Dunnottar Castle

In May 1685, 167 Covenanters were brought from the south of Scotland to Dunnottar Castle and imprisoned in what became known as the Whigs’ Vault.

Men and women were forced into the cramped, filthy underground cell, with little light, little air, and no real sanitation. They were held in appalling conditions for weeks. Disease spread quickly, and some died in the vault itself.

For those trapped here, the suffering became so desperate that 25 prisoners attempted an almost unimaginable escape, trying to climb down the sheer cliffs below the castle. Two lost their lives in the attempt, and many others were caught and tortured.

In late July the survivors had to endure another brutal march south again. In September 1685, were put aboard the ship Henry and Francis for transportation to East Jersey in America. Even then, their ordeal was not over. The voyage was deadly, and many died before the survivors finally reached the other side of the Atlantic.

Dunnottar is a place of dramatic beauty, with an extremely sad history.