The thumb-screw or thumbscrew (also known as thumbikins) was an old instrument of torture designed to slowly break the victim's thumb joint. Thumb-screws were much used by the Spanish Inquisition and in Scotland during the persecutions of the Covenanters for extracting confessions or recantations. Macaulay reports that a thumb-screw was often effective in wringing confessions when a bootikin had failed.
The last person in Britain to be officially tortured with thumb-screws was Principal Carstairs who suffered for half an hour at Holyrood by order of the Scotch Privy Council before writing a confession of the secrets of the Argyll and Monmouth parties. Research Thumb-Screw
The Campbells of Argyll are a historic Scottish family, raised to the peerage in the person of Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochow, in 1445. The more eminent members are: Archibald 2nd Earl, killed at the battle of Flodden, 1513.
Archibald , 5th Earl, attached himself to the party of Mary of Guise, and was the means of averting a collision between the Reformers and the French troops in 1559; was commissioner of regency after Mary's abdication, but afterwards commanded her troops at the battle of Langside; died in 1575.
Archibald, 9th Earl, son of the preceding, served the king with great bravery at the battle of Dunbar, and was excluded from the general pardon by Oliver Cromwell in 1654. On the passing of the Test Act in 1681 he refused to take the required oath except with a reservation. For this he was tried and sentenced to death. He, however, escaped to Holland, from whence he returned with a view of aiding the Duke of Monmouth. His plan, however, failed, and he was taken and conveyed to Edinburgh, where he was beheaded in 1685.
Archibald, 10th Earl and 1st Duke, son of the preceding, died in 1703 and took an active part in the Revolution of 1688-1689, which placed William and Mary on the throne, and was rewarded by several important appointments and the title of Duke.
John, 2nd Duke and Duke of Greenwich, son of the above, born in 1678, died in 1743; served under Marlborough at the battles of Ramilies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet, and assisted at the sieges of Lisle and Ghent. He incurred considerable odium in his own country for his efforts in promoting the union. In 1712 he had the military command in Scotland, and in 1715 he fought an Indecisive battle with the Earl of Mar's army at Sheriffmuir, near Dunblane, and forced the Pretender to quit the kingdom. He was long a supporter of Walpole, but his political career was full of intrigue. He is the Duke of Argyll in Scott's Heart of Midlothian.
George DouglasCampbell, K.T., K.G, etc., 8th Duke (of United Kingdom, 1892), was born in 1823. He early took apart in politics, especially in discussions regarding the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. In 1852 he became lord privy seal under LordAberdeen, and again under LordPalmerston in 1859; postmaster-general in 1860; secretary for India from 1868 to 1874; again lord privy seal in 1880, but retired, being unable to agree with his colleagues on then-Irish policy. He died in 1900. He wrote The Reign of Law, Scotland as it Was and as it Is, etc. His eldest son, then Marquis Of Lorne, married the Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1871. Research Campbells of Argyle
In Scottish history, Covenanters is the name given to the party which struggled for religious liberty from 1637 on to the revolution; but more especially applied to the insurgents who, after the passing of the act of 1662 denouncing the Solemn League and Covenant as a seditious oath, took up arms in defence of the Presbyterian form of church government. The Presbyterian ministers who refused to acknowledge the bishops were ejected from their parishes and gathered round them crowds of their people on the hillsides, or any lonely spot, to attend their ministrations. These meetings, called 'conventicles,' were denounced as seditious, and to frequent them or to hold communication with those frequenting them was forbidden on pain of death. The unwarrantable severity with which the recusants were treated provoked them to take up arms in defence of their opinions. The first outbreaks took place in the hill country on the borders of Ayr and Lanarkshire. Here at Drumclog, a farm near London Hill, a conventicle was attacked by a body of dragoons under Graham of Claverhouse, but were successful in defeating their assailants in 1679. The murder of Archbishop Sharp on Magus Moor, and this defeat, alarmed the government, who sent a large body of troops under the command of the Duke of Monmouth to put down the insurgents, who had increased in number rapidly. The two armies met at Bothwell Bridge, where the Covenanters were totally defeated on June the 22nd, 1679.
In consequence of the rebellious protest called the Sanquhar Declaration, put forth in 1680 by Cameron, Cargill, and others, as representing the more irreconcilable of the Covenanters (known as Cameronians), and a subsequent proclamation in 1684, the government proceeded to more severe measures. An oath was now required of all who would free themselves of suspicion of complicity with the Covenanters; and the dragoons who were sent out to hunt down the rebels were empowered to kill anyone who refused to take the oath. During this 'killing time', as it was called, the sufferings of the Covenanters were extreme; but notwithstanding the great numbers who were put to death, their fanatic spirit seemed only to grow stronger. Even after the accession of William some of the extreme Covenanters refused to acknowledge him owing to his acceptance of Episcopacy in England, and formed the earliest dissenting sect in Scotland. Research Covenanters
Sir George Harvey was a Scottish painter. He was born in 1806 at St Ninians, near Stirling and died in 1876. At the age of eighteen he entered the Trustees' Academy, Edinburgh. In 1826 he became an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, and in 1829 an Academician. He was highly successful in depicting scenes connected with the religious history of Scotland, such as The Covenanters Preaching, The Battle of Drumclog, Quitting the Manse, etc. He also excelled in depicting mountain scenery. In 1864 he was elected president of the Royal Scottish Academy, and he was knighted in 1867. Research George Harvey
John Graham, ViscountDundee, commonly known as Claverhouse, was a Scottish soldier. He was born about 1650 and died in 1689. He was the eldest son of Sir William Graham of Claverhouse and was educated at St Andrews. He went abroad and entered the service of France and afterwards of Holland, but, failing to obtain the command of a Scottish regiment in the Dutch service, he returned to Scotland in 1677, where he was appointed captain of a troop of horse raised to enforce compliance with the establishment of Episcopacy. He distinguished himself by an unscrupulous zeal in this service, especially after the murder of Archbishop Sharpe in May, 1679. The Covenanters were driven to resistance, and a body of them defeated Claverhouse at Drumclog on the 1st of June. On the 22nd, however, the Duke of Monmouth defeated the insurgents at Bothwell Brig, and Claverhouse was sent into the west with absolute power.
In 1682 he was appointed sheriff of Wigtonshire, and, assisted by his brother David, continued his persecutions. He was made a privy-councillor, and received the estate of Dudhope, with other honours from the king, and although on the accession of James his name was withdrawn from the privy-council it was soon restored. In 1686 he was made brigadier-general, and afterwards major-general; and in 1688, after William had landed, he received from James in London the titles of Lord Graham of Claverhouse and ViscountDundee. When the king fled he returned to Edinburgh, but finding the Covenanters in possession he retired to the north, followed by General Mackay. After making an attempt on Dundee, Claverhouse finally encountered and defeated Mackay in the Pass of Killiecrankie on the 17th of July, 1689, but was killed in the battle. Research John Graham
James Graham, the Marquess of Montrose, was a Scottish soldier. He was born in 1612 and died in 1650. he started his military career in 1638 in the Covenanter army commanded by Alexander Leslie. Within a few years he had earned himself a reputation, but had also become disillusioned with the Covenanters and like some others within the army was using the Covenant as a means to achieve his own control in Scotland. During the English Civil War he fought with the Royalists, and following the Royalist defeat escaped to Europe, where, upon hearing of the execution of the king Charles I, he swore revenge and returned with an army to Scotland. His army was all but wiped out in a shipwreck and the few that did land were quickly defeated. After a short time on the run Montrose was captured and taken to Edinburgh where he was publicly hanged in the High Street. His body was not buried for a further eleven years, when he was finally laid to rest in St Giles' Cathedral. Research Marquess of Montrose
Thomas Dalyell (Thomas Dalzell) was a Scottish soldier. He was born about 1599 and died in 1685. He was taken prisoner fighting on the royalist side at Worcester, and afterwards escaped to Russia, where he was made a general. Returning to England at the Restoration, he was made commander-in-chief of the forces in Scotland, and made himself notorious for his ferocity against the Covenanters. Research Thomas Dalyell
Whig was a nickname applied to the Covenanters in Scotland and later generally to the Presbyterian party in Scotland and the opponents of the monarchy in England. In the early 19th century the term was replaced with ' liberal'.
In the United States, the name of Whigs was taken by the party which furthered the Revolution, because their principles were but the application to America of those principles which the Whigs of England had advocated, and had secured through the Revolution of 1688. In 1834 the name was revived. The Federal party had virtually come to an end about 1817. Henceforth all American politicians were simply Republicans. But, as will usually happen in such cases, a divergence of views developed itself within the party. Adams and Clay and their followers, on the one hand, advocated a policy of protection and federal internal improvements and a broad or loose construction of the Constitution. Others, on the other hand, construing the Constitution strictly, opposed these things; these found a leader in Jackson. The former took the name of National Republicans. Adams was their candidate in 1828. After his defeat their chief leader was Clay, whom they nominated for President in 1831.
Their opposition to Jackson drew to them various elements and, as opponents of executive usurpation, the coalition took the old name of Whigs in 1834. The Whig body always formed rather a coalition than a party. They were united in opposition to Jackson, but the Northern Whigs favoured the US Bank, a protective tariff, etc., while the Southern Whigs were strict constructionists.
In the election of 1836 these various elements supported various candidates. In that of 1840 they united upon the available Harrison, and triumphantly elected him and Tyler in a campaign of unthinking enthusiasm. Harrison died, and the Whigs quarreled violently with Tyler.
In 1844 they nominated their real leader, Clay, who narrowly missed election. The annexation of Texas and the Mexican War and the Wilmotproviso now brought slavery to the front as the leading issue of politics. This was fatal to the Whigs, for it was sure to divide the Northern and the Southern Whigs. In 1848 they preserved themselves temporarily by passing over Clay and Webster and nominating a military candidate, Taylor. He was elected. But when similar tactics were tried in 1852 with Scott, the party was decisively defeated. It was disintegrating because of its inability to maintain any opinion on slavery.
The Northern Whigs became Free-soilers, and by 1856, Republicans; the Southern, Democrats. Many Whigs went temporarily into the American-party. A small portion of them formed the Constitutional Union Party which nominated Bell and Everett in 1860. Parties became sectional, and the Whig party ceased to exist. Its chief leaders were, beside those mentioned, in the North, Winthrop, Choate, Seward, Weed and Greeley; in the South, Mangum, Berrien, Forsyth, Stephens, Toombs, Prentiss and Crittenden; in the West, McLean, Giddings, Ewing and Corwin. Research Whig
The Battle of Alford was fought on July the 2nd 1645 during the English Civil War when General Baillie with a large body of covenanters who was defeated by the Marquis of Montrose.
Montrose drew the Covenanters south from Strathbogie and prepared to meet them of the high ground south of the River Don, about a mile west of Alford. The armies were roughly equally matched in numbers of infantry, but Baillie had more cavalry. However, Montrose had chosen his ground well and Baillie's cavalry had to ford the river in order to attack, and after fording were attacked by Lord Gordon on Montrose's right flank before they had a chance to regroup. Lord Gordon succeeded in forcing Baillie's cavalry off the field before turning his attack on the Covenanting centre. While Lord Gordon was attacking the Covenanting centre, LordAboyne and ColonelO'Kean also advanced against the enemy infantry and Montrose's forces were victorious. In the resulting pursuit of Baillie's forces, however, Lord Gordon was killed. Research Battle of Alford
The Battle of Tippermuir was fought on September the first 1644 on a plain a few miles from Perth between the Scottish Covenanters and a Royalist force commanded by Montrose. A force from Ireland, having been landed to aid the Royalist cause, Montrose called the clans to arms. His troops, however, only numbered 3000, but with these he attacked and completely defeated the Covenanter force of some 7000 infantry, 700 to 1000 cavalry and nine guns. Some 2000 Covenanters were killed, many more were taken prisoner, and Montrose was able to occupy Perth and a fortnight later to win the Battle of Aberdeen. Research Battle of Tippermuir
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Thumb-Screw
