[MR] Wikipedia: George Wishart and the Scottish Reformation

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

On this date in 1546, a Scottish reformist preacher named George Wishart
was burned at the stake for heresy (other sources say the execution was on
28 March 1546). Wishart's martyrdom was the seminal event which, shall we
say, *stoked* the Protestant reformation in Scotland.

Wishart (born 1513) was a respected scholar. His troubles began when he was
attracted to Protestantism. He was forced to leave Scotland "for his
health", and spent his exile studying and teaching in England and in
Protestant countries on the Continent. In 1544 he was back in Scotland,
preaching Protestant doctrine and speaking out against abuses by the
Catholic clergy. This included the very common violation by priests of
their celibacy vows. In fact, Scotland's hated Cardinal David Beaton had
fathered eight illegitimate children.

Wishart was arrested on Cardinal Beaton's personal order, and was convicted
of heresy at a brief show trial. Wishart was suspended from a gibbet and
burned at St. Andrews University in a particularly cruel fashion. Some
sources say he was strangled first, while others say he was burned alive.
Cardinal Beaton watched the execution from a window at his nearby palace.

Some outraged Protestant nobles sought revenge for Wishart's death. On 29
May 1546, they stormed the Cardinal's palace, killing the doorkeeper to
gain entry. The assassins caught up with Cardinal Beaton, and stabbed him
repeatedly in the approved Scottish fashion. His naked and well-ventilated
body was suspended from a window for all to see. The attackers then
occupied the palace in hope of a Protestant uprising that never came. Later
when the Cardinal's body became odiferous, it was tossed into his own
dungeon and pickled in salt. This gave rise to the taunt, "Stickit is your
cardinal, and salted like a sow."

The rebels were besieged in the Cardinal's palace until bombed into
surrender on 30 July 1547 following the arrival of a French fleet. Rough
game, Scottish politics.

Today the site of George Wishart's execution at St. Andrews University is
marked by the intertwined initials "GW" set into the pavement.

The location of Cardinal Beaton's grave was thought to be in Blackfriars
Chapel in St. Andrews, but this is disputed.

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆