On a recent visit to Orkney, I visited the Covenanters' Memorial at Deerness. It commemorates a terrible tragedy in November 1679, when over 250 souls perished in a shipwreck. They were Covenanters captured after the Battle of Bothwell Brig; they'd been condemned to be transported to the Colonies. Their ship, the Crown of London, smashed against the rocks in a terrible storm. You can read about the clash between King and kirk, ruler and rebels in my latest feature, The Covenanters' Death Ship, in the November 2007 issue of The Highlander Magazine. It's hard to believe this peaceful place ever witnessed darkness and despair. The turf is scattered with wildflowers; the only sounds the gentle lapping of the waves and the mournful song of the curlew.
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