February 28 in Scottish History

Today in 1638, the Second Covenant was signed in Greyfriars Churchyard. The Covenant was signed and inaugurated by Scottish Protestant churchmen in Edinburgh. The document was a direct response to Charles I's attempts to introduce a Book of Common Prayer across the whole of Britain, as presbyterians were incensed that the General Assembly had not been consulted. Copies of the document were sent to churches around the country and soon over 300,000 Scots had signed the Covenant.

Today in 1873, Rev. Thomas Guthrie, founder of the Ragged Schools, died. A leading figure in the Disruption of 1843, Guthrie became a leading light in the early Free Church, becoming Moderator in 1862. With the support of the Edinburgh Review, Guthrie raised enough money to found a Ragged School and his 1847 book, A Plea for Ragged Schools, or Prevention is Better Than Cure, paved the way for the setting up of Government funded Industrial Schools. Perhaps Guthrie's most fitting epitaph are the words of a little girl from one of his schools: "He was all the father I ever knew."

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