Riding the Marches is a widespread British custom found in many historic towns and burghs, but for obvious historical and demographic reasons, is generally a Southern tradition in Scotland. Today, it is most common in the Borders, and can also be known as the Common Riding, Lanimer or Landsmark Day. The ceremony is generally held in the summer and has its roots in medieval history as a ritual means of officially inspecting and defining civic and estate boundaries.
The riding out or rideout involved local dignitaries on horseback skirting an area's perimeter as defined by significant markers such as boundary-stones or natural landmarks. In its early forms, groups of men conscripted to the military service of local landowners would be involved in the ritual, effectively "protecting" their locale from hostile neighbours, but this practice later evolved into the knightly figures of a Lord Cornet or Standard-Bearer protecting his assistant known as the Pursuivant or Turf Cutter. The Lord Cornet's standard, carrying local civic or noble arms, was formerly referred to as the pensil or pinzel, and the ceremonial turf-cutter was used to mark significant points along the boundary-lines. The rideout also involved a procession of the town or burgh's citizens as well as the ceremonial leaders.
Other rituals can be found in various areas, such as the snuffing (a ceremonial taking of snuff) at Hawick (Borders), but a widespread practice is the singing of a town song, either traditional or modern, as was the proclamation of the town's charter - in Selkirk (Borders), for example, this ritual was known as the Crying of the Burley.
Today, the Lord Cornet has generally developed into a less imposing figure referred to simply as the Lad or Laddie, and usually has a female counterpart in a Lass or Lassie, either named after the town or burgh in question (the Kelso Laddie, for example), or holding other titles such as Lanimer King (Lanark) or Queen of the South (Dumfries). In the modern era, the ritual has often evolved to encompass other local fairs, galas and festivals,[1] and the following gives a list (incomplete) of current survivals of the tradition within the Lothians:
Riding the Marches in Linlithgow seems to have its origins in the C14th century, but the first historical mention is from 19th October 1541, when the local tradesmen followed a standard-bearer referred to as the Deacon to check the town's boundary stones. Since 1767, the ceremony is held on the first Tuesday following the second Thursday in June (Holy Thursday), and involves the holding of a court on Castle Hill and the election of a Baron Bailie as standard-bearer. There is a long-standing connection with the Lanimer Day ridings at Lanark, going back to at least the C16th, and the Lord Cornet from Lanark is often to be found riding out with Linlithgow's Baron Bailie.
For a Victorian perspective on the Linlithgow ridings: William Hutton, Simon Moneypenny, or The Linlithgow Marches in the Olden Time (Linlithgow: G. Waldie,1877).
Website: Linlithgow Marches Official Website
The custom in Musselburgh ("The Honest Toun") has its first historical mention in 1682 and was traditionally held every 21 years. Traditionally, the standard-bearer was known as the Toun Champion, whose role is to protect the Turf Cutter. Today, the ceremony is linked to the annual Honest Toun Festival (late July), at which an "Honest Lad" and an "Honest Lass" are chosen as leaders of the festivities.
Website: The Honest Toun's Association
more to follow...
footnotes
[1] In Dumfries, for example Riding the Marches is part of the Guid Nychburris Fair.