James Sharp Archbishop of St Andrews was murdered - On this day in history

Sharp was travelling to St Andrews with his daughter when he was attacked by a group who had been lying in wait to attack the Sheriff of Fife.

Sharp was hated by the Covenanters for enforcing principles such as the Act of Supremacy and was often badly portrayed in Covenanter literature. The murder sparked a wider uprising which became known as the 'killing time'.

QUICK LINK: Five Scottish Covenanter prisons you can visit

Further reading

Scottish Covenanter stories: tales from the Killing Times by Dane Love