On this day…

On this day in 1644, a large Scottish Covenanter army crossed the border and marched into England.

Civil war between the king and the Parliament had broke out in August 1642. By 1643, after the king had won a number of battles, Parliament began to look for help from Scotland.

The Covenanters had already pledged themselves to defend the Reformed faith in Scotland. But in 1643 they did enter into an agreement with the English Parliament: the Solemn League and Covenant.

The Solemn League and Covenant aimed to protect the reformation of the Church of Scotland and to reform the Churches of England and Ireland, so that the three churches would be the same in church government, beliefs and worship. Scotland would also provide military support in return. As the Scottish minister Robert Baillie wrote, “The English were for a civil league, we for a religious covenant”. The end result was a mixture of both.

So, on 19 January 1644, Alexander Leslie, Earl of Leven, ordered the Scottish Covenanter army across the River Tweed and into England.

The North of England was a Royalist stronghold, but the crossing of the Scots helped shift the balance of power. It was the beginning of the end for King Charles I.

Do you want to explore this dramatic chapter of history for yourself? Come with us over the border and discover the Covenanters in England, the Puritans, the Westminster Assembly, and some of the major events that changed the history of this nation forever.