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 Fills a Gap in History Textbooks
The treatment of the Scottish Covenanters by the British crown under the Stuart dynasty in the seventeenth century is a subject to which little space has ever been afforded in history books, yet that story goes a long way toward illustrating why religious worship needs to remain free of state control. Written in the nineteenth century by R. M. Ballantyne, this novel is a sympathetic portrayal of what is termed the "killing time" in Anglo-Scottish relations.
br /It follows the lives a group of Covenanters [stressed on the third syllable]in a time period when even the slightest form of association with these outlawed Presbyterians could send a person to prison or the gallows. Desperate to stamp out the last resistance to his interference in the Scottish presbytery, Charles II had given his soldiers the right to do anything and everything that they wanted to do in order to repress the one Presbyterian element that would not buckle, and though Ballantyne (d. 1894) lived in a time when tales of torture and violence were much less common than they are today in novels and film, he was not able to tell the tale without including some of it, which makes the book more suitable to students age 14 or over.
br /On a recent school trip to Edinburgh, our group, on a lark, decided to participate in an evening "Ghost Walk," which ended at Greyfriars Cemetery. Our guide (an actor, not a historian) showed us the area there called the "Covenanter Prison," where, we were told, the captured Covenanters were required to lie face down in the mud in an unroofed "courtyard" area. If any among them stood up or even raised themselves, the guards had permission to shoot them on the spot. Though I knew from a bit of previous research that the Covenanters had been horribly persecuted, this piece of information seemed almost fantastic to me. However, Ballantyne's story does include a scene where this treatment was inflicted on the Covenanters captured after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679. Ballantyne also includes scenes in the Greyfriars "prison," which made this story very real to me because of my recent visit there. It also helped me understand one reason why the attainment of the British Crown by William and Mary has been termed the "Glorious Revolution" of the seventeenth century.
br /Ballantyne was a friend of G. A. Henty and, like Henty, wrote adventure stories for boys. His writing style is very similar to Henty's, and this book, like most historical fiction, provides a good introduction to the Covenanter wars and should spark interest in further research. This particular chapter in British history has connections with American history as well in that some of the captured Covenanters were exported to the American colonies as slaves. In addition, the significant Scottish emigration to America, which I always was told was due to the poverty of the Scots, is put into a new light, helping us to understand once again why the American Bill of Rights does not allow the government to play a role in the church. Ballantyne does employ pronunciation spellings in the dialogue in the book in order to catch the flavor of the region. The book does not include a glossary, but oral reading does assist comprehension. Scottish glossaries are also available online.
Persecutions of the Scottish Covenanters
Young Will Wallace (not to be confused with the Scottish hero William Wallace) is first seen as the book opens as a dragoon under the command of Claverhouse. Appalled by the atrocities he has seen, he feels very uncomfortable with their mission to find and persecute the Covenanters. Will, however, considers that this wanton cruelty is done by the wish of evil men, and that surely the commanders would also be horrified. He is soon enlightened. On a mission to locate one of the Covenanting preachers, he attacks his companion when the man attempts to insult one of the Christian girls they meet. After realizing the way his commanders would view this act, Will deserts the king's employ.
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br /While Will is considering his next course of action, as an unemployed and soon-to-be wanted man, he captured as a spy by the very man he had been hunting. His defense of the man's daughter is soon made known, and he joins the Covenanters.
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br /Over the next few years, we live alongside Will, as he believes in Christ, attends meetings, aids in the escape of others, and witnesses the martyrdom of his friends. We are given a picture of the Covenanters' lives, perpetually hunted from place to place, not knowing whom to trust, and seeing their dear ones killed. For what? For the lordship of Christ. For declaring that He alone, and not the king, is the head of the church.
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br /This is learning history the easy way, through an engaging story. We are drawn in the very lives of these people who suffered so long ago. This book makes a great story by itself, but for studying Scotland and the Covenanters, it should be on every educator's history shelf.
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