In March 1639 the Covenanters were busy securing castles for defence against the king. They blew open the gate of Edinburgh castle and stormed inside, but with Dumbarton Castle they had to adopt a different approach. Perched on a volcanic rock overlooking the Firth of Clyde, Dumabarton Castle is a formidable fortress and one that…
Did you know that on this day in 1639, the Covenanters pulled off what is often described as the most efficient capture in Edinburgh Castle’s history? Perched high above the city on its volcanic rock, Edinburgh Castle has a reputation as one of the hardest fortresses in Britain to take. Historic Environment Scotland describes it…
The writings of Martin Luther were seen as a serious threat to pre-reformation Scotland, so much so that this act was passed in 1525 warning that anyone caught bringing them in to Scotland would have their ship seized and themselves put in prison. Here is the wording on the act. “our sovereign lord ratifies and…
Born on this day, 17th March 1676, Thomas Boston. Thomas Boston (1676–1732) is best known as the minister of Ettrick, author of Human Nature in Its Fourfold State, and one of the key figures in the “Marrow Controversy”. But did you know as a child he was imprisoned? During the persecution of the Covenanters, Thomas’s…
As well as the important figures in Scotland’s Reformation and Covenanter history, we also think it’s important to remember and keep alive the stories of those perhaps not so well known. Like a theology student by the name of John Dick who was martyred in Edinburgh on this day, 5th March 1684. In the early…
Today is the 388th anniversary of the signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars, Edinburgh. Within days, it had been signed by the people of Edinburgh, and copies were distributed across Scotland for others to add their names. Within weeks, it had gained widespread support throughout the Lowlands, including from nearly all nobles. While progress…
On This Day…More build up to the anniversary of the signing of the National Covenant. This upstairs room on the second floor of the Tailors’ Hall in Edinburgh’s Cowgate—now the Three Sisters pub—was the setting for a pivotal moment in Scottish Covenanter history. On 27 February 1638, the day before the National Covenant was signed…
Yesterday marked another landmark anniversary in Scotland’s church history. It was the day the National Covenant was begun. By the late 1630s, tensions were boiling over. Scottish Presbyterians believed their faith was under attack, provoked by fierce disputes around the bishops, the Book of Canons, and the Book of Common Prayer. If these changes took…
We are only days away from the anniversary of the signing of the National Covenant (28 February 1638), so over the next few posts we’ll trace the dramatic build-up to that moment. Today takes us to 20 February 1638—and to a tense, but often overlooked, confrontation in Stirling between those who opposed the king’s church…
On 17th February 1688, in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh, a young minister—only twenty-six years old—walked calmly toward the gallows. He was the last of Scotland’s Covenanter ministers to be martyred. His name was James Renwick. Those who stood near him that morning heard something astonishing. Instead of trembling, instead of pleading, Renwick declared: “I am…
