The Falcon Clause: Dividing Britain
Today In History with The Retrospectors
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Show Notes
Henry III of England and Alexander II of Scotland met in York to settle the whole "where does England end, and where does Scotland begin?" question on 25th September, 1237. The consequent ‘Treaty of York’ (mostly) settled the map of the borders right up to the present day.
Alexander agreed to give up claims on northern English counties like Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland in return for a small chunk of land and the right to hand over one falcon a year as a symbolic payment. Yes, a falcon. Medieval politics loved a bit of flair.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how future English kings could spin Scotland’s resultant ‘fealty’ as an admission that England was the natural powerhouse; discover the lawlessness of the borderlands for the centuries afterwards; and reveal just how many times Berwick-upon-Tweed has caused a cartographical headache…
Further Reading:
• ‘A History of Scotland, Series 1, Hammers of the Scots, The Treaty of York, 1237’ (BBC, 2013): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0198xmq
• ‘Magna Carta, Scotland and Scots Law’ (University of Edinburgh, 2025):
https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/31216033/Magna_Carta_Scotland_and_Scots_Law_LQR_version.pdf
• ‘The world's oldest border?’ (Jay and Mark, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DqZYsckBwI
#Scotland #Medieval #Royals
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.
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