[metesky]

Raiders from both the English and Scottish sides of the wall commenced fighting back and forth over the border almost as soon as the Romans left, sometimes organized by the countries themselves, but many as simple reivers and thieves organized by clans and families.

This reiving became endemic and went on for centuries until finally stopped when the two kingdoms were united under James the VI and I late in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

A very good book on the great Border reiving clans is George MacDonald Fraiser's "The Steel Bonnets". The area was home to some of the hardest men in Anglo/Scots history and the Clans gave us at least two presidents (Johnson and Nixon).

[Hegemony Cricket]

"reiving" - new word to me - THANKS! :-)

[lepton]

So maybe it was a both-ways wall? ...like sending both kids to their own rooms because they just won't stop fighting?