Selected from: Select Extracts for the Young (Edinburgh: J. Johnstone, 1846), 222–229. From The Life and Diary of Lieut. Col. John Blackadder.1Lieut. Col. John Blackadder (or Blackader) (1664–1729) was a Scottish Presbyterian Calvinist and served with the Cameronian regiment. He was the younger brother to Dr. William Blackadder (1647–1704), an eminent Scottish physician and Presbyterian dissenter. Crichton’s book is based on Lieut. Col. John Blackadder’s memoirs. Both men were sons of the Rev. John Blackadder, Scottish Covenanter minister, who died imprisoned on the Bass Rock in 1685.
Dr. William Blackadder was born in 1647. He was sent to the University of Edinburgh in 1665 and went over to Holland to graduate at Leyden in 1680. In Holland, he appears to have formed an acquaintance with some of the illustrious refugees and other diplomatic characters, and to have been much in their confidence. He came over with the Earl of Argyle in his unfortunate expedition in 1685, and was taken prisoner in Orkney. The story of that desperate enterprise is shortly this. Argyle, for refusing to take the Test,2The Test Act of 1678 required all landowners to take an oath of loyalty, which meant denying the National Covenant. was imprisoned and tried in 1681. He contrived to escape from the Castle of Edinburgh, disguised as the page of his daughter-in-law, Lady Sophia Lindsay, and got over to Holland. Sentence of attainder and death was pronounced against him in his absence, and a large reward offered for his head. Measures were concerted by the exiles in Holland for an attempt to rescue their country. Monmouth was to land in England, with the English refugees. Argyle was to make a descent on the coast of Scotland. In three days, they were at Orkney, but having missed the passage in a thick fog, they were forced to put in to get pilots. Dr. Blackadder and Mr. Spence were sent ashore to get intelligence, where they were discovered and apprehended. By the vigilance of the government, and the treachery and obstinacy of his followers, Argyle’s plans were disconcerted. Left with a single attendant, he was apprehended near Paisley, while crossing the Water of Cart on foot. Though disguised as a peasant, with a long beard, and without a sword, he was recognised, carried to Edinburgh, and beheaded on his former sentence, June 30, 1685.
The following seems to be taken from Lieut. Col. John Blackadder’s memoirs.
Dr. Blackadder was twice apprehended, and not only narrowly escaped hanging, but torturing by boots3boot—an instrument of torture; the victim’s foot was placed in an iron boot and wedges were hammered into the boot between the casing and the victim’s flesh. and thumbkins.4thumbkin— also known as the thumbscrew, was an instrument of torture for crushing the thumb. The first time was in 1685, about May or June, when the Earl of Argyle came with a handful of men with him from Holland. When they came to Orkney, they sent him and Mr. Spence, Argyle’s secretary, to find the pulse of the people. They came to Kirkwall, the chief town there, but were soon apprehended by instigation of the bishop, and both made close prisoners. They lay there near a month, till the Privy Council sent for them to Edinburgh. My sister, Mrs. Young, went to meet him betwixt Leith and Edinburgh, for we who were his brothers durst not appear. So soon as she offered to speak to him, though at some distance, the rascally soldiers took up their muskets and put her away.
I shall not trouble you with his examination and trial. They put him and Spence in two separate rooms in the Tolbooth, discharging any to speak with them or to assist them with pen, ink, or paper. I had come from Sweden the winter before, and brought with me a big white iron box, with a secret opening at the bottom in which I put paper, pen, and ink. This I took, and went up to a turnpike, just opposite to his chamber, and looked a long while straight to his window. At length he came and saw me. Then I took out my box and showed him the secret where the paper, etc. lay. The next day I sent with the maid the open box full of salad in the one hand, and a shoulder of roasted mutton in the other, which he received, and was never suspected by the keepers. After he had dined, he takes out the paper, and writes a letter to M. Fagel, the great pensioner of Holland, with whom happily he had been acquainted, and performed a cure upon him when given over by his own physicians. This letter he put into the same box, and sent home with the maid, with strict orders to me to forward that letter under cover to another, which I did; and this box and letter were the means of saving him both from death and torture. So soon as Fagel got the letter, he sent for King James’ envoy extraordinary, and says to him, “What is this you are doing, sir? I hear you have apprehended one of our countrymen.” “Who is that?” says the envoy. “It is one Dr. Blackadder, a naturalized Hollander. What do you meddling with one of our subjects? And I hear likewise, you are going to put him to the torture. I advise you,” said he, “to write immediately to your master, King James, to have a care what he does with that gentleman, else the States of Holland will resent it.” The envoy did so, upon which, King James sent an express to the Council here, ordering them not to proceed further with Dr. Blackadder till further orders, which they observed. And at last, a remission came down in his favour, after he had been above twelve months in prison; and then he went for Holland, where he stayed till some weeks before the Prince of Orange came from Holland.
The Duke of Queensberry, hearing he had been at Bothwell Bridge5Battle of Bothwell Bridge—June 22, 1679, was tragic battle between King James’ troops and about 5,000 militant Presbyterians caught off guard. Over 400 Presbyterians were killed and 1,200 captured, and held in Edinburgh. After 5 months in an open air prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard those who had not died were shipped to be sold as slaves to the colonies, chiefly the plantations of Virginia, the Carolinas and Barbados. On the 15th of November the remaining prisoners, numbering around 210 were moved and taken onboard a ship sailing from Leith, to which another 40 or so prisoners were added. On 10th December, the ship was wrecked and, as the ship was sinking, the Captain ordered the hold secured to prevent the Presbyterians’ escape. The reason for this cruel choice was that the Captain would only get monetary compensation for live slaves brought to market, some compensation for those who died in transit, but nothing for a slave who escaped. This meant God’s people were left to drown so that the Captain would at least gain some insurance compensation for slaves who died. As the ship broke up some did break out of the hold but the sailors were ordered to push them back into the freezing water to perish. (Ed.) before that, said to him, “I profess, Doctor, your crimes make me tremble to think upon them. Prepare yourself for the boots, for if there be any marrow in your bones, we shall see it before tomorrow’s sun go down.” But it seems, Providence wonderfully restrained them till the above-mentioned order came down, and Providence likewise ordered it that the chancellor and Queensberry, the high treasurer, were at variance; so that the chancellor sent for my brother, examined him, and bid him to be ingenuous. “To what purpose need I be ingenuous? For Queensberry has sworn that I shall not live six days.” “Has he told you so?” says the chancellor, “Then by ——, you shall not die these six weeks yet.”
The second time was in the year 1688, in the month of August, when he and Colonel Cleland were sent for Scotland—my brother to Edinburgh, and the Colonel to the west—it seems to pave the way for the Prince of Orange’s landing afterwards in November. Sometime after their arrival, my brother, having gone up to the castle—which was the only imprudent action he was known to have done—to see one Captain M’Kay, a patient of his, who had been sick, was apprehended by the Duke of Gordon, then governor of the castle, who searched him narrowly twice, once in his own lodgings, and when he returned from the chancellor, he searched him again at the castle gate, and sent a party to his chamber, and secured all his papers. There was found on him some lines written in mystical characters, and reflecting on the Queen and the young pretended Prince of Wales. There were likewise a letter found upon him. I shall not trouble you with his long trial, frequent examinations, and more than a hundred questions from day to day about King James’ ministers of State, the Queen, the Young Pretender, the States of Holland, the Prince of Orange, etc. After several examinations by the chancellor himself, he was called before a committee of the Council, about ten days after his apprehension, consisting of the chancellor, the two archbishops, and my Lord Balcarras, who is yet alive. The chancellor said to him, “They had orders from the king to use all severities imaginable to make him declare what was couched in the letters found upon him, by meddling so particularly with the King and government.” He told them all the severities imaginable should not engage him to be more ingenuous than he had been, or to tell untruths. But the chancellor and they would never believe him. However, they put off and delayed to put him to the torture by the boots and thumbkins, though often threatened. But though he escaped torture, they still continued to vex and squeeze him by their questions and inquiries, hurrying him from the castle, till the rumour about the Prince of Orange’s designed invasion broke out. Then, it seems, they did not think it safe to meddle further till they saw the event of that affair. And after he was landed, and coming up to London, they sent a Council macer6macer— mace-bearer; a court officer in Scotland charge with keeping order and executing warrants. to the duke, in the castle, with an order to set the prisoner at liberty, which he immediately and cheerfully obeyed, having had a kindness for my brother, and ordered the whole gate to be opened to him.
No sooner was my brother at liberty than a committee of the then confused Council sitting in Hugh Blair’s, a vintner at the Pillars entering the Parliament Close. He sits down with some of the comrades in another room, next to that where the committee were met, and writes a general petition in favour of all those yet in prison, to set them likewise at liberty, where I heard there were some in blackness, some elsewhere, and called for Sir William Paterson, the clerk, and once his regent in Edinburgh College. “Sir William,” says my brother, “here’s a petition which you are to deliver to the committee.” Sir William takes it, reads it, then shook his head, and says, “In faith, Doctor, I dare not give this in.” It seems there had been bold strokes in it. “Will you not?” says my brother, “Then I charge you in the Prince of Orange’s name, and as you shall answer to him, that you give it in immediately.” Sir William, knowing then how matters were going, says, “Then, Doctor, in conscience, I’ll venture to give it to the committee,” who scarce kept it half an hour, till Sir William came out with it to the room where my brother was, with an answer upon the back of the petition, signifying that all was granted. “Now,” says my brother, “Sir William, I warrant you’ll be expecting your fee”—ordinarily five dollars. “Not one farthing,” says he. “And besides, you must sit down here with us, and call for a quart of wine to the company.” Sir William, a generous gentleman, consented to it, where they were very merry, and drank the Prince of Orange’s health.
After the Revolution, Dr. Blackadder was made physician to King William, and died without issue, about the year 1704.
Footnotes
- 1Lieut. Col. John Blackadder (or Blackader) (1664–1729) was a Scottish Presbyterian Calvinist and served with the Cameronian regiment. He was the younger brother to Dr. William Blackadder (1647–1704), an eminent Scottish physician and Presbyterian dissenter. Crichton’s book is based on Lieut. Col. John Blackadder’s memoirs. Both men were sons of the Rev. John Blackadder, Scottish Covenanter minister, who died imprisoned on the Bass Rock in 1685. ↩︎
- 2The Test Act of 1678 required all landowners to take an oath of loyalty, which meant denying the National Covenant. ↩︎
- 3boot—an instrument of torture; the victim’s foot was placed in an iron boot and wedges were hammered into the boot between the casing and the victim’s flesh. ↩︎
- 4thumbkin— also known as the thumbscrew, was an instrument of torture for crushing the thumb. ↩︎
- 5Battle of Bothwell Bridge—June 22, 1679, was tragic battle between King James’ troops and about 5,000 militant Presbyterians caught off guard. Over 400 Presbyterians were killed and 1,200 captured, and held in Edinburgh. After 5 months in an open air prison in Greyfriars Kirkyard those who had not died were shipped to be sold as slaves to the colonies, chiefly the plantations of Virginia, the Carolinas and Barbados. On the 15th of November the remaining prisoners, numbering around 210 were moved and taken onboard a ship sailing from Leith, to which another 40 or so prisoners were added. On 10th December, the ship was wrecked and, as the ship was sinking, the Captain ordered the hold secured to prevent the Presbyterians’ escape. The reason for this cruel choice was that the Captain would only get monetary compensation for live slaves brought to market, some compensation for those who died in transit, but nothing for a slave who escaped. This meant God’s people were left to drown so that the Captain would at least gain some insurance compensation for slaves who died. As the ship broke up some did break out of the hold but the sailors were ordered to push them back into the freezing water to perish. (Ed.) ↩︎
- 6macer— mace-bearer; a court officer in Scotland charge with keeping order and executing warrants. ↩︎
