The latter part of the 1600's in Scotland has become known in the annals of time as the 'Killing times'. The Oath and The Covenant is a story based on the lives of these brave Scottish Presbyterian Covenanters, their object being to release their beloved Scotland from the strangling grasp of an English king, who claimed he had a 'Divine Right' to rule both church and state. The Covenanters never relinquished their determination to gain what they viewed as a God given right to worship freely. They endured inhumane treatment leveled upon them by King Charles II's armies in his attempt to subjugate them. John Whitelaw, the Martyr of Monkland, was one of many who was torn from the bosom of his family and finally gave his life to gain religious freedom. The story continues based upon the many accounts of those who were banished to the Americas. It was in America that they found friends among the Abeniki tribe of Indians, who taught the Scots needed skills to survive in this new land and drew them into their culture. They also found precious religious freedom to worship according to the dictates of their hearts-and not that of a king.
This work evolved out of a love for my ancestors, one being John Whitelaw, the Covenanter Monkland Martyr, who was executed for his religious beliefs in Edinburgh, 1683. While searching for his records I came across reference to thousands of other Scottish Covenanters. This Index lists those Covenanters found in some books written about the period between 1630 and 1712.There are many, many more Covenanters, whose names need to be added to this work, and, God willing, I will do it. The Covenanters were steadfast in their Presbyterian beliefs and refused to take an oath unto the King stating that he was the head of the church. They believed that Christ was the Head of the Church and their loyalty to this belief allowed them to lay their lives down for it. The Royalists and Dragoons, who were seeking to bring them into obedience to the King, relentlessly chased the Covenanters from glen to glen. This disregard for their civil rights was brutally carried out basically in the Lowlands of Scotland. Many of their records were destroyed along with their lives and their stories only live in family lore and books that were written about them. I have extracted some of their names and created The Scottish Covenanter Genealogical Index, which is by no means complete, but is a work in progress.
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.