Scottish history - the Dunbar martyrs.

[Phil]

Here is an interesting piece and I wonder if any of the members wish to add their support to the campaign, particularly as it relates to the 900 Scots sold by the English as slaves in the American colonies.

Link - http://www.dunbarmartyrs.com/

[BoldHighlander]

Here is an interesting piece and I wonder if any of the members wish to add their support to the campaign, particularly as it relates to the 900 Scots sold by the English as slaves in the American colonies.

Link - http://www.dunbarmartyrs.com/

Very interesting indeed.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Phil.

[caig]

Many thanks for this fascinating piece of history.

I live 20 miles from Durham.

I have emailed my support for the campaign.

[McClef]

Durham is one of my favourite cathedrals and I never knew that.

History is full of such things alas and there are many buried far from their native soil. Certainly a plaque or memorial could be appropriate but whether the disinterring and reburial etc would be appropriate or desirable I am not convinced.

It is not always possible to correct the wrongs of history, especially after some centuries have elapsed.

I take some comfort from the fate of Cromwell's corpse at the Restoration.

[macwilkin]

I take some comfort from the fate of Cromwell's corpse at the Restoration.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

T.

[beloitpiper]

The more I hear about Cromwell, the more I hate that guy...

[Mael Coluim]

Just tragic. Man's unhumanity against his fellow man.

[Phil]

Durham is one of my favourite cathedrals and I never knew that.

History is full of such things alas and there are many buried far from their native soil. Certainly a plaque or memorial could be appropriate but whether the disinterring and reburial etc would be appropriate or desirable I am not convinced.

It is not always possible to correct the wrongs of history, especially after some centuries have elapsed.

I take some comfort from the fate of Cromwell's corpse at the Restoration.

I do agree with you and I think that the website also does. It is also fairly clear that Cromwell left the fate of these poor souls in the hands of others so he cannot be entirely to blame. The fascinating aspect, though, is that so many were sold as slaves and I wonder how many Americans of Scottish descent realise that they may well have slave ancestors. While it cannot compare with the scale of the dreadful trade in African slaves, it is worth noting that they were not the only ones to suffer such a fate. It is also interesting that there have never been calls for an official apology to the Scots people of the sort proferred by Tony Blair et al not so long ago - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6185176.stm.

[McClef]

When you read about Cromwell's contempt for human life as whole - massacre of Drogheda, treatment of the Levellers etc, the fact that he "left the fate of these poor souls in the hands of others" doesn't really excuse him.

He created the political agenda for such things to happen and we well know even in the 20th century what that could lead to.

Baldwin's Law carefully circumnavigated there...

[Phil]

When you read about Cromwell's contempt for human life as whole - massacre of Drogheda, treatment of the Levellers etc, the fact that he "left the fate of these poor souls in the hands of others" doesn't really excuse him.

He created the political agenda for such things to happen and we well know even in the 20th century what that could lead to.

Baldwin's Law carefully circumnavigated there...

But was it not very much what happened in those times? Look at Francis Drake (before he became "Sir") and his English troops massacring some 600 unarmed men, women and children on Rathlin Island off the north coast of Ireland in 1575 or the Campbells who committed a far worse atrocity in Rathlin island in 1640 than anything they did in Glencoe.