THE SCOTTISH MARTYRS:
by Wally MacFarlane.
One of the most intriguing memorials in South London’s Nunhead Cemetery is the obelisk dedicated to five political reformers of the 18th century who became known as the Scottish Martyrs. The story of these men, who put the cause of political justice before their own lives, as told by Wally Macfarlane, is a timely reminder of the price paid for universal suffrage.
The setting for this memorial is perhaps the least known but most attractive of the great Victorian burial grounds of London. As well as the Scottish Martyrs memorial, Nunhead Cemetery contains many other magnificent monuments erected in memory of the most eminent citizens of the day, which contrast sharply with the small simple headstones marking common, or public, burials. Its formal avenue of towering limes and the Gothic gloom of the original Victorian planting gives way to paths which recall the country lanes of a bygone era.
A5 softback, with illustrations.
Last Updated on 3rd August 2019
