The Covenanters

The Covenanters – Index 

The following pages are about the Covenanters – the persecuted `faithful remnant` of the Presbyterian Church. Their story is an integral part of the larger saga of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland between 1560 – 1690, when the Church of Scotland ` was by law established`. Within the articles are cross references and links to related subjects; to pages giving specific detail; and, explanation of a topic. 

For convenience ordained ministers are shown as Rev, although by custom and practice they used  Mr or Maister [Master] indicating  both that they were Presbyterian ministers and had a university degree. See Sir priest and other titles.

An extensive bibliography offers a wide range of further reading. Enjoy.
The Scottish Reformation – the early years. Index. 
The Wife of Beith. An allegory from a chap book.
The young Kirk.
Who were the Covenanters ? An introductory note. 
The Kirk and its impact on the people.
The Presbytery of Paisley and the pursuit of Papists.
Rev. Andro Knox,  Papist catcher.
James VI , King of Scotland 1567 – 1603.
James VI and James I of Great Britain 1603-1625.
The episcopal honeymoon.
A period of relative tranquillity, 1560-1638.
Banishment. see also Slavery.
Court of High Commission.
The Five Articles of Perth, 25 August 1618.
Rev. Robert Blair.
Rev.John Livingstone
The Covenanters. A hardening of attitudes.
Charles I . 1625 -30 Jan 1649,
Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyll.
Rev. Alexander Henderson.
Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston
Laud`s Liturgy – the Book of Common Prayer for use in Scotland.
St Giles Cathedral, Greyfriars Kirk,  and the Covenant.
Signatories to the Covenant in Borgue and Minigaff Parishes, Galloway.
Citation and excommunication of the Bishops,1638.
The Scottish House of Commons is born.
The Bishops Wars 1639-1640 
James Graham, Marquis of Montrose.  
The execution of Montrose
The Solemn League and Covenant, 1643
The surrender of Charles I, 1646
The Engagement 1647.
Rev. Samuel Rutherford.
Rev.James Guthrie of Stirling. and Jean Ramsay, Mrs James Guthrie.
Rev William Guthrie of Fenwick.
The Regicides of King Charles I.
Negotiations at Breda, 1650.
Charles II King of Scotland ( February 1649 -September 1651) 
Proclamation of Cromwell as Lord Protector,4 May 1654.
Cromwell in Scotland.
General Monk and Archbishop Sharp.
The Restoration of Charles II: an overview.
Local taxation, an emerging fact of life.
A new Scottish Parliament approved 1660.
The “Drunken Parliament”
Events leading up to the `outing` of ministers.
Outed Ministers, Curates, Conventicles. and the Blink.
Rev. John Blackadder
The East Nisbet conventicle,1670. Blackadder`s account.
The Bond – to refrain from conventicles etc.
Rev. Alexander Peden.
Ministers of Galloway who were outed.
Scottish Bishops 1661- ca 1863.
The Act of Uniformity,1662 [ England]  and the Clarendon Code.
Court of High Commission.
Sir Hugh Campbell of Cessnock.
James Sharp, Archbishop of St Andrews- turncoat and persecutor. 
Isobel Sharp and servants` account of the assassination;  Proclamation of the murderers 20 Sep 1679; and Doctors` Certificate of injuries.
Commentary re: evidence that Sharp`s murder was a premeditated act.
A letter to Donald Cargill, 8 May 1679.
Sharp`s funeral procession and mausoleum.
John, Earl of Middleton, inter alia, a soldier
Sir James Turner, inter alia, a soldier.
Biggar Covenanter Museum
The Torwood excommunications
Portraits of ministers in the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae
Prisons and prisoners.
Covenanter Prisons
The Bass Rock
St Baldred and the Bass Rock. Extract from The Scotichronicon
John Spreul, apothecary; prisoner on the Bass Rock.
Blackness Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Prisoners (The Black Book of Kincardineshire.)
Extracts from the records of Edinburgh Tolbooth – Dunnottar prisoners, and transportations 1685.
Prisoners returned from Burntisland  to Edinburgh Tolbooth 20 May 1685.
Prisoners released from Edinburgh Tolbooth 28 May 1685 (returned from Burntisland).
Transfer of prisoners from Leith Tb. to Edinburgh Tb. October 1685
Transportations, 1665, 1666, 1680,
Slavery – general. (see also Banishment)
Transportations to America 1685
Greyfriars and the Covenanters` Prison
Tolbooths
Tolbooth Regulations 1579 & Prisons Act 1597,
Tolbooth escapes (Fountainhalls Historical Notes)
The Heart of Midlothian
 The Cameronians and persecution.
Sir George ” Bluidy ” MacKenzie of Rosehaugh, Lord Advocate.
Rev. Richard Cameron
Rev.Donald Cargill
David Hackston.
The Cameronians & the Sanquhar Declaration.
The Queensferry Papers.
Sanquhar Declaration  text
Proclamation against the Cameronians.
Rev.James Renwick
Renwick`s Lecture on Psalm XXIII.
A day in the life of James Renwick
Renwick`s Admonitory Vindication, 28 October 1684.
Proclamation 9 Dec 1686, “Wanted, Dead or Alive.”
The Justiciary Circuit Courts.
Circuit Courts
Commissions for Circuit Courts (1684)
Instructions to Circuit Courts (1684)
The Stirling Bond 1684.
The Glasgow Court and treatment of heritors of Lochwinnoch.
Abjuration Oath 25 November 1684 
The sense  in which a Covenanter refused to say “God Save the King”
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll; rebellion 1685.
The Killing Time
Executions.
The Martyrs` Monument, Greyfriars.
Catholic resurgence under James II, 1685 -1688.
Rev. John MacMillan of Balmaghie.
Death bed of MacMillan and monument at Dalserf.
Holland`s role in the Reformation.
James NOT James VII of Scotland.
Confrontations.
Covenanter battles
They died for their beliefs – numbers.
Kilsyth.
Philiphaugh.
Preston.
Dunbar.
Worcester.
Mauchline Moor
Rullion Green
Proclamation of Rebels 4 December 1666.
Drumclog  
The Fiery Cross in Moray, 1679.
Evidence of the inquiry about the Fiery Cross.
Bothwell Brig
Ayrs Moss
Tales of the Covenanters.
James Ure of Shergarton.
Covenanter Ships.
“Eaglewing” – John Livingstones account.
Passengers and prisoners on the “Henry & Francis”, 1685.
Covenanter sites and monuments.
“Old Mortality”  – Robert Paterson (1713-1801)
Seventeenth century burials. 
Gravestones and memorials .
Tradesmen and other gravestone emblems.
In praise and memory of Covenanters.
The Covenanter Banner.
Pass under the Rod.
The Cameronian`s  Dream.
Peden at the Grave of Cameron.
A poem about the Whigs and Rullion Green. 
A Covenanter poem about the Battle of Bothwell Brig.
A Covenanter`s Death
Martyrs
Sorrow Healed
The Martyrdom of John Brown
The Wigton Martyrs.
The Covenanters Vow.
Mountain Sanctuary.
A Childrens  Covenant.
Miscellaneous
My Books about the Covenanters: “As God is my Witness”; “A Layman`s Guide to the Scottish Reformation”,  “The Sojjers are comin`” (CD pdf file), ” Testimony of the Covenant”.
About the Reformation – “The Nail in the Door”
Covenanter  CDs
Old Scottish money.
Bibliographies: Scottish Presbyterians. Irish Presbyterians.
The Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association.
Time Line 1600 – 1840
19/01/2012