The Use of Lockhart’s Memoirs (1714) in the Writings of Eighteenth-Century Whig Historians of the Anglo-Scottish Union (1707)

Eighteenth-century whig historians of the Union (1707) reacted to Lockhart’s tory-jacobite Memoirs in different ways. While John Oldmixon (1672-1742) incorporated passages from them into his account of the Union for the sake of confuting them, Abel Boyer (1667-1729) and Nicholas Tindal (1687-1774) endorsed them to a large degree, borrowing from them extensively. Then, several historians writing in the mid- to late eighteenth century such as Thomas Somerville (1740-1830) or Malcolm Laing (1762-1818) approached them with an open mind, but also some critical distance, revealing an evolution in British historiography towards a more scholarly approach to historical sources. Except for Oldmixon’s accounts, all those historians’s expositions of the Union were to some extent impacted by Lockhart’s Memoirs. Far from using the latter only as a storehouse of information on the Union, they were all in some mesure influenced by Lockhart’s vision of that event and, as a result, ideologically hybrid.

Women, Gender, and the Kirk Before the Covenant

This article explores the ways women interacted with the Scottish kirk in the decades prior to the National Covenant of 1638, mainly focusing on urban areas especially Edinburgh and environs. The written records, especially those of the kirk session, are skewed toward punishing women who engaged in sin, especially sexual sins such as adultery and fornication. Indeed, these records show that while women’s behavior and speech was highly restricted and women were punished more frequently than men for their sexual behavior or for speaking out of turn, there were moments when women had a significant public voice, albeit one that was highly restricted and required male sanctioning. For example, women were often called on to testify before kirk sessions against those who had committed sins, even if the accused sinners were male or social superiors or both. Perhaps the most important moment where women used their male-sanctioned voice to speak out in public came at the Edinburgh Prayer Book Riots of 1637, which was led by women. This article argues that women were given the opportunity to act in public because the church had been characterized by many Scottish male preachers in gendered language – they called the church a “harlot mother” and a “whore” that needed correction. Therefore, the women of the Prayer Book Riot were sanctioned to speak out against a licentious sinner, much in the way women were called on to testify against sinners in front of kirk sessions.

John Campbell’s “Short Papers” for Lord Bute in the London Evening Post

John Campbell’s (1708-1775) biographer, Guido Abbattista, has argued that Campbell sought to publish a pamphlet, Thoughts on Public Affairs, in 1761. However, a review of Campbell’s private correspondence in 1761 with the future prime minister, John Stuart, 3rd earl of Lord Bute (1713-1792), indicates that the historian sought not to publish a pamphlet, but newspaper articles that promote the king’s new reign and his administration. Six of these articles have been found in the London Evening Post, and they use ideas and language from Henry St. John, 1st viscount Bolingbroke to represent George III as a Patriot King, to advance the Tory policies of Bute’s future administration, and to encourage a prospective peace to the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). These six, new attributions to Campbell not only expand his extensive canon, but also portray his significant role in offering the rhetoric and depicting the ideas of George III’s early reign and Bute’s ascendency to premiership.

Witchcraft against Royal Danish Ships in 1589 and the Transnational Transfer of Ideas

This article deals with transnational transfer of ideas about witchcraft at the end of the sixteenth century. The outset is alleged witchcraft performed against a royal Danish fleet that was to carry Princess Anne across the North Sea to her husband, King James VI of Scotland, autumn 1589, and following trials in Copenhagen. These include court records from witchcraft trials and diplomatic correspondence between Denmark, England and Scotland. By close-readings of these texts, a multi-layered narrative emerges. The article sheds light on the routes for transmission of witchcraft ideas, as well as the contemporary context for interpreting witchcraft notions.

Veronica Strong-Boag. Liberal Hearts and Coronets: The Lives and Times of Ishbel Majoribanks Gordon and John Campbell Gordon, The Aberdeens.

Review of Veronica Strong-Boag, Liberal Hearts and Coronets: The Lives and Times of Ishbel Marjoribanks Gordon and John Campbell Gordon, The Aberdeens.