THE KERRS | Border Reiver Families 

It is great to see so many comments from my kinsmen from across the world.

I remember the time I first drove through Jedburgh and weirdly felt it was like home to me. I almost felt like I knew the place. Many years later, while researching my Carr family history, I came across my ancestors: the Kerrs! I still cannot explain that strong feeling.

My grandmother was a Kerr and was left handed, as is my father and sister. We descend from good ole Ralph Kerr. Thank you so much for this informative video!

There is an area called Kersland west of Glasgow that was home to the clan before the borders. From there a William De Ker ( became Kerr) was the last man killed in defense of William Wallace the day of his capture by the english. This takes us well back before the 1300s.

My paternal grandmother's family were Kerr's and from Dumfries, Scotland. I so wish to see it at least one time before I meet my maker.

Great history, thanks. My father's mother was a Kerr, and he was left-handed, for what it's worth...

My family descends from the Ferniehirst Kerrs. A couple of my cousins visited the castle and were given a private tour. I’d love to visit some day. Ralph is a name used a lot in our family both as a first and middle name. My great aunt had traced back our lineage into the 1700s. My cousin has a huge file box full of documents that were traced long before any of the online lineage sites existed. I’m very proud of my heritage. I have our family crest tattooed on my left forearm. Yes that was intentional. I am left handed as was my Grandfather and his father as well from what I was told.

My surname is Kerr and interestingly being left-handed runs in my family too. My two sons, my brother, an uncle and three cousins are all left-handed. Kerr is one of the most common surnames in Scotland. Great video!

I was happy when I saw another reiver video! Great video!

This is greatly appreciated! Great job,Sir. My ggg-Grandfather and a brother adopted the Carr spelling for whatever reason back in Tennessee. They still used Kerr from time to time, as did some of their kids. Learning the family history back through those in the video has been quite exciting. My Father an I are both left handed as well !Thanks again.

I am a Kerr, my brother, Dad and grandad are all left handed. We have alot of Roberts in the family, guessing we are related to Robert maybe, no idea!

Brilliant video mate once again! Wonderful the effort that goes into them

What an incredibly extensive and fascinating history the Kerr's have.I knew nothing of them until now.Looking forward to knowing more.Thank you for another great video 👏

Excellent video that 👌🏻 I went to school with a lad called Andrew Kerr when I was about 7/8ish, up in Cumbria. Before we moved back to West Yorkshire. The lad was no warrior back then 😂 hopefully he grew into one 🙏🏻

Thankyou for this, everyone should know about the trials and tribulations of their ancestors. Whenever I feel lazy I think of them and an urge to live up to their feats overwhelms me

I am a kerr! I have gone back to my 25th great grandmother lady Katherine of cessford Logan ker va fernihirst castle! So many kerrs I have loved learning about and finding these amazing bits of information ❤

Your videos just keep getting better. This was fascinating and a vivid reminder of the changing fortunes that history brings. Order prevails!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge (from someone on the Northumbrian side of the Borders)

Left-handed Kerr reporting in! Honored to be the first video you did on a specific family.

I came across this because I'm digging into my family past as I to carry the kerr surname. Very interesting.

Incredibly interesting video! I'm from the South Shields area and am always looking into the history of the North East and beyond. Its a huge passion of mine, also the mention of Culloden is also always interesting too. I write, sing and play bass for a Heavy Metal band of the same name and one of the tunes I was wanting to write about in future covers the topic of the Border Reivers! Early days yet, as I'm not fully confident my knowledge is good enough to draw from for a song good enough to befit them, but I'm learning, and these videos of yours are a huge help!

“You’ll get the mercy that you gave.” Thanks for the video. Being aligned with the Scott’s, I’m sure there was some Laidlaw’s who joined that raid.

Please do a video on the Scott’s which I’ve heard were enemy’s of the Kerrs until they had members of the family’s marry.

My grandfather was a Carr, left handed as am I, I have the coat of arms in my room, would love to visit Scotland one day, amazing video thank you

This is brilliant, cant wait for more

Another great video, keeping history alive.

Thank you for another outstanding video… The Rutherfords were mentioned in the video as one of the families who had a feud with the Kerrs.. A similar video like this on the Rutherfords would be fascinating. Thank you for what you do and keep up the great work ….

Please do the Elliot’s afterwards! Love your videos! I’m subscribing right now

Very interesting video. Very informative stuff. I am directly Welsh - basically my surname. Most of my family are Scottish, from Orkney, Inverness, Invergordon, Edinburg, Maybole near Glasgow, and various villages, so I love all Scottish history. I've been all over America and Europe, but nothing compares to Scotland for me.

I have an uncle Ralph Kerr. My mother's sister's family. My mother and her two sisters are Irvines. The Irvine Clan was sent to head up border families in 1034 ish by Duncan I, first King of the new House of Dunkeld. Irvine being his uncle. This would be a good next Clan to do✨👍

Cracking video lad! Would love to see a video on hobs!

Please do a truly scary reiver family: the MacFarlanes. What they did to the Colquhouns was epic. One author called them “the most war-like clan of all”

For anyone short on time, start at 10:10 that minute nails our clan perfectly!!!

Thank you. Great job and really appreciate the information and photos. Left handed Kerr here, one son is also left handed and other son is right handed.. Family came to America in early 1700's . Fought in Revolution and Civil War.

Left-handed Kerr, present and accounted for

Thank you for this video! I am a Carr by heritage but not name, although I have the "corry-fisted" trait, as does my eldest cousin. I believe that family branch is descended from the Ferniehirst Kerr line, and a family which came to the future USA, and afterwards settling in NW Ohio. I am working on a family history of the line, and found this to be valuable illustration of parts of the history. Liked and subscribed, and I hope you do many more videos!

love your videos. if you continue to do videos on border reiver families, I humbly request a video about the Robson's. Thanks.

By some absolute random browse I found this documentary and it's really good 👍 thanks for sharing my surnames history and to add to my delight my fathers name was Andrew Kerr so I'm kinda beaming with pride ❤cheers Amanda kerr

Great job hopefully you will do some more on the families I do have an interest being a Maxwell

FACINATING , Thank you so much for this video, love the left handed bit. I,m a Early modern left handed historian. I find the 15th Century the most interesting . I,m starting to build two Border reiver, forces for my 28mm Scale wargaming battles.

Brilliant video! Thank you for this.

Well done on another excellent video. I first came across your videos just before Christmas, and didn't really know anthing about the reivers. (It was your look at folklore that fed you into the algorithm!) But you have me hooked on their history. The tales you tell, along with visiting the hisorical sites, does so much for the immersion. Thank you, I look forward to the next part in this fascinating story, and are so glad you're keeping British folklore and history alive.

As an Australian Kerr with great interest in history and ancestry thank you so much for this video!

Nice video JR! I like the tour and the back-story. That lower entrance into the castle at 6:02 would have been the livestock paddock quarters in winter or nightfall etc. A ladder that could be pulled up to the adjacent (but higher elevation) doorway would have been how the family members would have entered at the end of the day, or up a rope ladder from the livestock shelter if they were late back at night etc.

Nice to come home to this video my friend. Fantastic.

Carr is in my blood line but it was Kerr until the early 1800s.

Beautifully researched and presented. This is really good! 🌟👍

Nice to see the Elliotts mentioned. I was born left handed and wonder if there is a Kerr in my family history.

Great video, really enjoyed the history of the Kerr family and we'll presented too well done 👍

A very important ally to Clan Armstrong. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⚔️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Absolutely brilliant documentary. I'm currently reading Robert Low's Reiver novels. I walked Hadrian's wall several years ago and it waa tge first time i had heard of the border reivers

That was a very well made and informative video! I would love to see you make more clan videos like this. An Armstrong video would be great. Or some videos on highland clans. Either way, more clan videos would be very welcomed. Cheers!

Thank you for another well presented and factual video.

I love this kind of content! Honestly I don't know anyone else who talks about these subjects which is exactly why I watch your videos. I am very much looking forward to the next episode!

My great grandmother was a Ker and my Grandmother's middle name was Ker. Grandma was also left handed.

I am a Canadian Kerr. My grandfather came to Canada from County Mayo in Ireland. My grandfather's family retained the memory that they were forced out for Scotland after the Union of the Crowns in the early 1600s and had to flee Scotland. I am curious about the circumstances. My father said he thought his branch of the family in Scotland was betrayed, or turned in, by another branch of the Kerr family so they had to flee Scotland or be executed. Strangely enough, in the 1890s, when they came to Canada, they were still Protestants, even though they had lived in Ballina in the West of Ireland, rather than in Ulster where most of the Scots Irish still were. My father was a teacher in the Western Arctic in Canada, and the Moose Kerr Aklavik School in the MacKenzie River Delta, was named after him. He was honoured for promoting native culture, Dene and Inuvialuit, at a time when native cultures were largely dishonoured by the rest of Canada.

Great vid! Rwally hope you do one on Clan Johnston someday

Does Kerr hold NO connection to the Brythonic Caer then? I'd figured since Carlisle, Cardiff, Carr, and Strathclyde continuing until it did with such proximity to the family. It's the word for fort

A very informative video mate great to hear some stories regarding my family name

Really enjoying the video and the new style. Thanks and bravo 😁 I've got my fingers crossed there is to be a video about the Scott's at some point.

Thank you for these facinating videos! ⚘️ They are very interesting, because of the history behind them! I was wondering, if there's a gosth story about the famous "Orge of Abergavenny" and his wife & son's goshts, "Lady of Hay" & William, screaming in the dungeons of Corfe Castle! Moms used to correct their children, scaring them with the Orge of Abergavenny! Lady of Hay, Maud or Matilda, wife to Baron William de Braose, most important war Commander of King John at one time, fought against 3,000 Welch, defending Hay castle! Once, the Baron ambushed twelve, I think, Welsh princess for a reconcilliation at Christmas and killed them in Albergaveny Castle! I think, he even persecuted a child prince and possibly her mother, who had escape. Sorry, I don't have this part clear. King John persecuted this Baron and his family, after he was his right hand and most influencial Baron! The King persecuted the family into Wales, with an army able to invade the French Kingdom! William de Braose, was harassed for his debts, but also because, he or his wife, refused to delivered, their grandchildren, as hostages. But also, because of Matilda's indiscresion. Arrogantly, she dismissed the Kings envoys, saying something like: she could not trust a King, who had murdered his nephew! This was serious, since her husband, Baron de Briouse may well have known about the faith of Prince Arthur, (the nephew of the king); murdered by his own uncle, in a drunken rage, while being his prisoner. The Baron caught Arthur, while protecting the King's mother, Arthur's grandmother! Apparently, the boy had besieged her castle, for some reason. At the end, the Baron had to flee to France, and died one year later; while his wife, his eldest son, and his family were caught & imprisoned in Carrefergus, then mother and son were transfered to Windsor, and to Corfe, where they died from starvation, (locked eleven days, in the dungeon). All the relatives were also persecuted and imprisoned! This brave lady, who dared to confront King John's envoys was known as the Lady of Hay, Maud or Matilda de Briouse, Saint Valerie, while his husband was Baron, Sir William de Braose, with many noble titles. Following, I leave you some links. Thank you for listen! Blessings! ⚘️ P.S. I'm trying to write an historical novel, around these theme! Sight. Just as a hobby! www.geni.com/people/Maud-Matilda-de-Saint-Val%C3%A9ry/6000000000796896697 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_de_Braose www.geni.com/people/William-III-de-Braose-4th-Lord-of-Bramber/6000000002134845380 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_de_Braose,_4th_Lord_of_Bramber

I am a Kerr very many times removed, and now in Boston, Massachusetts

MOST INTERESTING! INDEED! THANKS! FROM, U.K. (2023).

I am a left-handed Kerr. My great grandfather migrated to Canada and settled in Boston. I wish to travel to Scottland someday soon!

I wonder how much those tower houses cost to build back then? Anyway thanks for a very interesting video.Looking forward to yet more on the other families.👍

Excellent stuff! I know a few Kerrs and they were very happy to watch your video. Any chance of a video on the Johnstones!!

I am a Kerr in Northern Ireland ! I'm ambidextrous and I am so fascinated by this left handedness etc; I knew about the castles building backwards stairs but I never knew the whole history of my Clan , thank you ☀️🌞😎 late but in earnest 🫡🇮🇪

what a unique channel.

My great great great great uncle Wan came from the borders. This was his country.

The BBC made a period drama called "The Borderers" in the late 1960s that centers around a fictional branch of the Kerr family called the "Kerrs of Slitrig." Most of it is lost, and most of what remains is only black & white telecording, but it is available on RU-vid.

My great great grandmother was a Kerr left-handed still run in the family lol

There’s a saying in Yorkshire kack handed for left handed,I always thought it was kack as 💩 but maybe there’s more to this story!

A Kerr here ... what an odd history my family has.

Well lookie lookie at this cookie 👀

Hi fantastic video on a rewatch! Just wondering what backpack you are using? In the market for a new one! Thank you 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The Reivers clans are fascinating, and most did change allegiances to whichever side was winning, because their main concern was their clan and survival. Now I would like to see a video about the Armstrongs, since my clan ancestors were considered to be the fiercest of the border reiver clans.

My paternal great grandfather was named John Barclay Armstrong. My maternal grandmother was named Lucie Carr. My maternal great grandfather was named Leonidas Jefferson Storey. Scottish, much? Texas is full of people just like me.

Not a Kerr, but saw my own ancestors on the Culloden map. Clan Munro!

All the boys in my family are all Kerr stories from Australia

Been looking forward to this as a Johnston 👀

Out of curiosity what version of “Moss Troopers Lament” did you use at the start of the video?

Could you please do a video on the Gledstanes (later called Gladstones)?

Im a kerr. Our family motto translates to "late, but in earnest"

birth name cory kerr im,very proud!

Are ya gonna do a video on all the major clans? Will Clan Elliott get a video?

Explains the source of the Scottish phrase "Corrie-Fisted" meaning Left Handed... :)

Do you have any videos about the Gladstones? I think we were called “Gledstanes,” ‘way back when all this stuff was going on.

My Dad's grandmother was Susannah Kerr born in Quebec. Her father John Kerr came to Canada from Ireland in 1845. I haven't watched the video yet but I will soon. Thank you.

strangely enough, although i lived just down the road from Redcastle, i never realised there was an actual castle there!

May i ask for another family thats hard to find? Riddell?

Carr present!

❤❤❤

Is there a resource you would recommend for understanding the Scottish clans and families better? In America there seems to be a lot of ignorance around Scottish heritage and commercialized silliness prevails. My wife’s family comes from Scottish stock and I would love to have a better understanding of Scottish families histories for my children as it will be a piece of their story too.

Normans the lot of them. We Storys were from good Viking blood..wait a minute,the Normans were Vikings. Gonna have to think again!

I wonder why the Riddells are not included in the Border Reiver Families: My ancestor married a Kerr of Farniehurst.

What's the Audio at 11:00 minute mark?

The Jacobite rebellions were not instrumental in the decline of the clan system. This was happening and would have happened, regardless of any rebellions.

Hail Clan Scott and my relative, the author Walter Laidlaw

I'm now haunting the Groundskeeper Willie part of this video because that's the location of my death.

I hope you get to the Grahams, the fiercest of all the border clans.