Geordie Bourne (or Burn) (died 1597) was a well-known thief or raider in the English East

Marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...

land that bordered the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a la ...

. He and his band of men were attacked by a patrol led by

Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth (ca. 1560 – 12 April 1639) (or "Cary") was an English nobleman and courtier. He was the youngest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, chamberlain and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, and Anne Morgan, daug ...

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, alo ...

(1596–98). During the assault Bourne's uncle was killed and Geordie was beaten into surrender. After his arrest he was found guilty of March Treason and sentenced to death. Many in the garrison were deeply concerned about executing the prisoner because it seemed to be common knowledge that the convict was a personal friend of the Scottish Middle March Warden Robert Ker of Cessford. The condemned man was given a 24-hour reprieve and riders were sent to Cessford to invite his intervention. There was no response. Meanwhile, Robert Carey, masquerading as a member of his own garrison, interviewed Bourne in his cell. According to Carey's 'Memoirs', Geordie Bourne confessed that

"he had lain with above forty men’s wives, what in England, what in Scotland; and that he had killed seven Englishmen with his own hands, cruelly murdering them: that he had spent his whole time in whoring, drinking, stealing, and taking deep revenge for slight offences".

He spent his final hours repenting to a preacher, Mr Selby, and was executed the next morning.

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The Scottish Raider
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourne, Geordie 1597 deaths 16th-century criminals 16th-century executions by England 16th-century Scottish people Executed Scottish people Male serial killers People executed under Elizabeth I Scottish criminals Scottish serial killers Year of birth unknown

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