Action at Brechin 1639
Who Fought
History & Significance
The Bishops' Wars were two wars fought in 1639 and 1640 between Charles I and his Covenanter opponents in Scotland. They were the first of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, that also include the First and Second English Civil Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, and the 1650 to 1652 Anglo-Scottish War.
In 1637, Charles I, then king of Scotland and England, imposed changes in religious practice on the Church of Scotland. These were resented by many Scots, leading to the signing of a National Covenant in 1638, pledging to prevent their implementation. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland then expelled bishops, turning a religious dispute into a struggle for political supremacy. The new Covenanter government raised an army to prevent Charles using force to restore his authority.
The First Bishops' War began in early 1639, when minor skirmishing between Covenanters and Royalists took place in north-east Scotland. In June, English and Scottish armies assembled near Berwick-upon-Tweed, but withdrew without fighting, after signing the Treaty of Berwick (1639). The terms included calling a new General Assembly and Parliament of Scotland, which Charles hoped would reverse their earlier decisions. Their confirmation instead led to the Second Bishops' War in 1640.
The Scots invaded and occupied parts of northern England, after winning a victory at the Battle of Newburn. Under the interim Treaty of Ripon, the occupation continued pending a final settlement, during which Charles agreed to pay their expenses. This required him to recall the Parliament of England to raise money and ratify the treaty which was completed in August 1641. This ended the Bishops' Wars, but political differences between Charles and the new English Parliament led to the First English Civil War in August 1642.
The Reformation in Scotland created a Church of Scotland, informally referred to as the Kirk, that was Presbyterian in structure, and Calvinist in doctrine. While Presbyterian and Episcopalian now imply differences in both structure and doctrine, this was not the case in the 17th century. Despite shared Protestant beliefs, Episcopalian churches were governed by bishops, usually appointed by the monarch, Presbyterian by presbyters, elected by ministers and elders. This meant arguments over the role of bishops were as much about politics, and the extent of royal authority, as they were about religious practice.
The vast majority of Scots, whether Covenanter or Royalist, believed a "well-ordered" monarchy was divinely mandated; they disagreed on what "well-ordered" meant, and who held ultimate authority in clerical affairs. In general, Royalists viewed the monarch as head of both church and state, while Covenanters held this applied only to secular matters, and "Chryst Jesus ... was King of the Kirk". However, there were many other factors, including nationalist allegiance to the Kirk, and individual motives were very complex; Montrose was a Covenanter in 1639 and 1640 before becoming a Royalist, and switching sides was common throughout the period.
The ground they fought on
The site of Action at Brechin 1639 lies on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Bishops' Wars · Wikipedia
- The First Bishops' War, 1639 · BCW Project
- Aberdeen (Battlefields) · First Marquis of Montrose Society
- Earl of Airlie · Grokipedia