The Scepters of Time

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The Scottish Thistle was conceived when I discovered that a linen colony once flourished in the Presbytery of Fordyce. It was founded by the Earl of Deskford and populated by Covenenters. The background bore striking similarities to Puritan New England in the seventeenth century. The principle protagonist is a man who bears the Scottish Thistle for the guilt of the minister's daughter. He bears the brand on his forehead for alleged neglect of not closing the cattle gate. As a result, a prized cow strays from the enclosure, is lamed, and must be put down. The man is guiltless but accepts the sentence. To do less would shift the blame to the minister's daughter, who is mother to little Elizabeth. The latter is the glue that binds the family. Our protagonist has been banished to the Carolinas and returns under penalty of death by hanging. He hides the scar, and it is only revealed to the child. She is true to her pledge and tells no one. He hides his disfigurement under a heavy thatch of hair. Despite his low station as a thinker, he gains renown for valor and service and must quit Fordyce. I had access to original documents in the National Library of Scotland, the Church of Scotland Archives, a personal collection of the regimental chaplain of the Seaforth Highlanders, and an interview with the wife of the factor of Cullen House. In addition, I stayed with crofters and tradesmen who entertained me with stories.