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Lord Warden of the Marches

The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action. They were also responsible, along with 'Conservators of the truce', for administering the special type of border law known as March law.

The Marches on both sides of the border were traditionally split into West, Middle and East, each with their own warden answerable to the Lord Warden-general. The English Western March was based on Carlisle and the Eastern March on Berwick-upon-Tweed.


The offices became unnecessary after the union of the crowns of England and Scotland under King James in 1603.

(1297–) (died 1314)

Robert de Clifford

(1327–)

John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey

(1328–)

Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy

and Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy (1334–) (jointly)

Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby

and Thomas Lucy (1336–) (jointly)

Gilbert Welton

(1352–)

Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy

(1356–) (died 1368)

Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy

(1368–)

Henry Percy, 4th Baron Percy

Roger de Clifford, 5th Baron de Clifford and others (1370–) (jointly)

Thomas Appleby

(1356–)

William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas

John Stewart, Lord of Kyle

Patrick V, Earl of March

(1364–1400)

Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas

(1400–)

Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas

(1450–) killed 1452

William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas

(1514–)

Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell

Sieur de la Bastie (1516–) killed 1517

Antoine d'Arces

(1574–)

Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus

( 1578)

William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie

(1584–)

James Stewart, Earl of Arran

(1603)

Alexander Home, 6th Lord Home

Scottish Borders

Anglo-Scottish border

Border Reivers

land lying between England and Scotland, formerly in question to which it belonged, when they were distinct kingdoms.

Debatable Lands

The which was dug in 1552 to divide up the Debatable lands.

Scots' Dike

between England and Wales

Welsh Marches

(Television series)

The Borderers

Scottish Marches

Reid, Rachael Robertson (1917). "The office of warden of the marches its origin and early history". . 32 (128): 479–96. doi:10.1093/ehr/xxxii.cxxviii.479. JSTOR 550854.

English Historical Review

Howard, Pease (1912). The lord wardens of the marches of England and Scotland: being a brief history of the marches, the laws of march, and the marchmen, together with some account of the ancient feud between England and Scotland. London: Constable. pp. .

194–201