Debatable Land

The Lost World Between Scotland and England

336 pages

English language

Published Feb. 12, 2019 by Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W..

ISBN:
978-0-393-35705-9
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3 stars (1 review)

When Graham Robb moved to a lonely house on the very edge of England, he discovered that the river winding around his new home had once marked the southern boundary of the legendary Debatable Land. The oldest detectable territorial division in Great Britain, the Debatable Land served as a buffer between Scotland and England. It was once the bloodiest region in the country, fought over by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James V. After most of its population was slaughered or deported, it became the last part of Great Britain to be brought under the control of the state. Today, it has vanished fromthe map and its boundaries are matters of myth and generational memories.

Under the spell of a powerful curiosity, Robb began a journey — on foot, by bicycle, and into the past — that would uncover lost towns and roads, and unlock morethan one discovery of major …

6 editions

Review of 'Debatable Land' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

There's four or more different books going on here: a history of Liddesdale and the Borders, a memoir/travelogue of moving to and exploring this area, a treatise on interpretation of Ptolemy's geography, and a speculation on the possible historic basis of some Arthurian history.
The problem is that they don't come together into a coherent whole, so the book is more a series of digressions. Just when something is getting interesting, it ends for something else to come in instead.
It's a shame because the section at the heart of the book with tales of the reiver families of the border is interesting and I wanted more of it.

Subjects

  • Boundaries
  • Great britain, history, military