Biggar and the House of Fleming

260 BIGGAR AND THE HOUSE OF FLEMING.
through the western shires of Scotland, paid occasional visits
to the Upper Ward, and there exercised the cruelties for which,
in all succeeding times, he has been so infamously distinguished.
He was ranging up and down this district in 1685, when he
met with James Brown of Coulter, fishing in the Clyde. He
caused him to be searched ; and a powder-horn having been
found on his person, he denounced him as a knave and ordered
him to be shot. He commanded six of his troopers to dis-
mount and carry his sentence into execution ; but the Laird of
Coulterallers, who happened to be present, interceded in his
behalf, and so his life was spared till next day. He was
bound with cords and carried off to the south by the soldiers.
He was ultimately confined in the Tolbooth of Selkirk, from
which he contrived to escape, and thus eluded the fangs of that
stern persecutor, who seldom felt much scruple in imbruing
his hands in the blood of his fellow-men.
In order more thoroughly to overawe the people of Biggar
and the country adjacent, a detachment of soldiers was stationed
in the Castle of Boghall. These soldiers no doubt embraced
every opportunity of exercising their cruel and tyrannical pro-
pensities on the poor and oppressed inhabitants, and carrying
out the behests of a blind and infuriated Government. We
find that the Committee on Public Affairs, on the 16 th July
1684, wrote a letter to Sir William Murray of Stanhope, Sir
Archibald Murray of Blackbarony, and John Veitch of Dawick,
stating that they had been informed that conventicles had been
held at Carnhill and Colston's Loup, in the county of Peebles,
and complaining that these gentlemen had furnished no infor-
mation regarding the persons who had been present, in viola-
tion of the terms of the proclamation of Council, in 1682.
They were therefore ordered to make diligent search for, and
to apprehend, both the preachers and hearers on these
occasions ; and to avail themselves in this work of the assistance
of the garrison of Boghall.
The Covenanters in the Upper Ward, in spite of all the
efforts of Government, kept up their meetings. By means of
the Societies which were first formed in December 1681, they
maintained a complete .organization, and were, no doubt,
regularly trained to the art of war, in order to be ready to
take advantage of any favourable juncture that might arise, to