The Battle of Langside,13 May 1568 Following the battle of Carberry Hill in June 1567 and her imprisonment in Lochleven Castle the fortunes of Mary, Queen of Scots, took a further downturn. The revelations of her letters to Bothwell had led to her abdication, under pressure from the dissident nobles, on 24 July 1567. On […]
The Perth Martyrs 1543/4. By 1544 the availability of Tynedale`s New Testament (first printed in 1525), was becoming quite widespread and the Governor or Regent, the Earl of Arran, had approved an act which allowed the people to read the Scriptures in their mother tongue, but in private. Public reading to an audience, debate, and […]
David Straiton and Norman Gourlay, Martyrs 1534. Straiton was the younger son of the laird of of Lauriston in Forfarshire, where his family had been for some six hundred years. His elder brother lived in the castle of Lauriston. David Straiton was proprietor of some lands at the mouth of the river Esk and also […]
Knox and his Doctrine Knox did not mince his words when he denounced the Church of Rome as Antichrist and proposed nothing less than a reconstruction of the doctrines and ecclesiastical system of Scotland. As a student of John Calvin in Geneva he, like the other Protestant Reformers, held to three main principles. God had […]
Scottish Kings 330 BC-1567 AD, and Pictish Kings 451 – 843 AD [For large images click on thumbnail .]
The events of May – June 1559. Opinion as to the extent to which John Knox was responsible for the attacks on the religious institutions, monasteries etc varies considerably. Some would have us believe that he was the ring leader at the head of the mob physically participating in the rabbling ; others that he […]
The murders of David Riccio and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley David Riccio was born about 1534 in Pancalieri in Piedmont, Italy. His first employment was with Archbishop of Turin and later he was a protege of the Marquis de Morette, the Ambassador of Savoy. In December 1561 the Ambassador brought Riccio to Scotland as a […]
MONASTIC OFFICERS. Extracted from The Monasticon, Rev J F S Gordon (1868) Vol 1. ABBOT Is a Syrian term signifying Father, Abbe, and was anciently applied to all Monks, but especially to those who were venerable for age or peculiar sanctity; and hence, in process of time, it was restricted n its application to the […]
Articles of Perth, 25 August 1618 The declaration and subsequent ratification by Parliament of the Five Articles of Perth was a watershed in the relationships between the Crown and the Presbyterians. This imposition was the first to directly affect the public, some of whom resented interference with their style of worship. The Articles did not, […]
Jean Ramsay, Mrs James Guthrie. The trials and tribulations of Mrs James Guthrie demonstrate a special vindictiveness on the part of the Earl of Middleton, who bore a continuing grudge against her husband for his declaring Middleton excommunicated in 1650. On that occasion, when a messenger had arrived requesting him to delay the act, she […]
A Letter from James Cargill to his brother of 8 May 1679 referring to the death of Sharp and hinting at Rebellion. Dearly beloved Brother,—I am glad to hear your welfare, and that you continue in the faith, which I wish you may retain, and persevere in to the end. You shall know that our […]
The Kirk and its impact on the people Underpinning the Presbyterian beliefs is the cornerstone that there is but one King of the Church – Jesus Christ. This inevitably meant an opposition to the King`s claim of supremacy in church matters, although they readily acknowledged his supremacy in civil matters. Moreover, they desired to […]
Extracts from the Records of the Old Tolbooth (Edinburgh) (The Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, Vol 12.) Another source of prisoners sent to Dunnottar on 18 May 1685, released into the custody of Captain Grahame ( Patrick Grahame of the Town Guard). and another entry of 11 August 1685 of prisoners to be sent […]
The curious circumstances surrounding the birth of a son to James II. As told by Bishop Gilbert Burnett in “A History of My Own Times“. Burnett was born in Edinburgh in 1643 ( d 1715) and rose through the episcopal Church of England to become Bishop of Salisbury . A very learned and widely travelled […]