11 May 2022
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Covenanter martyrs Margaret Wilson and Margaret Lachlane were executed
On 11 May 1685, Covenanter martyrs Margaret Wilson and Margaret Lachlane were executed for refusing to declare their loyalty to King Charles II.
Margaret Wilson and Margaret Lachlane, the 'Wigtown Martyrs', were executed on 11 May 1685 for their refusal to swear an oath of loyalty to King James II/VII. The pair were tied to stakes and drowned by the rising tide close to Wigtown and are commemorated by a memorial which stands close to the spot.
Although a reprieve had been issued from Edinburgh, it didn't reach Wigtown until after the executions had taken place. Margaret Wilson (pictured) was eighteen years old and her friend Margaret Lachlane was aged 63.
Patrick Hogg's Wigtown Martyrs song:
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