irving’s blood,
A Reiver riding fierce and free,
With border lance and honour sworn
As wild as wind on Esk or Dee.
 

By Rev. Ret. Raymond L. Morehead FSA Scot
Chief Elect Clan Muirhead Society