For Christ's Crown & Covenant!

Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs : Popular tradition is littered with stories of secret tunnels used by the Covenanters to escape capture in their houses. However, there is precious little evidence for them, except in one case, that of Major Joseph Learmont of Newholm captured in 1682… Learmont appears to have been a veteran soldier, given the recognition of his rank of ‘Major’ by all of the sources. He had been a tailor, who through ability, had forged a successful military career before he commanded the Covenanter’s horse on the left at the battle of Rullion Green during the Pentland Rising of 1666. Since he was in his late seventies when he was captured in 1682, it is almost certain that he had served in the wars of the 1640s or 1650s, either in Britain, or on the Continent. However, his name does not appear either in Edward Furgol’s exhaustive list of the officers involved in the Scottish regiments during Covenanting Wars of 1639 to 1651, or in the documents relating to Sc

Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History: More than an ordinary man? Alexander Peden was born sometime during the year 1626 in Scotland. His father was a small business man who left him a small inheritance. He could have entered into any of the social positions in the area, but a call from God came to him early to seek the proclaim the good news of everlasting life to his neighbors. Graduating from the University of Glasglow, he was ordained and became the pastor of New Luce, in Galloway, in his native Scotland. It was here that his congregation discovered that Pastor Peden was more than an ordinary man. Let Rev. J.M. Dryerre sum it up for us. He writes, “his prayers were conversations with a personal friend. His sermons were visions of the glory of God which had come to him in his meditations, and filled his people with awe. His talk was about God and His will in regard to downtrodden Scotland. Tall in stature and well-built, he proclaimed his message from God.” (Heroes

Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs: In September, 1680, Donald Cargill excommunicated king Charles II somewhere near the Wallace Oak at Torwood in Larbert and Dunipace parish, Stirlingshire. The Torwood Oak  The Torwood Excommunication will be discussed in detail in later posts. One great mystery surrounding the events is where they took place in the Torwood. According to the Rev. George Harvie’s parish entry in the Old Statistical Account of 1794 : ‘In Dunipace parish is the famous Torwood; in the middle of which there are the remains of Wallace’s tree, an oak which, according to a measurement, when entire, was said to be about 12 feet diameter. To this wood Wallace is said to have fled, and secreted himself in a body of that tree, then hollow, after his defeat in the north. Adjoining to this is a square field, inclosed by a ditch, where Mr Donald Cargill excommunicated King Charles II.’ (OSA, III, 336 .) The Wallace Oak, or Wallace Tree, was first recorded by name in 1687 when a

The Inn, aka. The Covenanters House, at South Queensferry (Source: Jardine's Book of Martyrs) Posted at Jardine's Book of Martyrs: On 5-7 October, 1680, Lord Fountainhall notes the escape of a woman who helped Donald Cargill flee from near capture at South Queensferry, in Dalmeny parish, Linlithgowshire. ‘Mr. John Wause, keeper of the [Edinburgh] tolbuith, got a severe reprooff from Councell, for suffering one of the weeman to escape the prison, who had assisted Mr. Donald Cargil’s escape at the Queensferrie, in June last’. (Lauder, Historical Notices of Scottish Affairs, 1661-1683, 274 .) Wodrow notes that on 10 June, 1680, ‘one Margaret Wauchop is brought in prisoner from Queensferry, for being accessory to Mr Cargill’s escape.’ (Wodrow, History, III, 207 .) Continue reading here. See also: Ambushed at the Inn: The Queensferry Incident of 1680 (Jardine's Book of Martyrs)

Lady Grizel Baillie - Wikipedia Posted at Electric Scotland/ Women of Covenanting Times (Part 2): My early home was at Redbraes Castle in Berwickshire; the Blackadder river ran close to our house and the country round was hilly; farther away we could see much higher hills. My childhood was very happy, and it was busy because I had so many younger brothers and sisters that I was always helping my mother. We were not rich and had not many servants. It did make me sad sometimes to see my father look so anxious, and to hear him talk about the poor folk, further away to the west, who were being hunted by the King’s troopers. Indeed, my father was not safe, and his greatest friend, Mr. Baillie of Jerviswood, was in prison in Edinburgh on account of his opinions. One day, when I was about twelve, father said to me: ‘Grizel, I want you to take a letter to Edinburgh for me; Jamie Winter shall go with you and you must go to the Tolbooth prison and give the letter to Mr. Robert Baillie. The guard