In a story which lays bare the strengths and the horrors of the egalitarian Scottish Presbyterian spirit, Ringan Gilhaize looks across three generations to describe Scotland's most turbulent years, from his grandfather's support for the Reformation, to the harsher years of his own sufferings as a persecuted Covenanter in the killing times.
Unique when it was published in 1823, and unique to this day, Ringan Gilhaize is an autobiography, a folk history of enormous scope, and a compelling psychological portrait of how idealism can turn to fanaticism.
History tells us that John Graham of Claverhouse ('bluidy Clavers') was killed by a stray musket ball at the battle of Killiecrankie in 1689. This is the story of the bitter religious and political conflicts that led to that battle, from the mouth of the man who pulled the trigger.
Best known as the author of The Provost, Annals of the Parish and The Entail, Galt shows the full range and power of his writing in Ringan Gilhaize and reinforces his claim to be in the very highest rank of Scottish writers.