Brief account of the Irvine family, County Fermanagh

CHAPTER V.
From the year 1550 peace prevailed between
England and Scotland, and thenceforward the
people of both countries became gradually
more and more united But the Borderers did
not immediately reap all the benefits of this
change. The cessation of national hostilities
led at first to a revival of the family feuds
waged against each other, which had been
hitherto restrained under the long-continued
war with England. An old hereditary feud
had existed between the Irvines and the Bells,
a potent border clan. In the course of this
feud the Bells were compelled to lean for sup-
port on the Carlyles, another border family.
Still the Irvines had the advantage in the con-
test, which, however, ceased about the middle
of this century, and ended in an alliance be-
tween the three families engaged. The Irvines
had also hostilities of lesser importance with
other clans, but the greatest of all their feuds
was with the Maxwells, the most powerful of
the West Border clans, and this lasted to the
end of the century. The grants made by the
Crown to the Maxwell family included Esk-
dale, Ewisdale, Wauchopdale, &c, and com-
prized the confiscated lands that formerly