Mary Queen of Scots.  The First Reformation – the establishment of a Protestant religion,  was accomplished in 1560 but there were tensions to come with the return of the Catholic Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots on 20 August 1561. Having lived in France surrounded by the Guise family, the staunchest of all the Catholic families […]

Welcome to my web site which is mainly about the historic struggles between the  medieval Catholic Church of Rome and the resurging evangelism of Protestant creeds that resulted in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland, and the Episcopal Church of England. A new index tab links to pages about the Reformation in Europe. The Reformation […]

Burning at the stake  Both Catholics and Protestants had their martyrs but execution by burning at the stake was a punishment normally inflicted for heresy and witchcraft. The method was first approved for use against heretics by the Synod of Verona in 1184 and subsequently confirmed by the Lateran Council of 1215 and the Synod […]

The Book of Conclusions and Reformations 1395. The Book of Conclusions or Reformations, exhibited to the Parliament holden at London, and set up at Paul’s door and other places, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Richard II, and in the year of our Lord 1395.  [They were exhibited by Sir Thomas Latimer […]

The Reformation in France: the early days. The story of Protestantism in France is greatly overshadowed by the religious wars that raged on and off between 1562 and 1598. The St Bartholomews Day Massacre of the Huguenots  ( the French Calvinists) in 1572 is often held up as the main event but thousands died for […]

Old  Scottish  Money Scottish money was abolished as a circulating currency at the Act of Union in 1707.However, the valued rent of land , and in many places, feu duties and ministers stipends , schoolmaster`s salaries,  and other parochial payments were still reckoned  by the pound Scots and the merk, or mark, for some considerable […]

Contact Comments and suggestions. I would be pleased to discuss the subject matter on the web site. I am also willing to offer any help/guidance I can about researching your ancestors who may have been Scots, Ulster Scots (Scotch – Irish in the USA), Presbyterian or Covenanters. I can be contacted by e mail at   […]

The Cameronians and the Sanquhar Declaration. Sanquhar is a small town in Dumftries and Galloway, in the south west of Scotland. It is of ancient origin, the name being Celtic and meaning Old Fort, it lies in north Nithsdale and is approximately midway between Dumfries and Kilmarnock. Small though it may be on the map, […]

The Peasants Revolt, 1381. The circumstances that led to the Peasant`s Revolt in 1381 were the general living conditions of the vassal and a desire for some, relatively small, improvement of their lot. What it was not, was a direct response to the influence of John Wyckcliffe. Although there were some common issues the singular […]

James Sharp, Minister of Crail, Archbishop of St Andrews. “For well concocted , cold blooded, systematic  dissimulation , he stands almost without  a match in History “ Dodds, The Fifty Year Struggle“p 99. In Covenanting history James Sharp was possibly the most reviled of all those in power both for allegedly being a turncoat and […]

THE WALDENSIAN  “NOBLE LESSON” The “Noble Lesson” a poem that appeared ca 1100AD is a statement of beliefs held by the Waldensians. It is probably founded on earlier traditions and culture of the Waldensian  Valleys that go back at least to the fourth and fifth centuries, and the time of Pope Sylvester (314-336AD) and the […]

The allocation of land in the Plantation of Ulster   The Plantation was essentially the settlement of land by people who would be loyal to the English Crown. The land had been seized, or rather deemed to have been abandoned (escheated) when the Irish Earls fled the country, The persons who received land, were called […]

The impeachment and execution of Archbishop William Laud. The Bishops` Wars in Scotland were essentially skirmishes in form, and a means of gaining time for Charles to gather resources about him for a decisive battle. But his grand scheme depended on money which he simply did not have nor could he obtain from his dwindling […]

Bibliography A schedule of sources and further reading is here. My Books The challenge of understanding the politics of the era, the hidden agendas of many of the major players, and the theological arguments deployed by government and between the Presbyterians themselves I find simply fascinating. From my early studies there came several articles for […]