Complex sentence: The news reached the ears of one (William or John) de Somerville The Laird of Lariston a man of reckless courage who was in the South at that time he came to the nearby village of Jedburgh and heard the lurid tales of the locals.
Split into simpler sentences: The news reached the ears of one (William or John) de Somerville, the Laird of Lariston a man of reckless courage who was in the South at that time. He came to the nearby village of Jedburgh and heard the lurid tales of the locals.