Greyprison.htm

The Covenanter Prison in Greyfriars Kirk Yard.

On the day of the battle of Bothwell Brig, 22 June 1679, the Edinburgh militia regiment, under the command of Sir John Nicolson, was quartered at Corstorphine, from where a convoy with 30 men was sent with arms and ammunition for the army in the west. In their absence, the 1200 or so prisoners taken at the battle, were handed over on Hamilton Moor to the charge of Archibald Cockburn of Langtoune, Colonel of the Berwickshire Regiment of Militia, with instructions to escort them to Edinburgh. On arrival he was to hand them over to the custody of the magistrates, who had undertaken to secure them with the Town Guards.

Colonel Cockburn’s force consisted of two militia regiments and Captain Strachan’s troop of dragoons. After a wearying journey, the prisoners reached Edinburgh on the evening of the 24th of June, when they were handed over and incarcerated. The terms of instructions from the Privy  Council, required they be locked in the Inner Greyfriars Yard, described as an enclosure, with high walls round it, at the back of the Greyfriars Church. The letter of instructions is specific about the guarding of the prisoners:

The Council give Orders to the Magistrates of Edinburgh to receive the Prisoners taken at the late fight from the commanding officer, and recommend them to their Custody; and that for that end they put them into the inner Grayfriars Churchyard, with convenient Guards to wait upon them, who are to have at least twenty four Centries in the Night Time, and Eight in the Day Time; of which Centries the Officers shall keep a particular List, that if any of the Prisoners escape the Centries may assure themselves to cast the Dice, and answer Body for Body for the Fugitives, without any Exception; and the Officers are to answer for the Centries, and the Town of Edinburgh for the Officers. And, if any of the Prisoners escape, the Council will require a particular Account, and make them answerable for them.

On the following day, an Order by the Council was published by beat of drum throughout the town, forbidding any of the citizens to approach the Greyfriars Yard, except those who brought charitable gifts of meat and drink for the prisoners. The gifts were to be delivered at the gate, and divided equally among the prisoners by persons appointed for that purpose. The Army Accounts show that £172 Scots was disbursed for two men to look after the distribution of the prisoners’ bread, and for one other man to supervise, this covered the period 25th June to the 15 November. The daily food supplied by order of the benevolent and professedly religious Privy Council, for each prisoner, was one penny loaf per day. The City Fathers, who, no doubt, owed their position to those then in power, contributed nothing.

The only related entry in the Town Council records is that of 10th September :

`‘ The said day, appoints the toun tresaurer to furnish coall and candle

The magistrates with cold weather to come, therefore made provision for the comfort of the military guard, and almost as an afterthought provided a proper supply of water to their prisoners.

On 1st July there were no fewer than 1184 prisoners in the Greyfriars Yard and the adjacent Heriot`s Hospital. From this we can assume that the wounded were attended to by surgeons sent by the magistrates under instructions from the Privy Council. The accounts show a daily return to the 15th November, of the number of persons actually imprisoned in the Greyfriars.