The Debatable Land by Graham Robb

Discover the ancient and independent territory known as The Debatable Land, which once stood between Scotland and England and is considered the oldest territorial division in all of Great Britain. 

It was once one of the most revered parts of our native island - the bloodiest region in the country, fought over by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James V. After the the Union of the Crowns this territory was the last part of Great Britain to be conquered and brought under state control.

But until now, the history of this unique part of the country has been widely  ignored or forgotten.

Historian Graham Robb has been writing acclaimed, prize winning books for years and this is his first look at his homelands. When he and his wife moved to a lonely house on the very edge of England, he discovered that the river which almost surrounded his new home had once marked the Debatable Land's southern boundary. Intrigued by the remarkable and yet unremarked history of this area, he began a journey on foot, bicycle and into the past, and uncovered the lost towns and roads of this region.