A one-day seminar at Carnegie Library Ayr will examine the role and importance of Ayr in the Covenanting movement that emerged in 1637 and ruled Scotland until 1651, when Scotland was conquered by the military forces of Oliver Cromwell. Ayrshire was one of the main areas of support for the Covenanters in Scotland.

David Dickson, a Church of Scotland minister at Irvine, was one of the leaders of the petitioning campaign against the introduction of the controversial 1637 Prayer Book. Many Ayrshire parishes also petitioned against this. The Kennedy brothers in Ayr, Hugh Kennedy and John Kennedy, often represented the burgh of Ayr in the Scottish Parliament. They played an important role in supplying a Covenanting army of 11,000 troops, sent into Ireland in 1642.

Ayrshire was impacted by the outbreak of the 1641 rebellion in Ireland. Many people fled the war zone and returned to Scotland through the Ayrshire ports, causing a significant humanitarian aid problem. Scotland was one of the main areas of witch-hunting in Europe. The Reverend William Adair, minister of Ayr Auld Kirk, was a notorious Ayrshire witch-hunter in the 1660s. However, during the 1640s, he was one of the Church of Scotland ministers sent to Ireland to spread Presbyterianism.

The military battles of the Covenanting period also affected Ayrshire, most notably the 1648 Battle of Mauchline Moor. This is a theme that will be examined during the seminar.

Explore these key events and personalities in a lecture-style format with a question and answer session.

‘’With Glasgow celebrating its 850th year, celebrate the fascinating and complex history of our dear green place. Led by Dr John Young from Strathclyde’s Department of Humanities and well-known Scottish historian, this series of seminars and tours will become a regular feature of our programmes”.

Dr John Young teaches courses that are mainly focused on seventeenth century and early eighteenth-century Scotland. He is committed to research-led teaching as well as the teaching of Scottish history within a wider international context. He teaches courses on Scotland, 1707-1832, The Covenanters and the British Civil Wars, the 1707 Act of Union, and Scotland and Ulster in the Early Modern North Atlantic World.

Please note this seminar will run from 10.00-16.00 with an hour break for lunch.