5 minute
Podcasts
You can cram a lot of Scotland’s Forgotten History into 5 minutes!
Sir William Bruce of Kinross was the Scottish 'Sir Christopher Wren'. This great architect designed some of the finest classical buildings in Scotland like Holyrood Palace, Thirlestane Castle and Prestonfield House. Yet the story of his own magnificent home on the...
The Covenanters’ Prison, Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh – SFH046
Matthew Vogan explains a little of the history of two of the buildings in Greyfriars Kirkyard; the Covenanters' Prison and the mausoleum for George Mackenzie. "Bluidy Mackenzie," as the Lord Advocate during the rule of Charles II, was responsible for much of the...
John Law on the Bass Rock – Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh – SFH045
In Greyfriars Kiryard in Edinburgh, there's a memorial to a little known minister called John Law and his wife, Isabella Cuninghame. The inscription reads: "To the memory of his most excellent parents Mr JOHN LAW, a most prudent and vigilant pastor of the Church at...
Magdalen Chapel, Edinburgh
One of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, the Magdalen Chapel was built in 1541 and has the oldest surviving stained glass in Scotland. It was the location for the first ever General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the building played a significant, if somewhat...
James Renwick and The Grassmarket, Edinburgh – SFH043
James Renwick was the last of the Presbyterian Covenanters to be martyred in 1688. Matthew Vogan is at the location of the gallows in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh to tell us more. To dig deeper visit ScotlandsForgottenHistory.com
Many Covenanters were executed by the State at the Tolbooth in Edinburgh. Matthew Vogan is on the Royal Mile to tell us about James Guthrie, the second person to be executed at the Tolbooth in Edinburgh on the 1st June 1661, only 5 days after Archibald Campbell, the...
Parliament Square, Edinburgh – SFH041
What connects the statue of King Charles II, Parliament Hall and John Knox's Grave marker at car park space 23 in Parliament Square, Edinburgh? Matthew Vogan pieces the picture together for a group of Dutch students visiting Scotland in this week's episode. To dig...
Lilias Dunbar and Thomas Ross – Kilravock Castle, Croy, Inverness – SFH040
Many of the hotbeds of Covenanter activity were in Dumfries & Galloway or Ayrshire, but not all. This week, Matthew Vogan is at Kilravock Castle (pronounced "Kilrawk") near the village of Croy, between Inverness and Nairn to tell us about some of the Covenanters...
Captain Paton’s Sword – Magdalen Chapel, Edinburgh – SFH039
The sword featured in "Scotland's Forgotten Suffering" (episode three of Scotland's Forgotten History) was owned by Captain John Paton from Fenwick in Ayrshire. He fought with the Covenanters at the Pentland Rising, Battle of Drumclog and Battle of Bothwell Bridge. ...
Alexander Henderson Memorial – Greyfriars, Edinburgh – SFH038
Matthew Vogan is back on familiar ground in Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, visiting the memorial for Alexander Henderson, the leader of the Covenanter Movement. To dig deeper, visit ScotlandsForgottenHistory.com
Thomas Case – Milk Street, London – SFH037
Thomas Case was an English Presbyterian minister and a member of the Westminster Assembly from 1643. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the noble, yet short-lived Solemn League and Covenant that was intended to bind the British Isles together, writing, "To every...
Alexander Brodie – Brodie Castle, Forres – SFH036
Alexander Brodie was no hero. He was a poor sinner leaning upon all sufficient grace. He knew what he called the deep deceits of his heart. He knew to lament and confess them to God. But One compromise risked leading to another... Matthew Vogan is at a very wet...
Alexander Henderson and King Charles I – Newcastle – SFH035
In 1646, when King Charles 1 realised he had lost the English Civil War, he fled north from Oxford and surrendered himself to the Scottish Presbyterian army who kept him prisoner in Newcastle, when they were occupying that city. Alexander Henderson was presented with...
John Brown of Wamphray – SFH034
John Brown was the greatest theological writer in the later Covenanting period. To find out more about Brown's writing and his profound insights into Christ and biblical Christianity, visit the Blog of John Brown at ReformationScotland.org To dig deeper, visit...
Kirkliston Parish Church – Solemn League and Covenant – SFH033
"Heaven is a rest without a rest, a place where the soul is always satisfied. It's a place where the soul is always embracing God and yet desiring to embrace him. Its a place where joy and love are eternally flowing in, and admiration and praise eternally flowing...
Claverhouse and the Black Bull Inn – Moffat – SFH032
The town of Moffat is a very popular and attractive tourist destination in Dumfries and Galloway. Matthew Vogan and Jimmy Fisher discuss some of the stories from the town's history that don't usually make it into the presentations of many tour...
The Crook Inn and The Birkhill Inn – SFH031
A tale of two inns. The Crook Inn (on the A701 near Tweedsmuir) and Birkhill Cottage (on the A708 near the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve) were both used by Covenanters as well as Claverhouse and his dragoons. But what would happen if they...
Samuel Rutherford & Lex Rex – Parliament Square, Edinburgh – SFH030
What do Boris Johnson, the prorogation of parliament and the Scottish Court of Session have to do with Scotland's Forgotten History? Matthew Vogan is in Edinburgh's Parliament Square, outside the court, to explain why Samuel Rutherford's book still has an...
James Renwick – Preaching in Conventicles – Talla – SFH029
Jimmy Fisher joins Matthew Vogan to discover more of the places that played significant roles in Scotland's Covenanting past. In this episode they're exploring near the Talla reservoir in the Borders to find out more about the field preacher,...
Andrew Gray – Lady Stair’s Close, Edinburgh – SFH028
David Woollin of Reformation Heritage Books joins Matthew Vogan outside what is now The Writer's Museum in Edinburgh. However, the initials carved in stone on the 17th century marriage lintel above the door confirm that this was once the childhood home of...