BattlefieldsPentland Rising — Covenanting march from Lanark 1666
English Civil War

Pentland Rising — Covenanting march from Lanark 1666

1666
Midlothian, Scotland
Also known as: Pentland Rising march 1666 · Covenanting uprising from Ayrshire to Edinburgh 1666
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Midlothian, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Government (Dalziel skirmish at Lanark)
Forces
Dalziel's government regulars c.2,000
VS
Victor
Covenanting rebels (initially)
Forces
Covenanting insurgents c.1,000-3,000 marching east
Outcome
Covenanting rebels rose in Galloway after soldiers abused a local man; they captured a government officer and marched on Edinburgh; initial skirmishes as they moved through Lanark
The Battle

History & Significance

The Pentland Rising began with a spontaneous incident in Galloway when soldiers tried to extort money from a local farmer and were resisted. A chain of events led to the capture of the local commander Sir James Turner at Dumfries. The rebels — perhaps 3,000 at their peak — marched through Ayrshire and Lanarkshire toward Edinburgh hoping to negotiate. General Dalziel with professional troops followed and caught them at Rullion Green. The rising was premature, underprepared, and doomed — but it foreshadowed the larger Covenanting war of 1679.

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