Review: The Covenanters of Scotland 1638-1690, by David Dobson

I've just received a review copy of the latest book from David Dobson, entitled The Covenanters of Scotland 1638-1690. Davidis a a Research Fellow at The University of Edinburgh and Honorary Research Fellow at the St. Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research.

As with most of David's titles, the book acts as a finding aid, in this case to help researchers locate information about those who fought on the side of the Covenanters, the adherents to the Presbyterian cause who resisted the imposition of episcopacy in Scotland, which was heavily promoted by the Stuart kings after their relocation to London from Scotland. The Covenanters cause originated in 1638 with the signing of the National Covenant, and continued until the Stuarts were deposed at the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1689-1690. Their decades long history was bloody, involving the Bishops Wars and the Killing Time, with many Covenanters forced into exile in Ulster and Holland, whilst others were transported to the American colonies and the West Indies.

David starts his book with a very concise summary of the events concerning the Covenanters. This is followed by a two page reference guide noting the various repositories and works that he has consulted to extract the names of those adhering to the Covenant, and nine pages of illustrations, before reaching the main body of work - the alphetical list of all the Covenanters that he has been able to identify. 

Each entry is short and succinct, usually with one reference cited, although some have a few sources to identify them. The following is a typical example:

• MACKEN, WILLIAM, was captured at the Siege of Worcester in 1651, was transported via London aboard the John and Sarah bound for Boston in December 1651, landed there in February 1652, [SD.1.5-6] 
  

The SD reference here refers to a collection called the Suffolk Deeds, based in Massachussets (USA). In total, David has identified almost 2,500 Covenanters by name, with additonal information such as the verdict, date and vessel of banishment, place of exile, often additional particulars about the individual, and the source of the information recorded. At 264 pages, The Covenanters of Scotland 1638-1690 is a handy and concise guide to help with research into a tumultuous period within Scotland's history. 

The book is on sale at US $43 from https://genealogical.com/store/the-covenanters-of-scotland-1638-1690/. (I also see copies on sale at Amazon in the UK for £35.46, at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Covenanters-Scotland-1638-1690-David-Dobson/dp/0806359560/).

* For a review of David's previous publication, his two volume Scots-Irish Links, see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2022/05/review-david-dobsons-scots-irish-links.html.

(With thanks to the Genealogical Publishing Company for the review copy)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.