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The Armstrongs take their name from
a chap who was renowned for having, yep you guessed it, strong arms.
He was Siward Digry ("sword strong arm"), a nephew of
King Canute, the Danish King of England until 1035.
From the 11th to the 17th century,
the Armstrongs were one of the most powerful and warlike clans in
the hotly contested Borders region straddling Scotland and England.
Their power and presence was so threatening to Scotland's ruling
authorities, in fact, that King James V himself decided to teach
the troublesome rogues a lesson they'd never forget. He tricked
John Armstrong of Gilnockie into attending a meeting near Hawick
where, rather unsportingly, the King was secretly lying in wait
and hung him without further ado as soon as he arrived.
Like all good Borders families of
the day, the Armstrongs were only too happy to indulge in a spot
of cross-border cattle rustling, but for them it was a pastime that
would eventually cost their name dearly. The Union of the Crowns
in 1603 brought an end, on paper at least, to the Anglo-Scottish
border wars and the Crown embarked on a rigorous campaign to "pacify"
the region. The last of the Armstrong Lairds was hanged in 1610
for leading a reiving (rustling) raid on Penrith, and the outlawed
families were scattered, many of them choosing ultimate refuge in
Ulster.
There has been no Armstrong chief
since. Serves the thieving buggers right.
Famous Armstrongs include;
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Gary Armstrong
One of the finest scrum halves
the world of rugby has ever seen ... and a borderer
to boot!!
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Sir Alexander Armstrong
Arctic Explorer who explored
the Arctic
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Neil Armstrong
The first man to walk on the
moon and verify that it wasn't made out of green cheese,
as had previously been believed.
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Louis Armstrong
"Satchmo" wasn't even
remotely Scottish, but was very good at blowing his
own trumpet, so he should have been.
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Lance Armstrong
American cyclist who despite
cancer of the goolies managed to win the Tour de France.
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