A man searches for the remains of Gilnknockie Castle in the Scottish Borderlands. A possible site for the home and base of the notorious Border Reiver ….Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnknockie.
This was my ancestor on my maternal side. My granny was the direct descendant of the Armstrong family. I grew up at claygate just a mile away from the Hollows Tower. We always (as locals)said that the original castle was on that side of the water. Great place. Beautiful and full of wildlife.
Hi Mark. I have visited this site many times. I live near . I definitely think that this site was Johnny's Armstrongs home. I was told by an old local that what was left of the castle, after being in ruins for centuries, was used to make the bridge. Its got a fantastic atmosphere and the Esk is a beautiful river. Mr Armstrong was a formidable character in the Dabatable Lands and no doubt did some terrible things but his death makes me sad and angry. He was tricked, No trial , hung on the spot. I found it sad that the sign that shows his supposed grave was dirty and hardly legible . I cleaned it the best I could as a mark of respect. Not sure if my Reiver ancestors would of approved mind you. Love your videos Mark. All the best to you and yours for 2022 .
The Scottish Borderlands look beautiful to me. They don't seem bleak at all. I live in Alaska and have enjoyed your videos about the Borderland history as I am interested in learning more about my Armstrong ancestors.
I love the passion Mark displays in every one of his videos. As a descendant of the Scottish Armstrongs I always enjoy any mention of my ancestors. I would love to see you do a video about the emigration of the lowland peoples to the Ulster plantations in Northern Ireland ( then, Ireland). I know many of the Armstrongs were in those groups that relocated ( mostly in County Fermanagh). Cheers from the USA!
@@MarkNicol123 Thanks for responding! Just finished watching it. Not sure how I missed that one. Thanks again; it was brilliant. One of these days I'll actually get to visit these places and have a wee dram in my ancestors honor! Thanks again for all the work you put into your content; it's greatly appreciated. Cheers mate.
Mark, I love the way you ramble about and discover the less "touristy" spots. This is a good example of that exploration which has opened up a whole new plausible avenue of thought about the lifestyle my famous ancestor. Thank you sincerely.
Brilliant … and food for thought ! It does seem a fair point … with no disrespect to the current owner of Gilknockie Tower …. It DOES seem too small …. And Armstrong was a man who would have needed a more secure and defendable home, I would have thought. Cracking wee video, as always !
@@MarkNicol123 I wish I could show you where I live now. Talk about bleak! Two minutes out of the city and it’s Grassland for miles and miles, but still has wonderful beauty. And happy holidays to you and yours.
Had the drone with me and that was the plan, but there were some REALLY low flying large military aircraft transporters going about. So thought better of it.
Mark, a quick hello from America, specifically Tennessee. I'm stunned you don't have ten times the subscribers you do. I know many people, especially my fellow Americans, have a fascination with what they consider "highland culture ". Considering the vast majority had ancestors along the Borders, or came from families of Ulster Scots , it's wonderful to be able to learn about and connect to the real Scotland of my ancestors. And it certainly helps that you bring a sense of excitement and pride to an oft overlooked area. You're a good natural storyteller too. Keep up the good work.
Big Chief Murray Armstrong chased out of Yetholm for no looking like a Brigadoon shortbread tin ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_kG1EZCnCPY.html
I Absolutely love your channel. I'm not a hiker but love mountain biking in the Borders. You are so entertaining and how do you keep your white troosers so clean...You have yet another subscriber. Cheers. Stoozer. 🤠
I've gone so far back into research the name to the man the name started from was son of the king of Denmark it was that son that go us our name back in the 900s
