Sanquhar: the Cameron memorial

Image: © Chris Downer Taken: 20 Aug 2012

This monument stands on the site of the ancient cross, as explained by the stone: In commemoration of the two famous Sanquhar declarations which were published on this spot where stood the ancient cross of the Burgh, the one by the Rev. Richard Cameron on the 22nd of June 1680, the one by the Rev. James Renwick on the 25th of May 1685. The Killing Time Cameron's declaration disavowed Charles II as king and opposed government interference in religious matters and was one of a series of events leading to the downfall of the House of Stuart. This led to the Battle of Airds Moss, on 20 July the same year, in which the 32-year-old Cameron was killed. Renwick's later declaration, along similar lines, led to his being hanged in Edinburgh in 1685. The inscription's footnote, 'The Killing Time' refers to the period 1680 to 1688 in which the Presbyterian Covenanters were in conflict with Charles II and, later, James VII - Cameron's speech being one of the founding events of this conflict.

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