THE WIGTOWN MARTYRS
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Your correspondent Sir Graham Bower apparently thinks Professor Rait at fault and asserts, in your issue of October 5th, that " the story of the martyrdom of the two women Margaret Wilson and Margaret Lauchtison was blown sky high by Mark Napier."
Sir Graham Bower is, I think, entirely mistaken. Napier was refuted by the Rev. Archibald Stewart, of Glasserton (History Vindicated in the case of the Wiglown Martyrs, 2nd ed., 1869), and Dr. Stewart's contentions are accepted by such competent Scottish historians as Hume Brown, Hay Fleming, and Andrew Lang. The last-named, who had certainly no bias in favour of the Covenanters, speaks of Dr. Stewart's vindication as " a completely successful and courteous reply to Mr. Napier's attempt to prove that the martyrs were never drowned at all " ; and he adds that " the fact of the drowning is really beyond dispute " (History of Scotland, Vol. III. Notes
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