If you thought the American West was wild, it was nothing compared to the border marches of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. Border reivers roamed the land, stealing and plundering without discrimination, leaving families torn apart in their wake. The modern word bereaved actually comes from the aftermath of reivers.
This book is set during the time when King Henry VIII was divorcing his first wife, trying to marry Anne Boleyn, and making his break from the Roman Catholic Church. He had little time to concern himself with the struggles of the border marches.
The area around the Scottish-English border is still dotted with pele towers as a reminder of those desperate times. Most have been converted into homes, barns, or sheds. The surrounding moors of Northumberland are beautiful and peaceful now.
For pictures and more about my research into this setting, see my From Ash and Stone Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/juliedaines/from-ash-and-stone/.