page_title: History of Routledge surname 15th to 18th centuries
section_title: Routledge and Douglas of Roxburghshire Scotland
hierarchical_section_title: History of Routledge surname 15th to 18th centuries / Routledge in the 15th Century / Routledge and Douglas of Roxburghshire Scotland
caption_attribution_description: English: Hawick Roxburghshire, from River Teviot with old Town Hall in the background
context_page_description: People with the surname Routledge, and its numerous variant spellings, are first found in historical records living along the Anglo Scottish border. During these 400 years, many volatile events directly affected the lifestyles of every border family, from tenant farmer to landlord to border official. Border inhabitants, commoner and aristocrat alike, lived through intermittent warfare, violent religious reforms, and periods of famine and pestilence. Under such constant stress, civility broke down the predominantly agricultural society based on feudal tenure. Lawlessness prevailed whereby the term Border Reiver characterized about 75 surnames, Routledge included, that engaged in livestock rustling as normal activity. Many Routledge men and their peers lived and died by the sword as the following chronology will attest. History recorded their misdeeds and misfortunes without acknowledging any joys and pleasures they might have experienced during these times. Ultimately, some of these rough and ready Routledges survived to move on and thrive in all walks of life in all parts of the modern world.
context_section_description: AD 1400. To date, Routledge families have been recorded living in Hawick and Cavers, communities located alongside the River Teviot, often referred to as Teviotdale, in the southeast region of Scotland, adjacent to the English counties of Northumberland and Cumbria. The earliest documents indicate that they occupied respectable positions as officials for the powerful Douglas family, overlords of much of the county of Roxburghshire. Two main Douglas factions influenced Scottish politics and social life of the day: the so-called "Black" Douglases headed by the Earls of Douglas and the "Red" Douglases headed by the Earls of Angus. According to documents so far uncovered, Routledges were aligned with cadet barons of the "Black" Douglases at the beginning of the 15th century.
  Just as the place-name "Roxburgh" appears in historic records with numerous spellings—anything from "Rokysburgh" to "Rocheburch," likewise the same peculiarities apply to most surnames, and Routledge is no exception. Many more imaginative forms occur other than the commonly accepted alternative of "Rutledge," for example: Rootlige, Rutlage, Routleche, Rutliche, Routleidge, Rouchligis, Rudlege, Rowledge, Routelych, Rutley, Ratlish, Rookledge, Rowtledge, Routleach, Rouchelug, Rotheluge, Rotheloige, Routlagh, Rowtlugh, to name only a few. NOTE: Spelling throughout this chronology is given as in the original document.
caption: River Teviot, Hawick, Roxburghshire with Old Town Hall in background
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