Western Marches

The name “Western Marches” is a “tip of the hat” to my ancestors, who lived in the Marches of southwestern Scotland.

“A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe.

Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated after the personal union of England and Scotland under James VI of Scotland (James I of England). On both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border there were the West March, the Middle March and the East March. These regions nearly mirrored each other but there was some overlap between the Scottish and English regions. The Lord Wardens of the Marches who oversaw these regions were tasked with keeping their monarchs domain secure, and when it was in their interests they would encourage cross border raiding or even full scale war.