Bonnymuir

Last updated
The Bonnymuir inscription; memorial to the ringleaders Andrew Hardie and John Baird in Woodside Cemetery, Paisley, Renfrewshire The Bonnymuir inscription, memorial to the martyrs Andrew Hardie and John Baird, Woodside Cemetery, Paisley.jpg
The Bonnymuir inscription; memorial to the ringleaders Andrew Hardie and John Baird in Woodside Cemetery, Paisley, Renfrewshire

Bonnymuir was a moorland ("bonny muir" effectively means "pretty moorland" in Scots) area near the town of Bonnybridge in Scotland. Today, it has mostly become either housing or farmland.

It was a significant location in the Radical War of 1820. The effects of the industrial revolution in the early 19th century, combined with an economic downturn following the Napoleonic War, encouraged political unrest (see Peterloo, Chartism). In 1820, several agitators were arrested on suspicion of plotting an insurrection. A large memorial stone to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bonnymuir was unveiled in 2021. [1]

A strike of some 60,000 workers followed in April 1820, mainly in the west of Scotland, and a "provisional government" was declared in Glasgow. The Carron Ironworks was besieged by 40 militants with the intention of obtaining armaments; they were subsequently joined by reinforcements from Stirling. They were overcome by Scottish troops of the Stirlingshire Yeomanry at Bonnymuir and 47 were arraigned for treason. The ringleaders, Andrew Hardie, James Wilson and John Baird were executed. Thomas McCulloch, John Barr, William Smith, Benjamin Moir, Allan Murchie, Alexander Latimer, Alexander Johnson, Andrew White, David Thomson, James Wright, William Clackson, Thomas Pike, Robert Gray, James Clelland, Alexander Hart, Thomas McFarlane, John Anderson and William Crawford were sentenced to penal transportation. Two were found not guilty and the rest were never tried.

Related Research Articles

Dean Cemetery

The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on its west by the Dean Gallery. A 20th-century extension lies detached from the main cemetery to the north of Ravelston Terrace. The main cemetery is accessible through the main gate on its east side, through a "grace and favour" access door from the grounds of Dean Gallery and from Ravelston Terrace. The modern extension is only accessible at the junction of Dean Path and Queensferry Road.

Fraserburgh Town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Aberdeen, and 17 miles (27 km) north of Peterhead. It is the biggest shellfish port in Scotland and one of the largest in Europe, landing over 5,450 tonnes in 2016. Fraserburgh is also a major port for white and pelagic fish.

Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish academy of sciences

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established in 1783. As of 2021, there are around 1,600 Fellows.

Solicitor General for Scotland

Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots Law. They are also responsible for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service which together constitute the Criminal Prosecution Service in Scotland.

Allegheny Cemetery United States historic place

Allegheny Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (Ottawa) Church in Ottawa, Ontario

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is the oldest Presbyterian church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Inveresk Conservation village in East Lothian, Scotland

Inveresk is a village in East Lothian, Scotland situated 58 mi (1 km) to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a conservation area since 1969. It is situated on slightly elevated ground on the north bank of a loop of the River Esk. This ridge of ground, 20 to 25 metres above sea level, was used by the Romans as the location for Inveresk Roman Fort in the 2nd century AD.

Radical War

The Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the early years of the French Revolution, but had then been repressed during the long Napoleonic Wars.

Battle of Drumclog 1679 battle of the Scottish Covenanter Wars

The Battle of Drumclog was fought on 1 June 1679, between a group of Covenanters and the forces of John Graham of Claverhouse, at Drumclog, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Prestonpans Human settlement in Scotland

Prestonpans is a small fishing town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. The population as of 2016 is 10,410. It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans. The town, established in the eleventh century, has a variety of important historical architecture, including: Preston Tower and the doocot and the local Mercat Cross, which is the only one of its kind in Scotland that remains in its original form and location. Prestonpans is "Scotland's Mural Town", with many murals depicting local history.

Balmaghie Human settlement in Scotland

Balmaghie, from the Scottish Gaelic Baile Mhic Aoidh, is an ecclesiastical and civil parish in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and was the seat of the McGhee family. It is bordered by the River Dee to the north and east. Threave Castle stands on an island in the river. The River Dee is commonly known as the Black Water of Dee on the northern border, the name changes with the meeting of the Water of Ken to the north west and is then known as Loch Ken along the eastern border. Balmaghie parish borders Girthon to the west and Tongland and Twynholm to the south. The closest market town is Castle Douglas about 6 miles from Balmaghie Kirk.

The Grange, Edinburgh Human settlement in Scotland

The Grange is a suburb of Edinburgh, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, and Marchmont to the north. It is a conservation area characterised by large early Victorian stone-built villas, often with very large gardens.

South Leith Parish Church Church in Edinburghs harbour district, Scotland

South Leith Parish Church, originally the Kirk of Our Lady, St Mary, is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. It is the principal church and congregation in Leith, in Edinburgh. Its kirkyard is the burial place for John Home and John Pew, the man from whom the author Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly derived the character of Blind Pew in the novel Treasure Island. The church has been repaired, used as a magazine and reconstructed but still looks similar to its appearance on a 1608 seal.

The Scots Charitable Society (est.1657) of Boston, Massachusetts, was established to provide relief for local, "needy Scot people, after proper investigation." It "enjoys the distinction of being the oldest Scots society in America." It "became the prototype for thousands of other groups" of private charity in America.

Warriston Cemetery

Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land on a slightly sloping site. It contains many tens of thousands of graves, including notable Victorian and Edwardian figures, the most eminent being the physician Sir James Young Simpson.

New Calton Burial Ground

New Calton Burial Ground is a burial ground in Edinburgh. It was built as an overspill and functional replacement to Old Calton Burial Ground and lies half a mile to its east on Regent Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south-east slopes of Calton Hill. On its southern edge it attaches to the north-east edge of the Canongate in the Old Town. It lies on a fairly steep south-facing slope with views to Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament Building and Arthur’s Seat.

Events from the year 1820 in Scotland.

John Hennen FRSE was an Irish-born military surgeon and author of the acclaimed medical textbook The Principles of Military Surgery.

References

  1. "Battle of Bonnymuir 200th anniversary memorial unveiled". BBC News. 6 April 2021.