Johnny Armstrong and his men were allegedly hanged from an ash tree - a tree with an evil reputation. Wood was vital to provide timber for building, for weapons and as a source of fuel for the fire. By 1522 wood had become so scarce that the Crown forbade its collection on both sides of the border.

Langholm’s surrounding countryside is rich in natural heritage. The Langholm Walks are waymarked routes which have led to a popular walking festival. In this part of the world, you will find the large heath butterfly and flowers like the primrose and the ox-eye daisy.

This can be a wild, inhospitable land and animals had to be as hardy as humans. Breeds like the Scottish blackface sheep grazed these fells, although sheep were raised mainly for wool. Black galloways were the main cattle. Beef, stolen or not, was part of a staple diet.

The Border Esk, would have provided a rich supply of sea trout and salmon. And there was game in the nearby woods. For the reivers, though, perhaps nothing tasted as good as the cattle they stole from the other side of the border.

We are just a few miles from the sea as the crow flies and birds like oyster catchers and curlews come in to make their nests. Geese also fly across from the Solway. In local streams and rivers, otters and water vole make their home here.

The moors and forests around Newcastleton are home to some of Britain’s best-loved wildlife. Hen harriers nest on the moors and the forests shelter major populations of red squirrels.

Wild flowers are in abundance; wild iris, wild hyacinth, foxgloves, melancholy thistle and meadow cranesbill also grow locally.

This was the habitat of the hawk, not the dove and falconry was a popular sport.

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