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Kelso, Hawick and Jedburgh (Jeddart) being the principal towns. The Scottish West March extended from the "Debateable Land" (see below) as far west as the River Cree in Galloway, taking in the Stewartries of Kirkcudbrightshire and Annandale plus the valley of Nithsdale encompassing the town of Dumfries with its Sheriffdom.

The English East March, like its equivalent March over the Border, was the smallest, consisting of the north-eastern part of Northumberland. It was governed from Berwick, which was pivotal in the defence of this the eastward corridor between Scotland and England used by invading armies. In reiving terms, however, it was more raided against than raiding, so to speak (again like its Scottish equivalent). The Middle March encompassed the areas of Coquetdale, Redesdale and Tynedale and so contained some of the worst elements on the English side of the Border. It was administered from Alnwick castle with garrisons kept at Chipchase and Harbottle. The English West March consisted of the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland with their good agricultural land in the low-lying areas bordering the Solway. Edging on to the Debateable Land and Liddesdale they presented a prime target yet the Middle March tended to suffer more from the raids of the Western reivers. One reason for this was the presence of Carlisle, England's bastion in the west, mirroring that of Berwick in the east. Again, because of its strategic position as an inter-national invasion route, it was more strongly defended, with its great castle at Carlisle, as the hub of the area and with garrisons at Bewcastle and Rockcliffe.

Two areas of the Borders were special in that they were so lawless that special measures had to be taken over them. The first is a strip of land barely 4 miles wide and 12 long running roughly along the line dividing the Scottish and English West Marches. This was the Debateable Land. Called 'Debateable' because of the dispute in its ownership between the two countries. This was due to the fact that the area had originally been part of Scotland, until wrested from her by force by William Rufus (William II, son of the Conqueror). It became a source of annoyance and irritation to both countries, due to the activities of those living there. Neither country would take responsibilty for those living there and so it became, in effect, a lawless area.

Such an inviting area soon became a magnet for the worst elements and riff-raff of the Border, mainly Grahams, Littles, Bells and elements of the Armstrongs, and so great was the amount of trouble its inhabitants caused that the Wardens of the West Marches eventually issued a decree which said that anyone could steal the goods, including livestock, of anyone living there or even kill any of the inhabitants with impunity. There would be no law to protect the lawless elements who chose to live there. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Even a general devastation of the area in 1551, by the Scottish Warden Lord Maxwell, failed to deter the hard men (and women) who chose to live there. Eventually, in 1552, both countries called for arbitration and the French Ambassador was brought in to decide where the line of the Border should be placed. Although he gave the lion's share of it to Scotland (which is