The Killing Times

The "Killing Times" (roughly 1680–1688) represents the darkest and most violent period of the Covenanter struggle. It began after the Covenanter uprising was crushed at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (1679) and intensified as the Stuart monarchy attempted to completely wipe out Presbyterian dissent in Scotland.

During this decade, the government gave soldiers "field powers," meaning they could execute anyone on the spot if they refused to abjure (renounce) the Covenants or swear an oath of allegiance to the King as the head of the Church.

1. The Wigtown Martyrs: Margaret Wilson and Margaret McLachlan

One of the most famous and moving stories is that of two women in Wigtown: 18-year-old Margaret Wilson and 63-year-old Margaret McLachlan.

• The Crime: They refused to take the "Abjuration Oath," which would have required them to condemn the Covenanter movement.

• The Execution: On May 11, 1685, they were sentenced to death by drowning. They were tied to stakes in the Solway Firth as the tide came in. The older woman, Margaret McLachlan, was placed further out so that the teenager would have to watch her drown, hoping the sight would terrify her into recanting.

• The Result: Margaret Wilson refused to yield, famously singing Psalms and praying as the water rose. When her head went under, the soldiers pulled her up briefly and offered her life if she would say "God save the King" (meaning, acknowledge his religious supremacy). She replied, "God save him if He will, for it is his salvation I desire," but refused to take the oath. She was pushed back under the water until she drowned.

2. John Brown: The "Christian Carrier"

John Brown was a humble carrier (transporting goods) in Lanarkshire, known for his deep piety. He did not take up arms, but he allowed his home to be a place of prayer for Covenanters.

• The Confrontation: On May 1, 1685, the notorious John Graham of Claverhouse ("Bloody Clavers") cornered Brown at his home in front of his pregnant wife and small children.

• The Execution: When Brown refused to stop praying for the Covenanted cause, Claverhouse ordered his men to fire. The soldiers, moved by Brown's prayer, hesitated. Enraged, Claverhouse pulled out his own pistol and shot Brown in the head, killing him instantly in front of his family.

• The Aftermath: Claverhouse reportedly asked the widow, "What thinkest thou of thy husband now, woman?" She replied, "I ever thought much of him, and now as much as ever."

3. Richard Cameron and the "Lion of the Covenant"

Richard Cameron was the leader of the most militant wing of the movement (the "Cameronians").

• The Sanquhar Declaration: In 1680, Cameron and twenty armed men rode into the town of Sanquhar and nailed a declaration to the town cross, formally declaring war on King Charles II and disowning him as their monarch.

• His Death: He was killed in a skirmish at Airdsmoss. The government soldiers cut off his head and hands and took them to Edinburgh. In a move of extreme cruelty, they showed the severed parts to his father, who was already in prison. His father kissed his son's hand and said, "I know them, I know them; they are my son's, my dear son's. It is the Lord; good is the will of the Lord!"

4. The Conditions: The Bass Rock and Greyfriars

Not all martyrs died by the sword. Many died from systemic abuse:

• The Bass Rock: This was a steep island in the Firth of Forth used as a prison. Covenanter ministers were kept in damp, freezing cells for years, often dying of pneumonia or starvation.

• Greyfriars Covenanters' Prison: After the Battle of Bothwell Bridge, 1,200 prisoners were kept in an open-air pen in Greyfriars Kirkyard for five months through a bitter winter with almost no food or shelter.

Summary of the "Killing Times" Impact

The brutality of this period actually backfired on the Stuart monarchy. Rather than breaking the spirit of the people, the public executions and stories of bravery turned the general population against the King. This paved the way for the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when King James VII (II of England) was deposed, and Presbyterianism was finally restored to Scotland.