Murder most foul. By all accounts Archbishop Sharp was a nasty piece of work; he was an enthusiastic proponent of the Catholic faith, having found favour with the king, he had a meteoric rise "through the ranks" to become the Bishop of St. Andrews.

Sharp was instrumental in overturning the "quarter" given to the Covenanting rebels that surrendered after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge, causing many of them to die the typical horrible death of a judicial execution.

The assassins were out that fateful day in search of The Sheriff of Fife, an appointee of Sharp, who was equally vigorous in the persecution of Covenanters. Fortunately (for him) he was tipped off that a party of men were asking about him and he did not venture out that day. Unfortunately the group happened upon the Bishop and his daughter who were travelling to St. Andrews from Edinburgh and seizing the opportunity took their revenge by dragging him out of his coach then stabbing and shooting him.

It would seem that five prisoners taken at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge were to suffer for Sharps murder. They had nothing to do with the murder! They were taken to Magnus Muir from Edinburgh and hung, their bodies were hung in chains for all to see as a warning. Their bodies hung for a while before anyone dared take them down and give them a burial.

The Martyrs graves

"Here lies Thos Brown, James Wood, Andrew Sword, John Weddell & John Clyde who suffered martyrdom on Magnus Muir for their adherence to the Word of God and Scotland's Covenanted Work of Reformation. Nov 25, 1679"

The monument marking the spot where Archbishop Sharp was murdered, May 3rd 1679.

Only one of the nine assassins was ever caught, tried and executed specifically for the Murder of Bishop Sharp. Following the murder, Andrew Guillan escaped Fife and worked as a farm labourer near Cockpen. He was caught working on the Sabbath and questioned, he was unlucky enough to be recognised as one of the murderers. He was then taken to the Tollbooth in Edinburgh, where he self incriminated himself with the murder.

Following his trial on July 18th 1683, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Before he was hung, he had his hands cut off, he was then partially strangled, taken down from the scaffold where his head was cut off and then disembowelled. His head was taken to Cupar for public display and his body was hung in chains at Magnus Muir.

About six months later, one of his friends, at great personal risk removed the body from the gibbet and gave him a burial. His grave can be found in the grounds of Claremont Farm about half a mile from where the five martyrs are buried.

The grave of Andrew Guillan.

The inscription reads:

The grave ston of Andreu Guilln who suffred at the Gallowlee of Edinburgh July 1683 & afterwards was hung upon a pol in Magnus Muir and lyeth hiar.

On the back:

A faithful martyr her doth ly, A witness against perjury, Who cruely was put to death, to gratify proud prelates wrath, They cut off his hands ere he was dead , And after that struck off his head, To magnus Muir they did him bring, His body on a pole did hing, His blood under the altar cries, For vengence on Christ's enemies.