The Edinburgh Tolbooth aka The Heart of Midlothian Descriptions from  Exiles of the Covenant by W.D.Carslaw, and The Book of the Old Edinburgh Club vol III. The Heart of Midlothian The exact date when the Old Tolbooth of Edinburgh was erected is shrouded in the mists of time, but reference to it is made as […]

Testimonies about the Fiery Cross of Moray. These extracts from an Appendix to Ladies of the Covenant, Rev  James Anderson (1851), refer to the testimonies given to the Commissioners of the Privy Council investigating the circumstances of the Fiery Cross that traversed Moray in the summer of 1679. [ Click on the thumbnail to go […]

The scourging to death of 8 year old Will Fetty. John Fetty was a forty two year old tailor from Clerkenwell, London  who was reported by his wife to the priests for not attending church. The first occasion she complained she suddenly fell down and was distracted, seemingly mad. In the circumstances John Fetty was […]

The Justiciary Circuit Courts, 1684. Glasgow. Treatment of the heritors of Lochwinnoch  [Extract from The History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution. Robert Wodrow, Ed R Burns. Glasgow, Blackie & Son, (1835) Volume 4, p 134-136. ]              Nothing can be more extensive than this bond of […]

Edward III ( r 1327-1377 ) and Thomas Bradwardine (ca 1295-1349). Rumblings of discontent against the Church of Rome and its interventions in secular matters had been developing a momentum since King John (1199-1216) bent his knee to the Pope and the barons retaliated with Magna Carta. Within the Church there was strong advice to […]

PASSING  UNDER  THE  ROD This was a favourite quotation of the Covenanters as it relates to the purging of the wicked who will not be allowed into Israel (Heaven). This inscription appears on a gravestone in Wanlockhead Churchyard, Dumfriesshire. [ with permission of A. Little a great, great, grandson ] Ezekiel 20 v 37 I […]

DECREE OF THE SYNOD OF CONSTANCE, A.D. 1415, TOUCHING THE TAKING UP OF THE BODY AND BONES OF JOHN WICKLIFF TO BE BURNED. EXECUTED FORTY-ONEYEARS AFTER HE WAS BURIED IN HIS OWN PARISH AT LUTTERWORTH.  Forsomuch as by the authority of the sentence and decree of the council of Rome, and by the commandment of […]

Philiphaugh 13 Sept 1645  After the battle at Kilsyth James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, was in virtual command of Scotland and was recognised by many as the King`s Viceroy, Edinburgh had released prisoners and Glasgow had opened its gates to him. But fate struck hard as he alienated his Highlanders by forbidding any plundering of […]

Rev. Andro Knox, the Papist catcher. It is very easy to be swept along by the story of the Reformation, by the hardships suffered and  the persecution of the Covenanters in later years. We should, however, stop occasionally and observe the other side of the coin where the zealous Presbyterians themselves indulged in a form […]

Cromwell in Scotland. The supremacy of Cromwell brought Scotland an unaccustomed experience of general peace. For eight years the Scots had been demanding ecclesiastical harmony of the English but in retaliation the Cromwellian regime enforced political cooperation and ecclesiastical tolerance. With and from this flowed a firm and impartial government that was relatively honest, even […]

The Inquisition. The Inquisition was founded in 1216 for the purpose of returning the lapsed believer to the Church of Rome, if not by reason then by force. It became an approved institution of the Church under Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241)  It never came into the four Kingdoms that then made up Great Britain, although […]

The Clarendon Code Edward Hyde, First Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674) was an ardent royalist when he entered Parliament in 1640 and later he chose to go into exile with Charles II.  After the Restoration he was made Lord Chancellor and became chief adviser to the King . In this role he was responsible for four […]

Montrose at Kilsyth 15 August 1645. Kilsyth was the last of the string of successes enjoyed by the Marquis of Montrose in his campaign of 1644-5.  It was also an important  event politically as the Scottish army under Alexander Leslie (Earl of Leven) was at that time allied with the New Model Army in England, […]

Travels in Scotland   –  The North Berwick Coast   The visitor to Edinburgh can very easily spend all their time within the city itself, there is so much to see. But do try to find time to look around the nearby countryside which also has many spectacular views. Steeped in history the Lothians has many […]