An attempt has been made to prove that this last affair is a pure
romance of Covenanting tradition. It has never been disputed that the
women were tried for high treason (that is to say, for refusing to
abjure the Covenant and to attend Episcopal worship) and condemned to
death; but it has been denied that the sentence was ever carried into
effect, on the strength of a reprieve granted by the Council at
Edinburgh before the day of execution. That a reprieve, or rather a
remand, was granted is certain, as the pages of the Council register
remain to this day to testify. But it is not so certain that the
decision of the Council at Edinburgh ever reached the magistrates at
Wigtown; and that, if it did reach them, they at least paid no attention
to it, remained for upwards of a century and a half the fixed opinion
of all writers and readers of history. The women were sentenced on April
18th, 1685: the remand is dated April 30th, but the period for which it
was to run has been left blank, pending the result of a recommendation
for full pardon with which it was accompanied: the sentence was executed
on May 11th--in Wodrow's words, "a black and very remarkable day for
blood in several places."
It will be sufficient to indicate where the arguments employed to
discredit this affair may be found.
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