The Debatable Land

The Lost World Between Scotland and England

By: Graham Robb

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Two years ago, Graham Robb moved to a lonely house on the very edge of England, near the banks of a river that once marked the southern boundary of the legendary Debatable Land. The oldest detectable territorial division in Great Britain, the Debatable Land served as a buffer between Scotland and England. It was once the bloodiest region in the country, fought over by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James V. After most of its population was slaughtered or deported, it became the last part of Great Britain to be brought under the control of the state. Today, it has vanished from the map and its boundaries are matters of myth and generational memories.

Under the spell of a powerful curiosity, Robb began a journey that would uncover lost towns and roads, and unlock more than one discovery of major historical significance. These personal and scholarly adventures reveal a tale that spans Roman, Medieval, and present-day Britain.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, The Debatable Land takes us from a time when neither England nor Scotland existed to the present day, when contemporary nationalism and political turmoil threaten to unsettle the cross-border community once more. With his customary charm, wit, and literary grace, Graham Robb proves the Debatable Land to be a crucial, missing piece in the puzzle of British history.

©2018 Graham Robb (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Best narration

Great history very well told and brilliantly narrated. A real winner if your interested in British history, the Borders or the rievers.

An informative Narrative.

It’s a good book. A bit redundant at points but there were enough moments of “oh that’s cool” to make me keep listening. Narrator was amazing! His ability to move between accents and character types really brought the anecdotal tidbits to life. So, that was fun.

A must read for Armstrongs

Excellent, especially if you plan on visiting the area., and especially if you are an Armstrong andvwant to know about your heritage.

Good book, very detailed

Good information presented with lots of detail. A little boring at times but that shouldn't detract much if you're interested in the topic. Some interesting stories are presented. Author has wit.

Ground Breaking Family History

Wow, a real historian on my hell raising ancestors. Except he's a digger into facts. Seems the Brits liked playing them against the Scots, and the Scots played them against the Brits. The only thing missing are the opium poppy fields & the 16th century Scottish border region could be 21st century Afganistan.

Prompting searches further back in time, echos of Celtic cattle raiding legends, pre-Roman British political structures, and the deciphering of a long dismissed 2nd century Roman map of Britain that just needed it's original Celtic scale recovered to discover its underlying modern quality accuracy.

Yeah the border Scotts were badass, drove the Romans back too. But a least as important, officialdom was happy to use or hang them as suited their purposes.