ixus2
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Post by ixus2 on May 1, 2010 20:19:32 GMT 1
The Battle of Rullion Green took place in Scotland on 28 November 1666, opposing the Scottish Royal Army led by Tam Dalyell of the Binns to about 900 Covenanter rebels. The Pentland Rising, a direct result of the then government’s attempt to impose Episcopalianism upon Scotland, began in St. John’s Town of Dalry, where troops were prevented from torturing a local farmer who refused to obey the government’s diktats as to how and where he should worship. Robert McClellan of Barscobe led the Rising; he gathered some men in Dalry, led them to Balmaclellan, where after a skirmish with other troops, he raised more men. He led them to Dumfries, and there they captured the local commander, General Turner, at 5.30 in the morning, still in his nightshirt, in his lodgings on the Whitesands. MacLellan, aided by Neilson of Corsock, took the little force up to Ayrshire, thence to Lanarkshire, and then to Edinburgh to present their Petition to the Parliament. Armed only with pitchforks, they were driven away by the Edinburgh Fencibles, and then destroyed by troops led by General Tam Dalyell of the Binns, at Rullion Green in the Pentland Hills, (hence the name of the rising). The survivors were treated with appalling cruelty; 15, including Neilson of Corsock, were hanged, drawn and quartered, and several, including two boys of 18, were tortured first with the Boot. A wee article on the battle mentions General Tam Dalyell. Does anyone know if he is any relation to our own Tam Dalyell? I will be in that area next Thursday and hope to get a few photos of the site. Ixus 2 [edit] References
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Post by kiltie on May 2, 2010 6:21:52 GMT 1
tam dalyell still lives at the binns,protected with his peacocks,when he's at home he is often seen in the local indian restaurant near linlithgowbridge.
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ixus2
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Posts: 341
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Post by ixus2 on May 2, 2010 8:58:08 GMT 1
Thanks Kiltie, I am still wondering if they are related. Ixus2
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Post by Waverley on May 2, 2010 10:23:38 GMT 1
Thanks Kiltie, I am still wondering if they are related. Ixus2 Yes they are related. Tam Dalyell is also married to the daughter of the late John Wheatley.The Dalyell Baronetage today is represented by Tam Dalyell a.k.a. Sir Thomas Dalyell of the Binns, 11th Baronet, the veteran British politician. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_Dalyell_of_the_BinnsTHE COVENANTER ENCYCLOPAEDIA Rullion Green, Battle of (28 November 1666) NT 219625, Ru/lion Green, Glencorse, Penicuik, Midlothian. The Battle of Rullion Green was the termination of the Pentland Rising, which had started when the Covenanter supporters rose against authority in St.John's Town of Dalry in Kirkcudbrightshire. After marching to Dumfries and Ayr, the Covenanter force grew in number and a decision was made to march on Edinburgh. However, the support in the city that they had expected was not forthcoming, and they camped in the Pentland Hills. In the meantime the authorities had sent troops in pursuit, and at Rullion Green a battle took place between the Covenanters under Colonel James Wallace of Auchans and three thousand government soldiers commanded by Thomas Dalyell of the Binns. The Covenanters were ill-trained, and poorly armed, not having prepared for battle. They numbered between eight and nine hundred and held their ground in the frost and snow for some time. At first the party of horse under Captain Arnot fended off the government horsemen. Major Joseph Learmont's horse then fought off a second attack and a third advance by the soldiers was also repelled. The Covenanters, who had the advantage of higher ground, held their own for three hours, only succumbing to the superior government forces. The soldiers under Drummond for the government withdrew for a time to await the arrival of Dalyell's men, after which the battle became one-sided. Soon after the trumpets and drums had sounded in the King's forces the battle started in earnest. It is recorded that Covenanter officers Captain John Paton of Meadowhead and Captain Arnot showed great skill with their swords, forcing the opposition to retreat. The Covenanters then counterattacked, armed with makeshift weapons, almost claiming the prize of the Duke of Hamilton, but he was rescued by Dean Ramsay. Dalyell then took the chance to bring his three regiments of horse right into the centre of the battle, and they forced their way through the Covenanter ranks, turning the snow red with the blood spilt. Although the Covenanters were illequipped - they only had sixty muskets, forty pairs of pistols and twenty pounds of loose gunpowder, plus home-made pikes and blades formed from scythes and other implements - the official state papers recorded that 'the army say they never saw men fight more gallantly than tlle rebels nor endure more; the general was forced to use stratagem to defeat them'. It is reckoned that fifty Covenanters were killed on the battlefield and that around the same nunlber, or up to one hundred, were taken prisoner. The dead were stripped of their clothes by the soldiers and the bodies were left lying for a night and a day before the locals buried them. Some of the dead were interred at Penicuik and Glen corse kirkyards. Most however, were buried on the battlefield. Among them were two Irish ministers, Rev John Crookshank and Rev Andrew MacCormick, named on the gravestone at the site. This was erected on 28 September 1738. It was originally located further to the north-east, but was moved in the late nineteenth century to its present location. The prisoners were marched to Edinburgh and held in various gaols. Some were held in Haddo's Hole in St Giles' High Kirk,Edinburgh, and eighty were held in Heriot's Wark, also Edinburgh. Hugh MacKail and John Neilson of Corsock were tortured to try to find out who was responsible for the rising and subsequently executed in Edinburgh. Many others were executed in December and January, some of the executions being carried out in Ayrshire and Dumfriesshire as a warning to other insurgents or in Glasgow. Few escaped with fines or banishment. The battle was also known as the Battle of Pentland in some accounts. After Rullion Green one of the questions asked by the persecutors of suspect Covenanters was 'Were you at Pentland?'
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