Who Were The Covenanters and What Is The Peden Stone

The 1600’s were a tumultuous period driven by that age old issue of who wants to be boss, King vs Parliament and Bishops (Episcopal) vs Assemblies (Presbyterian). The Covenanters were a religious and political movement who supported Presbyterianism.

Charles I believed in the divine right of kings and because of his attempts to force the Church of Scotland to adopt high Anglican practices the  General Assembly of the Church of Scotland proclaimed the National Covenant, abolished bishops and established Presbyterianism as the form of government for the Church of Scotland.  This put them at odds with King Charles I, led to the Bishops' Wars (1639/40), led to the civil wars of the three kingdoms and ultimately the execution of the King in 1649.

The Scots declared Charles II King of Scotland but he fled to France in 1651. He was restored in 1660 but never honoured the covenants. The Parliament of Scotland passed laws (Rescissory Act 1661) reversing reforms enacted since 1639. Bishops were restored to the Kirk, while ministers and other office holders were obliged to take the Oath of Abjuration rejecting the 1638 Covenant. As a result, many Covenanters opposed the new regime, leading to a series of plots and armed rebellions. 

In 1662, the Kirk was restored as the national church, independent sects banned, and all office-holders required to renounce the 1638 Covenant; about a third, or around 270 in total, refused to do so and lost their positions as a result. Most occurred in the south-west of Scotland, an area particularly strong in its Covenanting sympathies; the practice of holding conventicles (secret or unlawful religious meeting) outside the formal structure continued, often attracting thousands of worshippers. The government alternated between persecution and toleration; in 1663, it declared dissenting ministers "seditious persons" and imposed heavy fines on those who failed to attend the parish churches of the "King's curates".

Letters of Indulgence were issued in 1669, 1672 and 1679, allowing evicted ministers to return to their parishes, if they agreed to avoid politics. A number returned but over 150 refused the offer, while many Episcopalians were alienated by the compromise.

The outcome was a return to persecution; preaching at a conventicle  was made punishable by death, while attendance attracted severe sanctions. In 1674, heritors and masters were made responsible for the "good behaviour" of their tenants and servants; from 1677, this meant posting bonds for those living on their land. In 1678, 3,000 Lowland militia and 6,000 Highlanders, known as the "Highland Host", were billeted in the Covenanting shires, especially those in the South-West, as a form of punishment.

The assassination of Archbishop Sharp by Covenanter radicals in May 1679 led to a revolt that ended at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in June.

The 1681 Scottish Succession and Test Acts made obedience to the monarch a legal obligation, "regardless of religion", but in return confirmed the primacy of the Kirk "as currently constituted". This excluded the Covenanters, who wanted to restore it to the structure prevailing in 1640. A number of government figures, including James Dalrymple, chief legal officer, and Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, objected to inconsistencies in the Act and refused to swear. Argyll was convicted of treason and sentenced to death, although he and Dalrymple escaped to the Dutch Republic.

A group known as the The Cameronians numbering around 6 to 7,000 effectively declared war on government officers. This led to the period known as "the Killing Time"; the Scottish Privy Council authorised the extrajudicial execution of any Covenanters caught in arms and these policies were carried out by troops under John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee. At the same time, Lord Rosehaugh adopted the French practice of same day trial and execution for militants who refused to swear oaths of loyalty to the king.

Of interest to Lochwinnoch is the Peden Stone located near Mid Linthills. The Peden Stone marked the traditional site of a field preaching. It is thought this particular stone was originally located somewhere between Linthills and Dunconnel Hill.

Alexander Peden was born in Ayrshire about 1626 and was ordained a minister in 1660. However he was ejected from the Church for refusing to conform to Episcopalian church practices. He became what today we might refer to as a ‘celebrity’ or charismatic preacher. He was the most eminent and revered of all the Scottish covenanting preachers, and his influence upon the mass of the people was so great that they gave him the name of "The Prophet." He wore a mask made from leather and fabric, with a beard and wig that were probably made from real human hair, as a disguise to avoid arrest for preaching illegally. These are now on display in Edinburgh's Museum of Scotland and are copied below.

He used these while preaching so that no-one knew what he looked like. Most of his preaching was done in the south and west of Scotland. When not preaching he would travel between sites, sleeping in caves and shelters to avoid recognition and capture. On 25^th January 1666, he was denounced as a rebel, and on 16^th August 1667, he was declared a fugitive. He fled to Ireland in 1670, but returned in 1673. That year he was captured and condemned to 4 years imprisonment on Bass Rock and 15 months in Edinburgh tollbooth. He was then sentenced to banishment to America but was set free when he arrived in London (the ship captain refused to transport a religious prisoner). He returned to Scotland but years on the run had prematurely aged and debilitated him. His final days before his death were spent at his brother’s house at Auchinleck, where he died on 28 January 1686. He was buried in Auchinleck church.

Forty days afterwards, a troop of dragoons took his corpse two miles to Cumnock gallows where they were going to hang it up in chains. However, William Crichton, 2nd Earl of Dumfries, objected, so they buried it at the foot of the gallows. In 1891 a monument was erected to mark the spot. After the 1688 Glorious Revolution, the inhabitants of the parish of Cumnock, in token of their esteem for Peden, abandoned their ancient burial-place, and formed a new one round the gallows hill.