Scottish Covenanter Stories by Dane Love

Author:Dane Love [Love, Dane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: history, Europe, Renaissance
ISBN: 9781906476427
Google: uOfrUxgftBMC
Publisher: Neil Wilson Publishing
Published: 2011-05-31T23:24:05.207949+00:00

Cargill did attend the meeting, but he was treated leniently, simply being ordered again to remain north of the Tay and keep away from both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In 1672 the second Indulgence was passed, which allowed some ministers to return to their churches, so long as there were two of them, and they remained within their parish. The authorities appointed him as the assistant minister at Eaglesham in Renfrewshire under this act, a move which they hoped would silence him. However, Cargill refused to take them up on the offer and in 1675 his share of the stipend was given to the first minister, Rev James Hamilton. The authorities decided to apprehend him, but Cargill escaped to the Netherlands where he remained for some time.

Donald Cargill was drawn back to Scotland. His life was not easy, for he was hunted over moor and dale. Many were the tales of his escapes from pursuers. On one occasion he was preaching at a house service in the Kirk Wynd in Blairgowrie. The authorities discovered this and sent the soldiers after him. Cargill ran up Glen Ericht and was about to be captured by the dragoons when he chanced his luck and jumped from a rock across a narrow stretch of the River Ericht, landing safely and out of harms way on the other side. This spot, near to the Linn of Ericht, has been known as Cargill’s Loup ever since.2

Cargill, Robert Hamilton and David Hackston met John Spreul, the town clerk of Glasgow, and compiled a manifesto which was adopted by the Societies at a meeting in Strathaven. The plan had been to publish it in Glasgow, but the city was too heavily guarded for this to take place, so on 29 May 1679 the ‘Rutherglen Declaration’ was placed on the burgh cross by between 60-80 Covenanters. This was seen as a signal for rebellion and a reward of 3,000 merks was placed on Cargill’s head.

At the Battle of Bothwell Bridge on 22 June 1679 Donald Cargill was wounded and left for dead on the field. He was very much alive however, and lived for a couple of years thereafter.

Cargill was hiding at Queensferry, on the Firth of Forth, on 3 June 1680. He was in contact with Henry Hall, who was then hiding near to Bo’ness. He was laird of Haughhead at Eckford in Teviotdale and a relation of the Earl of Roxburgh. Hall was a noted Covenanter, having been captured in 1666 as he made his way to join the Pentland rising. He was imprisoned in Cessford Castle but subsequently escaped. After spending over 10 years in hiding in England he returned to Scotland where he fought at Drumclog and Bothwell Bridge. He then fled to the Netherlands but returned in 1680, spending much of his time in the Bo’ness area.

The curates of Bo’ness and Carriden told the soldiers at Blackness Castle that Cargill and Hall were in the vicinity. The governor of Blackness, Captain Middleton, spotted them at an inn in Queensferry itself.

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