Covenanters' Grave - Magus Muir, Fife.
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creg-ny-baa
N 56° 19.517 W 002° 52.926
30V E 507291 N 6242289
Grave situated on farmland at Magus Muir, three miles west of St.Andrews where five men are buried near the site of their execution for their alleged part in the murder of Archbishop Sharp.
Waymark Code: WM10BRD
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/09/2019
Views: 2
Magus Muir is situated three miles west of the ancient town of St.Andrews in the Kingdom of Fife on the east coast of Scotland. It was the scene of the murder of the town's Archbishop and also the execution of five men who were alleged to have been involved.
The five covenanters were said to have played no part in the murder, but were all captured at the Battle of Bothwell Brigwhere they were defeated. All were hanged in chains at Magus Muir in 1679 after refusing to sign a bond not to rebel again. Two of the perpetrators were later caught, David Hackston of Rathillet in 1680, and Andrew Guillan who was hung, drawn and quartered in St.Andrews in 1683 and buried in a private grave nearby.
The five covenanters were buried in a single grave on Magus Muir which now lies on farmland to the west of Bishop's Wood close to the monument to the Archbishop. The gravestone is surrounded by a wall and railings and the inscription reads as follows:
'Here lies Thos Brown, James Wood, Andrew Sword, John Weddell & John Clyde, who suffered martyrdom on Magus Muir for their adherence to the word of God and Scotland's covenanted reformation. Nov 25 1679'
The grave can be reached along a path through the wood westwards from the roadside car park. It lies a few yards beyond the woodland in a field.