EDITOR’S PREFACE
When a reader finds a book to
be in any way specially interesting, there is a natural desire to know
something about the author. Assuming that this volume will possess this
attraction to many readers, the issue of a new and revised edition affords a
fit opportunity for gratifying this reasonable wish. It is true that the
life of a country minister seldom presents any great variety of incident, or
involves such peculiar experiences as may awaken the interest or stir the
curiosity of a succeeding generation. It passes on quietly in the
unobtrusive discharge of the duties of his office. He goes in and out among
the people of his charge as teacher, guide, and comforter,—content to be
unknown to the world at large, if only he can secure a place in the hearts
of his people, and be helpful in elevating and moulding their lives to
highest ends. And thus it was with the author of this volume.
The late Rev. John Henderson Thomson was born in Edinburgh in 1824. His
father was connected with the United Secession Church, and his mother was a
Reformed Presbyterian. That he was thus linked by earliest associations with
two distinct denominations, doubtless tended to produce that wider outlook
and more generous sympathy that characterised Mr Thomson. He became a member
of the Reformed Presbyterian congregation of Edinburgh, of which the late
Rev. Dr Goold was for more than fifty years the honoured pastor. Destined at
first for a business career, Mr Thomson’s thoughts were ere long directed
towards the gospel ministry; and with a view to that office he passed
through the ordinary curriculum in Arts in the University of Edinburgh. At
the close of his college course he entered the Theological Hall, then
presided over by the venerable Dr Andrew Symington of Paisley, and was in
due time licensed as a preacher of the gospel. He was an excellent classical
scholar, and had considerable aptitude for teaching; and both before and
after his licensure he acted as tutor in private families, and as assistant
in one of the higher-class academies.
On the death of the Rev. Robert Winning, M.A., Mr Thomson was called to
succeed him as minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Congregation of
Eaglesham, and was ordained to that office in 1857. In ix that rural
retreat, and with a small but widely-scattered congregation under his
charge, he spent the next twenty years of his life. He was an excellent and
instructive preacher, and proved himself to be a diligent and faithful
pastor. Lively, intelligent, courteous, and kind, he was always an
acceptable visitor in the homes of his people. Never did the attraction of
other studies, or his interest in the public affairs of his Church, make him
remiss in preparation for the pulpit, or neglectful of any part of pastoral
duty. But during these years he found opportunity for a more careful study
of the Church history of Scotland, and specially of the period of the
persecution under Charles II. and James II. The associations of the Church
with which he was connected, claiming, as it did, to be more closely linked
with that epoch than any other Church in Scotland, and the circumstance that
the whole district over which his labours extended, was fragrant with
memories of the martyr times, doubtless tended to deepen his interest in
that particular period. When to this we add the fact, that within the sphere
of his labour was Lochgoin, and that among the members of his congregation
were the Howies, so long the tenants of that moorland farm, and one of whom
had done so much to embalm the memory of the martyrs—we have another
influence stimulating his studies in the same direction. He had free access
to the literary treasures of Lochgoin, in books, pamphlets, and documents
bearing more or less directly on the period, and was familiar with the
cherished relics of the martyr times. Thus was he led into his own special
field. He devoted much of his leisure time for years to the examination of
the literary and historical remains of the past; he made many a long journey
in order to visit the graves of the martyrs, and the scenes most closely
associated with the most memorable events in the history of the Covenanters;
and in due time he gave the fruits of his labours to the public.
Mr Thomson was ever ready to take his share in the work of the Church with
which he was connected, and was prompt to vindicate her position and claims;
but he was by no means a narrow sectarian. In the question of the union of
the churches he look a lively interest from the first, and did all that was
in his power to help forward that of the Reformed Presbyterian with the Free
Church, which was consummated in 1876. Not less hearty was he in support of
the larger union which took place twenty-four years later, and which he
lived to see accomplished.
In 1877 he received a call from the congregation of Hightae, Dumfriesshire
(formerly Reformed Presbyterian), which he accepted, and he laboured there
for twenty-three years. In his new sphere he set himself to discharge, with
his wonted fidelity, the duties of his sacred office. He speedily won the
affection of his own people, and secured the esteem and confidence of the
ministerial brethren with whom he was associated; while he was ever ready to
aid in every movement fitted to promote the well-being of the community and
the advancement of religion and godliness. He was still in a region where
the memory of the martyrs was fondly cherished, and he continued his
investigations of their history, visiting almost all the scenes of their
martyrdom throughout Dumfriesshire and the wilder regions of Galloway; and
he had well-nigh exhausted this special field ere the infirmities of
advancing years laid a restraint on his activities. After a ministry of
forty-two years, he sought relief from the burden of his work, and in 1899
he obtained the assistance of the Rev. Charles Davidson, formerly of
Strathmiglo. A year later he applied for leave to have a colleague and
successor, and Mr Davidson was associated with him in that capacity. Mr
Thomson took up his residence in Lochmaben, but did not long survive his
retiral. He died on 14th January 1901, and was interred in the cemetery of
that town, in the presence of a large gathering of the members of his own
congregation, and of friends from different parts of the country.
Mr Thomson was widely known and highly respected throughout the Church of
his early ministry, and not less so in the larger Church with which his
later life was more closely associated. Well did he serve his own
generation, and he has left a memorial of his life-work, on a theme that can
never be without interest to all leal-hearted Scotsmen who cherish the
memory of the great and good of the past, and value aright the privileges
which their labours and sufferings did so much to secure to future
generations. While zealously defending the character of the martyrs and the
principles for which they suffered, he was at the same time fully alive to
the demands and needs of the present day. He was no mere literary “Old
Mortality,” furbishing up afresh the memorials of the past. He held that the
Church in every successive age must adapt its methods, and direct its
energies, so as best to fulfil the ends of its institution amid the
ever-changing conditions of national life. He realised that a true
veneration for the past should be a powerful stimulus to the Church of later
times, to do faithfully that form of service which the altered circumstances
of society demanded of her. It was thus that she would best approve herself
as the genuine successor of the noble men who bore the standard of Zion
among the mountains and moors of Scotland, and witnessed even unto death for
the rights of conscience and the honour of the Church’s only Head.
Mr Thomson’s literary labours extended over a very considerable period. For
about ten years prior to the Union of 1876 he conducted the Reformed
Presbyterian Magazine, and was a frequent contributor to its pages. He
edited for some time the Christian Treasury, in succession to Dr Horatius
Bonar; and he took charge of the Childrens Record of the Free Church for a
short period after the Union. But his chief literary work was of a more
special and permanent character, and is to be found in the volume which is
now afresh issued to the public. Regarding this work, it is proper that a
brief statement should be made by way of Introduction.
The volume consists of a series of papers descriptive of the visits made by
Mr Thomson to the graves of the martyrs, and to places closely associated
with memorable events in Covenanting history. They were written by him at
intervals during a period of about twenty-five years preceding 1894, and
were all published in one form or other during his lifetime. The first
eleven chapters of the present volume appeared in the Reformed Presbyterian
Magazine under the title, “Travels of a Country Minister in his own
Country.” In 1875 they were issued in a volume, which was well received by
the public. A second volume, including Chapters XII. to XXVI., was published
in 1877. These also had appeared in the same magazine. The remaining
chapters of this volume were written after a considerable interval, when he
was minister in Hightae, and appeared as a series of articles in the
Dumfries and Galloway Standard. These were to a certain extent revised by Mr
Thomson, but were never issued in book form. They were finished in September
1894; and in closing the series he says in a brief epilogue:—“I have now
brought these chapters to a close. The travels that have led to their
composition have been a source of great pleasure to me. The memory of the
martyrs who suffered in the twenty-eight years of persecution under the
reigns of Charles II. and James II., and the great principles for which they
contended, are still dear to multitudes in Scotland. Wherever I have gone I
have found my countrymen ready to assist me, as soon as the object of my
visit was made known. Indeed, in my inquiries I have made not a few valued
friendships. Meanwhile I have to own my obligations to the friends who have
in any way aided me in my work; and I have also to thank the many readers
who have expressed to me the deep interest they have taken in my travels to
the Martyr Graves of Scotland.” All the three serieses are now issued in one
volume, and thus made more accessible to the public.
A few sentences may be added here regarding the work that has fallen to the
Editor in preparing this new edition. Mr Thomson was careful and thorough in
his investigations, and accurate in his statements, and comparatively little
required to be done in the way of correcting mistakes. Wherever any such
were discovered, they have been put right,—though some slight errors may
have escaped notice. In a series of papers, written at intervals during a
period of twenty-five years, and on closely related subjects, it is not to
be wondered at that some repetitions should occur. These have been omitted
whenever that could be done without interfering with the continuity of the
narrative; but in no case has anything been left out that was fitted to give
clearness and force to the Author’s statement. The Editor has not felt
called on to interfere with the Author’s style or mode of statement. All
that has been done in this connection is,—the occasional substitution of one
word for another, the omission of words or clauses that seemed superfluous,
the transposition of words or clauses, and the breaking up of long and
obscure sentences. Such alterations are not of very frequent occurrence.
Throughout the book there is a frequent recurrence of certain time-phrases,
such as “last century,” “this century,” “fifty years ago,” and such like.
These have been allowed to stand; but the reader can be in no difficulty as
to the meaning if he remembers that the papers were written between 1868 and
1894; so that “last century” means the 18th, and so on. Then as to the
spelling of some proper names. Every one knows that two or three hundred
years ago, names were spelled differently at different times, even by the
person to whom they belonged. With respect to such names as Welch,
Rutherfurd, Macmillan, and Lauchlison, which frequently occur in this
volume, the Editor has followed the mode, as given above, which seems to
have been finally adopted by the Author, though it is not the common form.
As to the additional matter scattered throughout the volume, and for which
the Editor alone is responsible (with the exception of what is noted at the
close of Dr Hay Fleming’s Introduction, and his interesting Appendix on the
“Prisoners at Dunnottar”), a word may be enough. The Author had indeed
pretty well accomplished his task; yet there were a few places that he had
not visited; and it was deemed desirable that something should be said
regarding these, so as to give greater completeness to the work. Reference
is specially made to New Cumnock, Barr, and Kirkmichael. In other instances
additions are made with the view of completing the statements in the text by
fuller or more correct information. In all cases additional matter is marked
by brackets [ ].
Two Indexes have been added. The one is general, and includes all the more
important matters referred to in the book. There are certain authors and
works that are very frequently mentioned,— Howie, Wodrow, and the “Cloud of
Witnesses.” It appeared to the Editor that no good purpose was to be served
by including a complete list of the references to these in the Index. He has
accordingly simply given the references to what is personal to the Author,
and to what relates to the origin and character of the work. The second
Index is more special, and includes only the names of the sufferers
mentioned in the book, whether they were executed on the scaffold, shot in
the fields, banished to the plantations, drowned on the way to America, or
in other ways were sufferers for the truth.
Of this work itself, as now re-issued in this complete form, it is not
needful to say much. While occupied with one general subject, every reader
will recognise that it is somewhat composite in character. It is
descriptive, so far as the Author in his own lively way sketches the
districts through which he passed in his travels, and the scenes which he
visited; it is historical, in the frequent references to the public events
of the period with which it deals; and it is biographical, in the notices
introduced regarding the lives and characters of the martyrs, and of others
whom he has occasion to mention. This variety contributes not a little to
sustain the interest of the reader, while never withdrawing his attention
from the tragic subject with which the work mainly deals. The Editor need
not withhold an expression of his own high appreciation of the interest and
value of Mr Thomson’s work. The books that are ever and anon issuing from
the press, dealing with some aspect of the same epoch, testify that the
interest in Scottish Martyrology does not seem to grow less, despite the
engrossing character of many subjects of present day moment, that are ever
pressing on public attention. It is well that it is so. The subject is not
one of mere antiquarian interest, for the essence of the Martyr Testimony is
something of perennial value. Among such works, this of Mr Thomson is well
entitled to have its own place, alike for its subject and the manner in
which it has been treated. The preparation of the work involved no small
amount of toil; but the Author’s sympathy with the cause for which the
martyrs suffered, his reverence for their character, and his admiration of
their faithfulness and self-denying zeal, made the work a labour of love to
him. Doubtless there were expressions uttered, and deeds done by some of the
persecuted, which he could not approve; and for ourselves we could have
wished that he had given a more emphatic condemnation of the murder of
Archbishop Sharp. That unjustifiable deed was the act of individuals, for
which the body of the Covenanters could not be held responsible. And surely
it is quite competent to object to some expressions in the martyrs’
testimonies, or to some isolated acts done by some of them, and at the same
time to give a hearty approval of the essential matters for which they were
called to suffer. We can truly speak of them as witnesses for liberty of
conscience, even while we grant that they had not attained, what very few in
that age had attained, a full conception of what that phrase involves. Very
slowly indeed have Christian men come to realise its full import; and
indications appear now and again, showing that some have not yet reached it
in our own day. The battle may have to be fought over again, though it may
not involve the same form or fierceness of persecution and suffering.
The men and women of whom this volume speaks, despite all their
imperfections, did their work nobly in their own day. They were, first of
all, Christians, inspired by a personal faith in Christ Jesus; they knew the
value of religion, for they had felt its blessed power, and that sustained
them under all their tribulations. They recognised, moreover, how closely
genuine godliness and religious freedom are bound up with civil liberty and
the true welfare of a nation; and they were willing to suffer rather than be
unfaithful to their cherished convictions. The testimonies that were given
forth from scaffold or from prison show how clear was their apprehension,
and how firm their grasp of vital truths; and we wonder at the manner in
which even simple peasants could give expression to them. It seems manifest
that their spiritual experience had been to them, as it has been to others,
a quickening intellectual force.
That the martyrs loved their country, and were ardently desirous of its
welfare, cannot reasonably be questioned. They were in the line of
succession to the patriots who, in days long gone by, struggled so
successfully for national freedom; and they were the genuine successors of
the noble Christian leaders of an earlier age of the Scottish Church—Knox
and Welch, Melville and Henderson. Standing forth as witnesses for the same
glorious truths in their own dark day, they had an unwavering conviction
that a brighter era was approaching, when these truths would receive a full
recognition and disclose their beneficent influence. They kept alive the
fire of patriotism and of genuine religion in a degenerate age; they bore
aloft the banner of freedom when the great mass of the nation cowered under
the tyrant’s sway; and they are worthy of being held in everlasting
remembrance. We do not envy the man—least of all, the Scotsman—who can speak
lightly of these martyr heroes, or hold them up to ridicule for some
incidental extravagance of speech, or some unhappy expression of zeal. More
reasonable it is to give due consideration to the great truths for which
they witnessed, to recognise how much succeeding generations owe to them; to
admire their courage, zeal, endurance, and triumphant faith; ay, and to
covet such a possession of these qualities as will enable us to be as
faithful to the claims of truth, righteousness, and liberty in our days as
they were in theirs.
It may be said that to some the subject of this book is not attractive; that
its very title is suggestive only of what is painful and depressing; and it
need not be denied that in some aspects there is in it not a little that is
sad and humiliating. On the other hand, if there be anything interesting and
stimulating in heroic self-denial for truth and freedom, anything in the
spectacle of youths and maidens, aged women and grey-haired men, ploughmen
and artisans, the simple and the learned, enduring hardships, sufferings,
and death for conscience’ sake, for Christ’s sake, anything in all this that
discloses the power of genuine religion and the dignity and worth of
Christian manhood,—then there is much in these pages that should prove
attractive and cheering. Nay, should not such a record stir the question; Do
I, dwelling in peace and safety, know religion as they knew it who, driven
to mountains and moors, to dens and caves of the earth, rejoiced in
fellowship with Christ, faced sudden death with unwavering courage, and on
the scaffold gloried in the hope of immediate and eternal blessedness? This
volume will accomplish a good purpose if it helps to keep alive and extend
the interest of Scotsmen in the memorable epoch with which it deals, to
deepen their sense of the noble character of the men who maintained the long
struggle against tyranny, of the value of the truth for which they
contended, and of the privileges they have bequeathed to succeeding
generations.
The Editor desires, in conclusion, to express his obligations to M. S. Tait,
Esq., Edinburgh, for the interest he has taken in the work and the help he
has given; to Dr Hay Fleming, for his revisal and additions to Chapter XII.;
to Mr Tait and the Rev. T. H. Lang, Ayr, for their kindness in going over
the proofs; and to other friends who have so promptly responded to the
Editor’s inquiries.
By the kindness of Messrs J. & R. Parlane, Paisley, several illustrations
from the “Covenanters of Ayrshire,” by the Rev. R, Lawson, Maybole, appear
in this volume.
The Martyr Graves of Scotland
By J. H. Thomson, Hightae (1903) (pdf) |